FACTSHEET • OCTOBER 2023 FARMERS.GOV/CLIMATE-SMART

Code

Conservation 

Practice 

Standard Name

(practice unit)

Narrative Additional Planner Guidance/Applicability of the Practice

313 Waste Storage 

Structure (number)

01N Compost Bedded 

Pack waste storage facility 

- a livestock agricultural 

waste storage fabricated 

structure where manure 

is composted within the 

animal housing

• Use 01N when specifically planning a compost bedded pack structure. 

When implemented this way, the practice can lead to reduced methane 

(CH4) emissions resulting from the added carbonaceous bedding material 

and regularly tilling to promote composting, as compared to a liquid 

storage system. 

• For any other waste storage structure, use 00N (which would not be a 

CSAF mitigation activity). 

314 Brush Management 

(acres)

03N Remove woody 

(non-herbaceous and 

succulent) invasive 

vegetation to maintain 

or enhance deep rooted 

native perennial grass and 

forb communities, leaving 

treated woody material 

onsite to mitigate above 

ground carbon loss

• Use 03N when specifically planning the practice to remove woody (nonherbaceous and succulent) invasive vegetation to maintain or enhance 

native perennial grass and forb communities. Woody residue from 

mechanical or chemical treatments must be left onsite. When implemented 

this way, the practice can be used to maintain or re-establish native 

perennial plant communities and associated carbon stocks and carbon 

balance equilibrium. Restoring reference perennial plant communities may 

increase resistance to disturbances such as wildfire that would result in 

even greater carbon losses. 

• Woody residue left on site should be treated in a manner (i.e. lop and 

scatter) not to cause additional resource concerns or increase wildfire 

hazard. 

• When available, planners should use Ecological Site Descriptions 

(ESDs) to assess the potential for a plant community to address carbon 

sequestration. Determining if the practice can maintain or increase carbon 

is situational and relies on planners’ professional judgment and familiarity 

with the ecological site being evaluated. Planning the practice in a way 

that addresses soil erosion and the soil organic matter depletion resource 

concern components should result in an application designed to reestablish an equilibrium, which may increase soil organic carbon.

• For any other application of brush management that does not meet these 

criteria, including for instance implementations that involve burn piles or 

hauled residue, use the appropriate narrative (which would not be a CSAF 

mitigation activity).

Additional Planner Guidance for 

FY24 Climate-Smart Agriculture and 

Forestry (CSAF) Mitigation Activities 

with Specified Implementations

This document provides a conservation planner with additional guidance to plan, design, and implement the 

identified CSAF Mitigation Activities with specific implementations to meet the intended goal of providing 

mitigation benefits. The practices in the table below are only considered CSAF Mitigation Activities when 

implemented according to the description in the corresponding narrative. 
FACTSHEET • OCTOBER 2023 FARMERS.GOV/CLIMATE-SMART

ADDITIONAL PLANNER GUIDANCE FOR CSAF MITIGATION ACTIVITIES 2

Code

Conservation 

Practice 

Standard Name

(practice unit)

Narrative Additional Planner Guidance/Applicability of the Practice

315 Herbaceous Weed 

Treatment (acres)

01N Removal of 

herbaceous weeds to 

release desired deep 

rooted perennial grass and 

forb species

• Use 01N when specifically planning the practice to treat herbaceous weeds 

to release desired deep rooted perennial species. When implemented this 

way, the practice can be used to restore plant communities containing 

significant annual weeds to perennial dominated plant communities, which 

can result in increased soil organic carbon. 

• When available, planners should use Ecological Site Descriptions 

(ESDs) to assess the potential for a plant community to address carbon 

sequestration. Determining if the practice can maintain or increase carbon 

is situational and relies on planners’ professional judgment and familiarity 

with the ecological site being evaluated. Planning the practice in a way 

that addresses soil erosion and the soil organic matter depletion resource 

concern components should result in an application designed to reestablish an equilibrium, which may increase soil organic carbon.

• For any other application of herbaceous weed treatment that does not 

meet these criteria, use 00N (which would not be a CSAF mitigation 

activity).

367 Roofs and Covers 

(number)

01N Capture Biogas - 

Place a rigid, semirigid, 

or flexible manufactured 

membrane, composite 

material, or roof structure 

placed over a waste 

management facility to 

capture biogas and reduce 

odor.

• Use 01N when specifically planning a waste facility cover to capture 

biogas. When implemented this way, the practice can lead to reduced CH4 

emissions as biogas is captured and either flared or used as a natural gas 

substitute, as compared to an uncovered anaerobic lagoon or liquid storage 

system.

• For other applications, such as a rain exclusion cover, use the appropriate 

narrative (which would not be a CSAF mitigation activity).

372 Combustion System 

Improvement

02N Stationary engine to 

electric motor replacement 

or repower - Replace 

or repower an existing 

stationary engine with an 

electric motor.

• Use 02N when specifically replacing or repowering an existing stationary 

engine (e.g., irrigation engine, emergency generator, etc.) with an electric 

motor.

• Use 05N when specifically replacing existing on-farm mobile equipment 

(e.g., tractor, loader, forklift, etc.) powered by an internal combustion 

engine with a new mobile device powered by an electric motor.

• For other applications of this practice, use the appropriate narrative (which 

would not be a CSAF mitigation activity). 05N Mobile internal 

combustion engine to 

electric motor replacement 

- Replace an existing 

on-farm mobile device (i.e., 

tractor, loader, forklift, etc.) 

powered by an internal 

combustion engine with 

a new mobile device 

powered by an electric 

motor.
FACTSHEET • OCTOBER 2023 FARMERS.GOV/CLIMATE-SMART

ADDITIONAL PLANNER GUIDANCE FOR CSAF MITIGATION ACTIVITIES 3

Code

Conservation 

Practice 

Standard Name

(practice unit)

Narrative Additional Planner Guidance/Applicability of the Practice

430 Irrigation Pipeline 

(feet)

01N Replacement of an 

earthen channel that is 

supplied by pumping water 

with a closed conduit, 

resulting in enhanced 

conveyance efficiency and 

reduced energy use

• Use 01N when specifically replacing an earthen channel system with a 

closed conduit system. When implemented this way, this practice enables 

more efficient water conveyance due to reduced seepage and evaporation, 

which in turn would result in energy savings that, in most cases, would lead 

to emission reductions.

• The system must currently be supplied water by a fossil fuel driven 

pumping plant to provide expected energy savings.

• Additional criteria in the practice standard to meet the purpose of reducing 

energy use is required to be met when using this narrative and to be 

considered a mitigation activity. 

• Because the potential mitigation benefits from energy efficiency and 

reduction assume a baseline scenario that relies on a fossil fuel-based 

energy source, some areas of the country (i.e., those already using solely 

renewable energy sources) would therefore not realize any GHG emissions 

benefits from the implementation of this practice. Planners must take 

into account local energy sources when planning the practice as a CSAF 

mitigation activity; existing system must be powered by a fossil fuel-based 

energy source. 

• For other applications of the practice, use 00N (which would not be a 

CSAF mitigation activity).

441 Irrigation System, 

Microirrigation (acres)

02N Switching from 

higher to lower pressure 

irrigation system, resulting 

in enhanced application 

efficiency and reduced 

energy use.

• Use 02N when specifically switching an existing system from a higher 

to lower pressure micro-irrigation system. When implemented this way, 

this practice enables more precise and efficient water use which in turn 

would result in energy savings that, in most cases, would lead to emission 

reductions.

• Only applicable when changes are made to an existing system that is 

supplied water by a fossil fuel driven pumping plant. Do not use for 

implementation of a new irrigation system. 

• Practice implementation should not result in increased irrigated acres. 

• Because the potential mitigation benefits from energy efficiency and 

reduction assume a baseline scenario that relies on a fossil fuel-based 

energy source, some areas of the country (i.e., those already using solely 

renewable energy sources) would therefore not realize any GHG emissions 

benefits from the implementation of this practice. Planners must take 

into account local energy sources when planning the practice as a CSAF 

mitigation activity; existing system must be powered by a fossil fuel-based 

energy source.

• For other applications of the practice, use the appropriate narrative (which 

would not be a CSAF mitigation activity).
FACTSHEET • OCTOBER 2023 FARMERS.GOV/CLIMATE-SMART

ADDITIONAL PLANNER GUIDANCE FOR CSAF MITIGATION ACTIVITIES 4

Code

Conservation 

Practice 

Standard Name

(practice unit)

Narrative Additional Planner Guidance/Applicability of the Practice

442 Sprinkler System 

(acres)

02N Utilization of variable 

rate irrigation (VRI) 

technology, switching from 

higher to lower pressure 

irrigation systems, and 

sprinkler head renozzling 

without increasing 

irrigated acres, resulting 

in enhanced application 

efficiency and reduced 

energy use

• Use 02N when specifically using the practice to use variable rate irrigation 

(VRI) technology, to switch from higher to lower pressure irrigation 

systems, or to renozzle sprinkler head. When implemented this way, 

this practice enables more precise and efficient water use which in turn 

would result in energy savings that, in most cases, would lead to emission 

reductions.

• Practice implementation should not result in increased irrigated acres. 

• Additional criteria in the practice standard to meet the purpose of reducing 

energy use is required to be met when using this narrative and to be 

considered a mitigation activity. 

• Because the potential mitigation benefits from energy efficiency and 

reduction assume a baseline scenario that relies on a fossil fuel-based 

energy source, some areas of the country (i.e., those already using solely 

renewable energy sources) would therefore not realize any GHG emissions 

benefits from the implementation of this practice. Planners must take 

into account local energy sources when planning the practice as a CSAF 

mitigation activity; existing system must be powered by a fossil fuel-based 

energy source. 

• For other applications of the practice, use the appropriate narrative (which 

would not be a CSAF mitigation activity).

449 Irrigation Water 

Management (acres)

03N Managing water 

levels in rice fields to 

include dry down between 

full flood conditions prior 

to re-flooding (alternated 

wetting and drying) to 

minimize greenhouse gas 

production in accordance 

with an irrigation water 

management plan.

• Use 03N only when implementing the practice as part of an alternated 

wetting and drying (AWD) system in rice fields. When implemented this 

way, this practice may reduce methane emissions from rice production. 

• For other applications of the practice, use the appropriate narrative (which 

would not be a CSAF mitigation activity).

533 Pumping Plant 

(number)

02N Replacing existing 

pumps with high-efficiency 

pump

• Use 02N when specifically using the practice to replace an existing pump 

with a high-efficiency pump. When implemented this way, this practice 

increases pump efficiency, which in turn would result in energy savings 

that, in most cases, would lead to emission reductions.

• Additional criteria in the practice standard to meet the purpose of reducing 

energy use is required to be met when using this narrative and to be 

considered a mitigation activity.

• Because the potential mitigation benefits from energy efficiency and 

reduction assume a baseline scenario that relies on a fossil fuel-based 

energy source; some areas of the country (i.e., those already using solely 

renewable energy sources) would therefore not realize any GHG emissions 

benefits from the implementation of this practice. Planners must take 

into account local energy sources when planning the practice as a CSAF 

mitigation activity; existing system must be powered by a fossil fuel-based 

energy source.

• If the objective is switching the power source for the pumping system and 

not replacing the pump itself with a high-efficiency pump, CPS 372 should 

be considered. 

• For other applications of the practice, use the appropriate narrative (which 

would not be a CSAF mitigation activity).
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FACTSHEET • OCTOBER 2023

ADDITIONAL PLANNER GUIDANCE FOR CSAF MITIGATION ACTIVITIES 5

Code

Conservation 

Practice 

Standard Name

(practice unit)

Narrative Additional Planner Guidance/Applicability of the Practice

592 Feed Management 

(animal unit)

03N Reduce enteric 

methane emissions from 

animal feeding operations 

by manipulating the 

quantity and quality 

of dietary nutrients, 

incorporating feed 

additives and feed 

ingredients, or adjusting 

concentrate to forage ratio 

in livestock and poultry 

diets to lower methane 

produced and emitted 

during digestion.

• Use 03N when specifically using the practice to reduce enteric methane 

emissions from animal feeding operations by manipulating the quantity 

and quality of dietary nutrients, incorporating feed additives and feed 

ingredients, or adjusting concentrate to forage ratio in livestock and 

poultry diets to lower methane produced and emitted during digestion. 

When implemented this way, this practice can lead to reduced enteric 

methane emissions through adjustments in animal feed and management, 

diet formulation, and feed additives that influence methane production 

during animal digestion.

• For applications of the practice other than methane reduction, use the 

appropriate narrative (which would not be a CSAF mitigation activity).

643 Restoration of Rare 

or Declining Natural 

Communities (acres)

01N Restoration of 

streams and associated 

floodplains using low-tech 

structures (such as beaver 

dam analogs or other 

stick-and-stone structures) 

to kick-start natural 

ecological and hydrologic 

processes required for 

maintenance of healthy 

and functioning streams 

and associated floodplains

• Use 01N only when implementing the practice to restore streams and 

associated floodplains using low-tech structures in order to kick-start 

natural ecological and hydrologic processes required for maintenance 

of healthy and functioning streams and associated floodplains. When 

implemented this way, this practice can revitalize hydrologic conditions 

that limit the decomposition and extend the residence time of soil organic 

carbon and enhance organic matter input from regenerated riparian 

vegetation, leading to increased carbon sequestration.

• For any other application of 643 that does not meet those criteria, 

including for instance oysterbed restoration, use 00N (which would not be 

a CSAF mitigation activity).