Farmers wanting to apply for funding through the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Conservation Stewardship Program still have a couple of weeks left to do so – the next application deadline is Feb. 3, 2017.
The national, voluntary stewardship program gives incentives to farmers and ranchers to maintain their existing conservation practices or add new conservation measures on their land. CSP helps pay for efforts such as clean water, better soil management, improved habitat and energy efficiency, according to Anna Johnson, Center for Rural Affairs policy associate.
“In a time when there is more and more attention paid to the need to build healthy soil, improve water quality and otherwise support resource conservation, the Conservation Program offers farmers a great opportunity to ramp up conservation on their farm,” she says.
Any size farm can qualify, Johnson adds.
“[This program] doesn’t forget smaller producers,” she says. “For folks who qualify for the program, the minimum contract payment is $1,500, no matter the acreage. This is a major farmer and rancher funding opportunity.”
You must be in control of your farmland for the 5-year term of the CSP contract. Farm records have to be established through the Farm Service Agency before an application is evaluated. For more information, visit http://bit.ly/2jnoRie.
