Land Stewardship Project

Land Stewardship Project
  • About Us
    • Our Mission
    • Long Range Plan
    • Staff Directory
    • Board of Directors
    • Contact Us
    • Past LSP Projects
    • Employment & Volunteer Opportunities
    • LSP Publications
  • The Latest
    • 40th Anniversary Events
    • Tell us an LSP Story
    • Songs for the Soil
    • CSA Farm Directory
    • Upcoming Events
    • News
      • News Releases
      • Media Contacts
      • LSP in the News
    • Blog
    • Podcast
    • Land Stewardship Letter
    • LIVE-WIRE Sign-up
    • Myth Busters
    • Fact Sheets
    • Farm Crisis Resources
  • For Farmers & Landowners
    • New Farmers
      • Farm Beginnings Class
      • Journeyperson Course
      • Farm Dreams Workshop
      • Farmland Clearinghouse
      • Accessing Farmland
      • Beginning/Retiring Farmer Tax Credit
      • Beginning Farmer Profiles
    • Retiring Farmers & Landowners
      • Farmland Clearinghouse
      • Conservation Leases
      • Beginning/Retiring Farmer Tax Credit
      • Land Transition Tools
      • Transition Stories
    • Soil Health
      • Cover Crops
      • Grazing
      • No-till
      • Microbiology
      • Soil Builders’ Network
      • Soil Builders’ E-Letters
    • Cropping Systems Calculator
    • Conservation Leases
  • Creating Change
    • Community-Based Food Systems
      • Community Food Webs Learning Circles
    • Policy Campaigns
      • Soil Health & Climate Change
      • Healthcare
      • Factory Farms
      • Federal Policy
      • State Policy
      • Developing Leadership
      • Caucus for Land Stewardship
    • Justice & Stewardship
    • Organizational Stewardship
    • Building People Power
  • Get Involved
    • Take Action!
    • Upcoming Events
    • Land Stewardship Action Fund
    • Connect with LSP
      • Stay Connected
      • Join, Donate, or Renew Today!
      • Shop
      • Employment & Volunteer Opportunities
      • Legacy Giving
    • Network with LSP Members
      • Farmland Clearinghouse
      • Soil Health
  • Join, Donate, or Renew Today!
  • Stay Connected
  • Contact Us
  • Shop
Search
More...

Farmers: CSP is on for 2013

By Adam Warthesen
March 29, 2013

Share

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Pinterest
  • email

One of the nation’s most innovative working lands farm conservation initiatives has received a financial reprieve, thanks to the continuing resolution signed by President Barack Obama on Tuesday.

The continuing resolution, which was passed by Congress late last week, appropriates funds to federal government agencies through the remainder of the government’s current fiscal year. The Continuing Resolution also removes previous cuts to the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).

This is important: previous to passage of the continuing resolution, it was unclear if any CSP sign-up was going to take place this year. But now we’re expecting 12-million acres across the U.S. to be enrolled in CSP this year. That’s good for farmers and good for the farm and conservation landscape.

Since 2009, 50 million acres nationwide have been enrolled in CSP, more than any other farm conservation program over that same period. As this LSP fact sheet shows, Minnesota ranks tops in the nation when it comes to CSP, both in terms of number of contracts (3,232) and dollars obligated (over $260 million). Program demand in Minnesota has remained high, with 1,594 applications submitted in 2012 alone.

Offered through five-year contracts, farmers have used CSP to protect and improve water quality, soil health and wildlife habitat options on land in current production. (To read about how southern Minnesota farmers Arvid and Lois Jovaag have used CSP, see this profile.) The program is available for all types of farm operations, including cropland, pastureland, rangeland or forested acres.

“I enrolled my farm in the Conservation Stewardship Program in 2009 and was able to establish a better resource conserving crop rotation, upgrade my field spraying equipment with innovate technologies and renew a farmstead tree shelterbelt,” says Sibley County, Minn., dairy farmer Darrel Mosel. “All of these practices are good conservation enhancements to my farm and the local community.”

County and regional NRCS offices are currently accepting applications for CSP contracts. LSP’s updated CSP fact sheet has details on how to begin the process of applying to the program. If you’re already practicing conservation or are interested in adopting more stewardship measures, it’s well worth your time to check out this program.

LSP federal policy organizer Adam Warthesen can be contacted at 612-722-6377 or adamw@landstewardshipproject.org.

Category: Blog

More Information

Check out LSP’s Conservation Stewardship Program web page.

Montevideo

117 South First Street
Montevideo, MN 56265

(320) 269-2105

Lewiston

180 E. Main Street
Lewiston, MN 55952

(507) 523-3366

Minneapolis

821 E. 35th Street #200
Minneapolis, MN 55407

(612) 722-6377

Copyright © 2023 Land Stewardship Project. All rights reserved.

https://landstewardshipproject.org/farmers-csp-is-on-for-2013