CSP Grazing Lands Eligibility Tool

January 2008

**Background**

The CSP Grazing Lands Eligibility tool was created by a team of agency
experts. This team together assigned index values to each conservation
measure for each of the CSP soil and water quality concern categories.
The tool was further reviewed by state NRCS employees from around the
country.

The tool is a spreadsheet based tool. If you have any questions or
comments please contact George Peacock with the Grazing Lands Team in
the Central National Technology Support Center at (817) 509-3211.

The CSP Grazing Lands Eligibility Tool answers the basic question "Does
the producer address the minimum soil and water quality resource
concerns outlined in the CSP legislation?"

It is not a planning tool. NRCS has more detailed planning tools, such
as the pasture condition scoring and rangeland health assessment. The
CSP Grazing Lands Tool was designed to determine if applicants are
meeting the minimum requirements of CSP.

**Scale to apply the Tool**

The CSP Grazing Lands Eligibility Tool will be applied and run for the
pastureland and rangeland acres that are offered by the applicant for
the program. The intent is to NOT apply the tool on a field by field
basis. Each statement should be interpreted as asking the question "Is
\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_\_ (management activity) applied on your
offered acres?" A check in the box indicates an affirmative answer. The
eligibility question must be true on all acres to be able to check the
box affirmatively.

**Documentation**

The producer should have appropriate records and documentation available
at the interview for the following:

1\) Grazing Management Plan

2\) Nutrient Management Plan

> 3\) Pest Management Plan

The following is a narrative of the questions and additional guidance to
be used to fill out the CSP Grazing Lands Eligibility Tool.

**Management Activities**

1.  **Adequate grazing and roughage supply is available to meet animal
    demands and is managed to maintain or enhance plant health and
    composition, protect soil surface from accelerated erosion, and
    increase soil organic matter.** Documented forage/livestock balance
    done on a monthly basis that includes wildlife demand. Livestock
    numbers, grazing area, or grazing time per pasture/paddock are
    adjusted to ensure adequate plant regrowth opportunity to maintain
    or enhance plant vigor and protect soil surface from accelerated
    erosion. Adjustments to livestock numbers are made to account for
    forage deficits/surpluses due to climatic conditions, wildfire,
    insects, etc.

2.  **A minimum of 2 years of written records or documentation to
    support the current grazing management system are available
    documenting the kind, class, and number of animals and identifying
    the periods of grazing, rest, and other treatments for each grazing
    unit.** To maintain or enhance plant vigor and protect soil surface
    from accelerated erosion and increase soil organic matter. Grazing
    management records must document grazing periods and deferment
    showing differences in season of use as identified in grazing
    management plan. Applicants will need to supply written records and
    documentation upon request from NRCS.

3.  **Livestock watering facilities; fences; salting, mineral, and
    supplemental feeding locations; and/or herding techniques are
    installed or implemented for proper livestock grazing
    distribution.** A system of activities applied and maintained to
    enhance plant health, composition and vigor, reduce accelerated
    erosion, and minimize sedimentation and transport of sediment to
    surface waters.

4.  **Access roads, stock trails and other critical areas are managed to
    limit surface water runoff and control accelerated soil erosion.**
    If accelerated soil erosion concerns/problems exist because of
    access roads, stock trails, or other critical areas, these areas
    must be managed to limit surface water runoff and control
    accelerated soil erosion. Gully erosion is stabilized.

> **Water Courses**

5.  **Manage grazing of riparian areas adjacent to water courses to
    maintain adequate plant cover to reduce amounts of sediment,
    pesticides, and nutrients in surface runoff; help stabilize
    streambanks; and increase soil organic matter.** Manage vegetative
    health and cover by reducing erosion, and minimize transport of
    sediment, pesticides, and nutrients to surface waters. Activities,
    such as off-stream water sources, stream crossings,
    scheduled/managed grazing, grazing deferment during critical
    regrowth periods, fencing/exclusion, or periodic rest from grazing
    through rotational grazing or herding, are acceptable methods when
    properly chosen and applied to meet the specific situation.

6.  **Livestock feeding areas and other areas where livestock
    concentrate, such as off stream watering areas and salting and
    mineral locations are not located adjacent to water courses and if
    located adjacent to water courses have buffers, filter strips,
    sediment basins, or other measures established to prevent direct,
    unfiltered runoff into surface waters.**

> **Pesticides (No Pesticides Concern triggers a pass for Pesticides)**

7.  CHOOSE ONE (1) Integrated Pest Management CHOICE BELOW - IF NONE
    APPLY CHECK HERE.

-   **(Choice 1) A full Integrated Pest Management system is not yet
    implemented, but one or more IPM management techniques that are
    appropriate for the site are utilized on a regular basis.**

> Integrated Pest Management - IPM includes a wide array of grazing
> management and site specific prevention, avoidance, monitoring, and
> suppression management techniques.
>
> Prevention - Preventing pest populations (e.g., using pest-free seeds
> and sprigs, feeding hay without any noxious weed seeds, and scheduling
> irrigation to avoid situations conducive to disease development,
> etc.).
>
> Avoidance - Avoiding pest impacts (e.g., using pest-resistant
> varieties, select non-invasive forage species, etc.).
>
> Monitoring - Identifying the extent of pest populations and/or the
> probability of future populations (e.g., pest scouting, soil testing,
> weather forecasting, etc.).
>
> Suppression - Suppressing a pest population or its impacts using
> cultural, biological, or chemical pest controls. Example: Cultural -
> Monitoring forage stand density and canopy cover and enhancing it as
> needed to suppress weed entry.
>
> Note: Guidance on appropriate IPM management techniques is available
> from Cooperative Extension.

-   **(Choice 2) A basic Integrated Pest Management system with scouting
    and economic thresholds is used to manage pests and reduce pest
    management environmental risk.**

> A basic IPM system utilizes pest suppression techniques (including
> pesticide applications) only after monitoring (including pest
> scouting) verifies that a pest population has reached an economic
> threshold.
>
> An economic threshold is the number of pests (weeds, insects,
> diseases, etc.) per some unit (square foot, acre, plant, etc.) that,
> if left uncontrolled, will soon increase to levels high enough to
> cause economic injury that is equal to the cost of suppression.
>
> Pest management environmental risk is reduced by applying mitigation
> techniques. Mitigation techniques include both IPM management
> techniques, such as timing pesticide application to avoid heavy
> rainfall. Appropriate mitigation techniques may be selected based on
> environmental risk evaluation with tools like the NRCS Windows
> Pesticide Screening Tool (WIN-PST).
>
> Note: Guidance on basic IPM systems is available from Cooperative
> Extension.

-   **(Choice 3) A high level IPM system with pesticides applied only as
    a last resort is used to manage pests and reduce pest management
    environmental risk.**

> A high level IPM system goes beyond a basic IPM system by relying
> primarily on prevention and avoidance management techniques (see
> definitions in Choice 1 note). When pest suppression is necessary,
> chemical controls are generally used only when cultural and biological
> controls have proven inadequate.
>
> Pest management environmental risk is reduced by substituting cultural
> and biological management techniques for pesticides whenever possible,
> and applying other appropriate mitigation techniques. Mitigation
> techniques include both IPM management techniques and Conservation
> Practices.
>
> Appropriate mitigation techniques may be selected based on
> environmental risk evaluation with tools like the NRCS Windows
> Pesticide Screening Tool - WIN-PST (for evaluating the use of last
> resort pesticides).
>
> Note: Guidance on high level IPM systems is available from Cooperative
> Extension.

8.  **Selective Treatment by spot application, individual plant
    treatment, or directed spraying is utilized to reduce amount of
    pesticide applied. This can be in addition to other IPM choices
    above.**

9.  **When applying pesticides, maintain a minimum setback distance of
    33 feet between the application area and intermittent
    streams/ditches, perennial streams, ponds/lakes, surface water
    inlets and open sink holes. Or, utilize pesticides labeled for
    aquatic use that give desired control.**

> **Nutrients (No Nutrients Concern triggers a pass for Nitrogen and
> Phosphorus)**

10. **Where nutrients are applied (manure/fertilizer), the rate is based
    on a nutrient management plan.**

> A nutrient management plan provides recommendations or procedures to
> determine the amount, form, placement and timing of plant nutrients to
> obtain optimum yields while minimizing the risk of surface and ground
> water pollution. The procedure used to determine nutrient
> recommendations should be based on one or more of the following:

-   Realistic yield goal,

-   Soil test results,

-   Leguminous crop credits,

-   Manure application history, and/or

-   Leaf tissue analysis (if appropriate).

> The nutrient management plan should address all sources of nutrients.

11. **Are current soil tests (5 years old or less) used to make nutrient
    applications based on soil and plant needs?** Soil samples analyzed
    by a recognized land grant university or private laboratory using
    methods approved by the land grant university for the purposes of
    determining amounts of nutrients needed for plant production.
    Producer needs to demonstrate the use of soil tests to plan nutrient
    application rates.

12. **When applying manure, maintain a minimum setback distance of 33
    feet between the application area and intermittent streams/ditches,
    perennial streams, ponds/lakes, surface water inlets and open sink
    holes.** Application rates for liquid manure do not exceed the
    Available Water Capacity of the soil or produce surface runoff that
    leaves the field of application.

13. **No nitrogen (manure/fertilizer)is ever applied. (This triggers a
    pass for nitrogen)**

14. **CHOOSE ONE (1) NITROGEN CHOICE BELOW**

    -   **(Choice 1) Most nitrogen (manure or fertilizer) is applied at
        the beginning of the growing season as a top-dress.**

    -   **(Choice 2) Most nitrogen (manure or fertilizer) is split
        applied: usually an initial application at start of growing
        season and then applied as needed after one or more grazing
        events during the year except last one of the growing season.**

15. **No Phosphorus is applied via fertilizer, manure, biosolids, or
    other amendments. (This triggers a pass for phosphorus)**.

16. **No Phosphorus is applied where soil test indicate a "very high or
    excessive" rating. For pasture renovation only band apply starter
    application of P.** When soil tests results that are analyzed by a
    recognized land grant university or private laboratory for the
    purposes of determining amounts of nutrients needed for plant
    production indicate that phosphorus levels are in the \"very high\"
    or \"excessive\" or \"above optimum\" rating category (regardless of
    P extraction method), no phosphorus is applied with the exception of
    up to 25 lbs/acre of P2O5 as starter fertilizer at time of planting.

17. **Where applicable, nitrogen and phosphorus additions from manure,
    irrigation water, supplemental feed, and soil organic matter are
    calculated from analyses or book values and used to plan nutrient
    application rates.**

> Account for all nutrients brought onto the farm through a mass balance
> accounting. Where applicable, account for both nitrogen and phosphorus
> credits from the following sources:

-   current and prior year\'s manure applications,

-   irrigation water applied during the growing season,

-   supplemental feed,

-   and soil OM.

> **Salinity (No Salinity Concern triggers a pass for Salinity)**

18. **Saline recharge and discharge areas have been identified.**
    Acceptable methods of identifying saline seep recharge areas include
    soil maps and geologic information, soil moisture probes and test
    holes, and visual inspections. Visual assessments and electrical
    conductivity measurements are acceptable methods of identifying
    discharge areas. Visual indicators of discharge areas include
    vigorous weed growth, salt crystals on the soil surface, and
    prolonged soil wetness.

19. **For saline seeps discharge areas, grazing is managed to maintain
    and/or improve existing salt tolerant vegetation.**

20. **For saline seeps, grazing is managed in recharge area on permanent
    pasture and rangeland to provide optimum vegetation type and cover
    to minimize soil water percolation below root zone thereby reducing
    saline flows at seep discharge areas.**