Published: September 08, 2009 02:35 pm      

Signup for conservation stewardship program continues until Sept. 30

STILLWATER — The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) continues sign-up for the new Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) in Oklahoma. The first cutoff for ranking purposes is scheduled for Sept. 30, State Conservationist Ronald L. Hilliard announced today.

“The Conservation Stewardship Program changed dramatically in the 2008 Farm Bill,” said Hilliard. “NRCS took the time to develop a program that would appeal to our diverse customers and offer them an equal chance to participate. We hope that agricultural and forestry producers in Oklahoma take full advantage of the benefits this newly revised program offers.”

The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill) authorized the Conservation Stewardship Program. Congress renamed and revamped the former Conservation Security Program completely to improve its availability and appeal to agricultural and forestry producers. The Conservation Stewardship Program will be offered in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, and the Pacific and Caribbean areas through continuous sign-ups with announced cut-off application dates for ranking periods. The maximum annual enrollment is capped at nearly 12.8 million acres nationwide.

NRCS administers CSP, a voluntary conservation program designed to encourage agricultural and forestry producers to adopt additional conservation practices and improve, maintain and manage existing ones.

To apply for the newly revamped CSP, individual producers, legal entities and Indian tribes will be encouraged to use a self-screening checklist first to determine whether the new program is suitable for them or their operation. The checklist is available on NRCS Web sites and at NRCS field offices at www.nrcs.usda.gov/new_csp/.