Deadline nears for Conservation Stewardship Program

The deadline for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Conservation Stewardship Program is drawing near.

Applications for the program must be received by Sept. 30. Applications received after the cutoff will be considered for funding in 2010.

The program, administered by USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, helps farmers, ranchers and non-industrial private forest landowners across the state maintain existing conservation on their operations while adopting additional activities.

Lands eligible for the program include cropland, grazing land, non-industrial private forestland and agricultural land under the jurisdiction of an Indian tribe. Individual landowners, legal entities and Indian tribes may be eligible to apply.

Before submitting an application, interested producers should first complete a self-screening checklist, available at USDA Service Centers and on the NRCS website, to determine whether the new program is suitable for them and their operation. Next, they must work with their local USDA Service Center to establish their program eligibility.

To be considered for funding, eligible applicants must show that they currently address a minimum level of conservation on their land and are willing to add additional conservation activities.

Once producers submit their applications, NRCS will assess the current and proposed conservation on their land. Based on this information, applications will be ranked for funding within the state.

Nationwide, the program enrollment is capped at 12,769,000 acres annually. USDA will soon announce enrollment acres allowed for each state.

USDA is finalizing the new Conservation Stewardship Program’s policies and procedures. The interim final rule, published in the Federal Register, is open for public comment through Sept. 28.

The program, authorized under the 2008 Farm Bill, is the result of a renovation of the former Conservation Security Program, improving its availability to both agricultural and forestry producers.

For more information on the program, contact Mike Burton, district conservationist, at the La Grande NRCS office, 1901 Adams Ave., Suite 6; phone 541-963-4178 ext. 108.