The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service is accepting new applications for the Conservation Stewardship Program. Farm and forest landowners may apply by Jan. 17 for possible 2014 funding.
In 2013, 308 Wisconsin farmers and forestland owners enrolled in CSP, with an average payment of $5,408 per contract. Over $1.6 million in payments will be made to those farm families this year and over $8.3 million over the course of the five-year contract.
“For many farmers, CSP offers reward and recognition for the conservation they are already doing, plus a little extra incentive to try a few more or new practices,” said Jeff Maroszek, NRCS district conservationist for Marinette and Oconto counties.
Eligible lands include cropland, pastureland, nonindustrial private forestland and tribal agricultural lands.
For the 2013 sign-up, average payments in Wisconsin were $19 per acre for cropland, $13 per acre for pasture and $4 per acre for woodland. Payments are made annually for each of the five years of the contract. CSP is open to small and large operations, with farms already enrolled ranging from just a couple of acres to over 4,000 acres of cropland.
Farmers will need to document their current and proposed conservation practices, which will be used to rank applications and determine payments. NRCS field staff will also conduct on-site field verifications of applicants’ information.
For more information, visit www.wi.nrcs.usda.gov or contact the NRCS office at the USDA Service Center in Oconto, 920-834-5688.
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