Natural Resources Conservation ServiceConservation
Stewardship Program
Is CSP Right for Me?
Can You Answer ‘Yes’
to the Following?
Then CSP may be a good
fit for your operation.
 I own or rent, and manage land for
agricultural or forest production,such as cropland, rangeland, grasslandor pasture.
 I have already been doingconservation work on my operation.
 I want to expand my existing
conservation efforts to achievea higher level of environmental
stewardship.
 I intend or plan to maintain control ofthe land for at least five years.
 My land complies with highly erodible
land and wetland conservation
determination provisions (if unsure,ask your local USDA Service Center) I have a social security number or
employer identification number issued
by the IRS.

What is CSP?
The Conservation Stewardship Program(CSP) offers technical and financial
assistance to help agricultural and forest
producers take their conservation efforts
to the next level.
The program is designed to compensate
agricultural and forest producers who agree
to increase their level of conservation by
adopting additional conservation activities
and maintaining their baseline level ofconservation. CSP is for producers whoare passionate about conservation andenvironmental stewardship.

What are the benefits?
CSP may provide many benefits, including
increased crop productivity, decreased
inputs, wildlife habitat improvements andincreased resilience to weather extremes.
CSP also encourages adoption of newtechnologies and management techniques.

 My adjusted gross income is lessthan $900,000 (does not apply to
Indian Tribes.

For example, CSP can help you:•Schedule timely planting andmanagement of cover crops

 As a member of an entity or jointoperation, I have authority tomake management decisions forthe business•

Develop a grazing plan that will
improve your forage base•

Implement no-till to reduce erosion ormanage forested areas in a way that
benefits wildlife habitat

If you are already taking steps to improvethe condition of the land, chances are
CSP can help you find new ways to meetyour goals.

NRCS ● July 2021

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IS CSP RIGHT FOR ME?										

2How Does CSP Work?

CSP Eligibility

CSP offers opportunities for producers to
expand on existing conservation efforts
by applying new conservation practices,enhancements, and bundles. These
new activities will help enhance natural
resources and improve the operation.

Land Eligibility

For example, if you have been planting
a cover crop, you may decide to try anenhancement for a multi-species covercrop or implement a deep rooted covercrop to break up soil compaction.
If you decide to apply for CSP, the local
NRCS conservation planner will havea one-on-one consultation with you
to evaluate your current management
system and the natural resources on
your land. You will then work with theNRCS conservation planner to selectnew CSP conservation activities basedon your management objectives foryour operation.
Once you choose the conservation
practices or activities that best fit,and if your application is selected forfunding, CSP offers annual payments for
implementing these practices on yourland, and operating and maintaining
existing conservation efforts.
Want to take it a step further? CSP alsooffers bundles where you can select asuite of enhancements and receive ahigher payment rate.

How Long is a CSP
Contract?
Five years, with the potential to renew
for another five-year period if you
successfully complete your first contract
term, and if your renewal application
ranks high enough (CSP renewals are acompetitive process).

NRCS ● July 2021

Q. What lands are eligible for CSP?
A. Eligible lands include private
agricultural lands, agricultural
Indian lands, nonindustrial private
forest land, farmstead, associatedagricultural lands and public land thatis under the control of the applicantand part of their operation. There is nominimum acreage requirement. CSPenrolls your entire operation into theprogram, not just one specific field ortract. All land must be in compliancewith USDA highly erodible land andwetland conservation provisions tobe eligible for CSP.
Q. I am new to farming? Am I eligible
for CSP?
A. Not yet. The land must be actively
used for producing an agricultural orforest product. Lands being clearedor prepped for future agricultural
production are not eligible for CSP
until an agricultural operation has
been established and crops, food orfiber have been successfully produced.
Be sure to check with your local
USDA service center before clearing
any land to ensure that you will
not violate the highly erodible landconservation or wetland conservation
requirements. Failing to have NRCS
complete proper determinations may
impact your ability to participate in
USDA programs.

Producer Eligibility
Q. Who is eligible to apply for CSP?
A. Applicants may include individuals,legal entities, joint operations orIndian Tribes that own or rent andcurrently manage land for agriculturalor forest production. The applicant
must have a social security number oremployer identification number issuedby the IRS and must maintain controlof the land for the entire span of the5-year CSP contract. The applicant
must have an adjusted gross incomeof less than $900,000. The adjusted
gross income requirement does not
apply to Indian Tribes.
Helping People Help the Land

Stewardship Threshold Eligibility
Q. What is the stewardship threshold?
A. Stewardship threshold is a term NRCS
uses to determine if a CSP applicant
is currently meeting or exceeding anadequate level of conservation criteria
for a particular natural resource
concern. CSP applicants must currently
be meeting the stewardship thresholdfor at least two priority natural
resource concerns on every land use
included in the operation. They mustalso agree to meet or exceed thestewardship threshold for at least one
additional resource concern by theend of the contract on at least one
land use. Don’t worry if you are unsureof your threshold because an NRCS
planner will assist you.

Practice Enhancements
and Bundles
Q. What is a conservation practice?
A. Conservation practices can improvesoil, water, plants, air, wildlife habitat,
and related natural resources. Eachconservation practice must be
performed using NRCS practicestandards developed by each state.
Q. What is an enhancement?
A. Enhancements are conservation
activities used to treat resource
concerns and improve conservation
performance.
Q. What is a bundle?
A. Bundles are land-use specific andconsist of at least three enhancements,
for which implementation as a group
improves conservation performanceand addresses multiple resource
concerns in a comprehensive andcost-effective manner.
Each bundle has three or more
required enhancements, and for somebundles, the applicant has the option
to pick additional enhancements froma select list that addresses specificresource concerns.
nrcs.usda.gov

IS CSP RIGHT FOR ME?										Producers interested in implementing
enhancements or bundles on theirproperty can visit with their local
NRCS conservation planner to learn
more about them.

CSP Payments
Q. What types of payments are offeredthrough CSP?
A. There are three types of payments
available through CSP.
1. Annual contract payments which
are based on two components:• Payments to maintain the existinglevel of conservation based on theland uses included in the contract• Payments to implement
additional conservation practices
and activities.
2. Supplemental payments for
producers willing to implementa resource conserving croprotation, improve an existing
resource conserving crop rotation,
or implement advanced grazing
management
3. Minimum contract payments formost contracts.
Q. When are payments made?
A. NRCS makes payments as soon aspractical after October 1 of eachfiscal year for contract activities
installed and maintained in theprevious fiscal year and completed
before September 30.
Q. Do I have to pay income taxes onmy payments?
A. Yes. All payments made to you by
NRCS are reported to the Internal
Revenue Service and should bereported as income on your tax returnfor the applicable tax year. You will
receive a Form 1099 to report CSP
payments on your tax return.

3

CSP Application andEvaluation
Q. How do I apply for CSP?
A. Contact your local NRCS field officeand let them know you are interested
in CSP. A conservation planner will
work with you to determine yourstewardship threshold eligibility.
If you are new to working with USDA,
you will need to establish your Farm
Record with the Farm Service Agency(FSA). Establishing a Farm Record
requires several forms and documents,
so make an appointment with yourFSA office as soon as possible.
In addition to your Farm Record
documents, you will also need tosubmit to NRCS:
1. NRCS CPA-1200- Conservation
Program Application
2. A map showing all land uses andacres in the operation.
3. A map or other documentation
identifying any known ineligible
land and associated acreage
amounts.
Q. How are CSP applications evaluated?
A. Once NRCS completes an assessmentof your operation and you choose theconservation practices or activities
that you want to implement, NRCS
will rank your application to determine
how well your current and future
management system will addressnational, state, and local natural
resource priorities.
NRCS will rank your application
against other similar eligible
applications in the same ranking pool,with the highest scoring applications
receiving contract offers first.

Helping People Help the Land
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

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