USDA Seeks Comments on New Conservation Stewardship Program Rule

By Jim Steadman|November 5, 2014

USDA has announced proposed changes to the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), one of the department’s largest conservation programs for working agricultural lands.

“Farmers, ranchers, and non-industrial forestland owners enrolled in the Conservation Stewardship Program are our nation’s conservation leaders, as they go the extra mile to conserve our natural resources,” said Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack. “This program continues to enable owners and managers of private lands to reach the next level of conservation.”

The rule also establishes the role of CSP as one of the programs to help the Regional Conservation Partnership Program accomplish its purposes. Vilsack said participants will be delivering more conservation benefits than ever under the revised program rules.

USDA has published an interim final rule containing the statutory changes to CSP in the Federal Register and is seeking public comments on the rule through January 5, 2015. The public comments will be used to finalize the rule, which will establish the program’s policy for the life of the 2014 Farm Bill.

USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) administers CSP, which pays participants for conservation performance. In CSP, producers install conservation enhancements to make positive changes in soil, water, and air quality; water quantity; plant and animal resources; and energy conservation. More than 64 million acres have been enrolled in the program since the launch of the program in 2009.