Helping People Help the Land

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, grassland

or pasture.

 I have already been doing

conservation work on my operation.

 I want to expand my existing

conservation efforts to achieve

a higher level of environmental

stewardship.

 I intend or plan to maintain control of

the 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.

 My adjusted gross income is less

than $900,000 (does not apply to

Indian Tribes.

 As a member of an entity or joint

operation, I have authority to

make management decisions for

the business

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 of 

conservation. CSP is for producers who 

are passionate about conservation and 

environmental stewardship.

What are the benefits? 

CSP may provide many benefits, including 

increased crop productivity, decreased 

inputs, wildlife habitat improvements and 

increased resilience to weather extremes. 

CSP also encourages adoption of new 

technologies and management techniques.

For example, CSP can help you:

• Schedule timely planting and

management of cover crops

• Develop a grazing plan that will

improve your forage base

• Implement no-till to reduce erosion or

manage forested areas in a way that

benefits wildlife habitat

If you are already taking steps to improve 

the condition of the land, chances are 

CSP can help you find new ways to meet 

your goals.

NRCS ● July 2021 nrcs.usda.gov

Conservation 

Stewardship Program

Is CSP Right for Me? 

Natural Resources Conservation Service
How Does CSP Work? 

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.

For example, if you have been planting 

a cover crop, you may decide to try an 

enhancement for a multi-species cover 

crop or implement a deep rooted cover 

crop to break up soil compaction.

If you decide to apply for CSP, the local 

NRCS conservation planner will have 

a one-on-one consultation with you 

to evaluate your current management 

system and the natural resources on 

your land. You will then work with the 

NRCS conservation planner to select 

new CSP conservation activities based 

on your management objectives for 

your operation.

Once you choose the conservation 

practices or activities that best fit, 

and if your application is selected for 

funding, CSP offers annual payments for 

implementing these practices on your 

land, and operating and maintaining 

existing conservation efforts.

Want to take it a step further? CSP also 

offers bundles where you can select a 

suite of enhancements and receive a 

higher 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 a 

competitive process).

CSP Eligibility 

Land Eligibility 

Q. What lands are eligible for CSP?

A. Eligible lands include private

agricultural lands, agricultural

Indian lands, nonindustrial private

forest land, farmstead, associated

agricultural lands and public land that

is under the control of the applicant

and part of their operation. There is no

minimum acreage requirement. CSP

enrolls your entire operation into the

program, not just one specific field or

tract. All land must be in compliance

with USDA highly erodible land and

wetland conservation provisions to

be 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 or

forest product. Lands being cleared

or prepped for future agricultural

production are not eligible for CSP

until an agricultural operation has

been established and crops, food or

fiber 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 land

conservation 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 or

Indian Tribes that own or rent and

currently manage land for agricultural

or forest production. The applicant

must have a social security number or

employer identification number issued

by the IRS and must maintain control

of the land for the entire span of the

5-year CSP contract. The applicant

must have an adjusted gross income

of less than $900,000. The adjusted

gross income requirement does not

apply to Indian Tribes.

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 an

adequate level of conservation criteria

for a particular natural resource

concern. CSP applicants must currently

be meeting the stewardship threshold

for at least two priority natural

resource concerns on every land use

included in the operation. They must

also agree to meet or exceed the

stewardship threshold for at least one

additional resource concern by the

end of the contract on at least one

land use. Don’t worry if you are unsure

of your threshold because an NRCS

planner will assist you.

Practice Enhancements 

and Bundles

Q. What is a conservation practice?

A. Conservation practices can improve

soil, water, plants, air, wildlife habitat,

and related natural resources. Each

conservation practice must be

performed using NRCS practice

standards 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 and

consist of at least three enhancements,

for which implementation as a group

improves conservation performance

and addresses multiple resource

concerns in a comprehensive and

cost-effective manner.

Each bundle has three or more

required enhancements, and for some

bundles, the applicant has the option

to pick additional enhancements from

a select list that addresses specific

resource concerns.

IS CSP RIGHT FOR ME? 2

NRCS ● July 2021 Helping People Help the Land nrcs.usda.gov
Producers interested in implementing 

enhancements or bundles on their 

property can visit with their local 

NRCS conservation planner to learn 

more about them.

CSP Payments

Q. What types of payments are offered

through 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 existing

level of conservation based on the

land uses included in the contract

• Payments to implement

additional conservation practices

and activities.

2. Supplemental payments for

producers willing to implement

a resource conserving crop

rotation, improve an existing

resource conserving crop rotation,

or implement advanced grazing

management

3. Minimum contract payments for

most contracts.

Q. When are payments made?

A. NRCS makes payments as soon as

practical after October 1 of each

fiscal year for contract activities

installed and maintained in the

previous fiscal year and completed

before September 30.

Q. Do I have to pay income taxes on

my payments?

A. Yes. All payments made to you by

NRCS are reported to the Internal

Revenue Service and should be

reported as income on your tax return

for the applicable tax year. You will

receive a Form 1099 to report CSP

payments on your tax return.

CSP Application and 

Evaluation 

Q. How do I apply for CSP?

A. Contact your local NRCS field office

and let them know you are interested

in CSP. A conservation planner will

work with you to determine your

stewardship 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 your

FSA office as soon as possible.

In addition to your Farm Record

documents, you will also need to

submit to NRCS:

1. NRCS CPA-1200- Conservation

Program Application

2. A map showing all land uses and

acres 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 assessment

of your operation and you choose the

conservation practices or activities

that you want to implement, NRCS

will rank your application to determine

how well your current and future

management system will address

national, 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.

IS CSP RIGHT FOR ME? 3

USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer, and lender.

Helping People Help the Land

nrcs.usda.gov