WASHINGTON – Conservation-minded farmers and ranchers will notice improvements to the nation’s largest conservation program, the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), according to an announcement by the US Dept. of Agriculture’s (USDA’s) Natural Resources Conservation Service. The new and improved CSP will offer producers new planning and evaluation tools to help improve land conditions.
“After hearing from farmers, ranchers, and partners who wanted to see improvements to the Conservation Stewardship Program, we’re launching this update to make a successful program work even better,” said NRCS chief Jason Weller. “We’ve redesigned the program to provide for greater local involvement, offer more opportunities for conservation and innovation on working lands, and make the connection between actions and outcomes more accessible to producers. Together, we can help those that grow our food and fiber take conservation efforts on working lands to the next level.”
Improvements to the CSP will help producers better evaluate options when it comes to conservation in their operations. The new tools available will enable producers to evaluate conservation opportunities, allowing them to choose the best practices to help them meet their conservation goals.
“A lot has happened in agriculture and conservation since 2010, and the new CSP allows producers to take advantage of new techniques and technologies to increase conservation while boosting production,” Weller said. “Through the incorporation of new practices and enhancements, we’re making CSP work for more people across the country.”
The new program offers producers a number of enhancements to help them deal with conservation issues. According to NRCS, for example, “CSP will offer producers four new enhancements that utilize gypsum as a soil amendment, which has been shown to improve water quality by reducing dissolved phosphorus and reducing the potential for pathogens to reach ground and surface water from manure.”
CSP was designed for farmers and producers who are already active in conservation.
Producers interested in the program can find at more at www.nrcs.usda.gov/csp or visit their local USDA Service Center.
