USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) is accepting applications year-round for the popular Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). Farmers interested in CSP should submit applications to their local NRCS office as soon as possible in order to be considered during the next ranking period. “CSP is one of our most popular conservation programs, and we expect to receive many applications,” NRCS Chief Dave White said. “I encourage all farmers and ranchers who are interested in applying to contact their local NRCS office as soon as possible, so they can meet the next deadline.”
CSP is a voluntary program. It provides many benefits such as improving water and soil quality, enhancing wildlife habitats and reducing the impacts of climate change. Eligible lands in the Caribbean Area (Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands) include cropland, pastureland, rangeland and non-industrial private forest land.
CSP encourages farmers to improve conservation on their land by installing and adopting additional activities, and improving, maintaining and managing existing activities. Farmers participating in CSP are paid their for conservation performance: the higher their performance, the higher their payment. Priority resource concerns for the Caribbean Area include animals, energy, soil erosion, soil quality and water quality. CSP offers two possible types of payments to participants:
- Annual payment for installing and adopting additional activities, and improving, maintaining, and managing existing activities (based on stewardship level and improvements).
- Supplemental payment for the adoption of resource-conserving crop rotations.
For more information on the USDA-NRCS Conservation Stewardship Program, contact Jaime Valentín, state resource conservationist, at 787-766-5206 x121 or Jaime.Valentin@pr.usda.gov.
