The U.S. Natural Resources Conservation Service will accept requests through September 15 from 2004 and 2005 Conservation Security Program participants who want to add conservation enhancements or newly-acquired land to their original contracts.

NRCS has also scheduled four public meetings to answer questions about changing CSP contracts:.

· August 9: Bedford County NRCS Office, 702 West Pitt St.,Bedford, 10 a.m.

· August 10: Perkasie Field Office, 1000 E. Walnut St., Suite 705, Perkasie, 10 a.m.

· August 10: Penn State Cooperative Extension, 1120 Claremont RD, Carlisle 7 p.m.

· August 11: Berks County Ag. Center, 1238 County Welfare RD, Leesport, 10 a.m.

This request period applies to CSP participants in the Raystown, Lower Susquehanna-Swatara, Schuylkill, and Chester-Sassafras watersheds who wish to advance tiers. Those who currently hold 2004 or 2005 Tier III contracts may also add enhancements or newly acquired land to their stewardship plan.

All affected producers were sent a letter informing them of the upcoming request period. Pennsylvania has 267 active CSP contracts from the 2004 and 2005 CSP signups.

NRCS field office staff work with producers to develop a CSP stewardship plan when they first sign a contract with the agency. Often, these plans include new enhancements and/or additional acres for coverage in future years.

Once the conservation practice requirements for a tier are met, the participants may request to modify their contracts to advance to a higher tier and receive additional funds associated with the increased stewardship and/or acres covered. The improvements must be completed and operational before payments are awarded.

Following is a list of the contract modifications that will be accepted during this CSP modification request period:

· advancing tiers on land already identified in the original contract that is still under the operator’s control;

· adding newly acquired land to Tier III contracts or those advancing to Tier III during the modification request period; and

· adding enhancements that have been established or planned for Tier III contracts or those advancing to Tier III. Common enhancements can include soil quality improvements, use of integrated pest management and managing sensitive areas.

All land added to a contract by modification must meet the minimum level of conservation practice requirements and the criteria for the lowest enrollment category funded in the sign-up announcement from the year the contract was approved.

CSP is a voluntary program that supports ongoing conservation stewardship on private agricultural working lands and enhances the condition of the nation’s natural resources. Under this program, the agency rewards producers who practice good stewardship on their agricultural lands and offers incentives for those who want to do more.

Producers may contact their local NRCS office to receive information about the CSP contract modification procedures or attend one of the following workshops.

For more information, visit the Conservation Security Program PA webpage.

8/4/2006