Agricultural producers wanting to enhance current conservation efforts are encouraged to renew their NRCS-PA Conservation Stewardship Program contract.

Through CSP, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service helps private landowners build their business while implementing conservation practices that help ensure the sustainability of their entire operation.

Participants with existing CSP contracts expiring on Dec. 31, 2018 can access the benefits of the recent program changes through an option to renew their contracts for an additional five years if they agree to adopt additional activities to achieve higher levels of conservation on their lands.

NRCS will mail contract renewal notification letters to all participants whose contracts expire in 2018, which will contain instructions on how to apply for renewal.

Applications to renew expiring contracts are due by April 13.

Through CSP, agricultural producers and forest landowners earn payments for actively managing, maintaining, and expanding conservation activities like cover crops, ecologically-based pest management, riparian buffers, and pollinator and beneficial insect habitat – all while maintaining active agriculture production on their land.

CSP also encourages the adoption of cutting-edge technologies and new management techniques such as precision agriculture applications, and on-site carbon storage and planting for high carbon sequestration rate.

Some of these benefits of CSP include: Improved cattle gains per acre; Increased crop yields; Decreased inputs; Wildlife population improvements; and Better resilience to weather extremes.

NRCS recently made several updates to the program to help producers better evaluate their conservation options and the benefits to their operations and natural resources.

New methods and software for evaluating applications help producers see up front why they are or are not meeting stewardship thresholds, and allow them to pick practices and enhancements that work for their conservation objectives.

These tools also enable producers to see potential payment scenarios for conservation early in the process.

Producers interested in CSP are recommended to contact their local USDA service center or get started online.

For more information on technical and financial assistance, visit the NRCS-PA webpage.

NewsClips:

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Crable: 2nd Manure Spill, 2,000 Gallons, Kill Fish In Lancaster County

Crable: Lancaster Dairy Farmers Told Their Milk No Longer Wanted

Washington County Agribusiness Wants To Sell Fruits, Vegetables, Moonshine

Central PA Dairy Families Fear Losing Farms As Milk Demand Drops

Kummer: PA Farmers Worried Trump Tariff Could Hurt Business

[Posted: March 8, 2018]

3/12/2018