Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)

The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is a voluntary program that encourages agricultural producers to improve conservation systems by improving, maintaining, and managing existing conservation activities and undertaking additional conservation activities. The Natural Resources Conservation Service administers this program and provides financial and technical assistance to eligible producers. CSP is available on Tribal and private agricultural lands and non-industrial private forestland (NIPF) on a continuous application basis.

CSP offers financial assistance to eligible participants through two possible types of payments:

• Annual payment for installing and adopting additional activities; and improving, maintaining, and managing existing activities.  Conservation Activity List
   
• Supplemental payment for the adoption of resource-conserving crop rotations.
       RCCR (PDF; 167 KB) -- Document requires Acrobat Reader

Payments will be made for conservation performance payments points estimated for each agricultural operation by the Conservation Measurement Tool (CMT). Conservation performance points are unique for each agricultural operation and will be based on existing and proposed conservation activities.

Contracts cover the eligible land in the entire agricultural operation and are for five years. For all contracts entered into, CSP payments to a person or legal entity may not exceed $40,000 in any fiscal year, and $200,000 during any five-year period. Each CSP contract will be limited to $200,000 over the term of the initial contract period.

Additional CSP Information on NRCS National CSP Web site includes the following, and more.

• Conservation Activity List
• CSP Fact Sheet
• CSP Interim Final Rule -- Public Comment period is open until September 28, 2009
• CSP Self-Screening Checklist
• Public Meetings Stewardship and CSP Kick Off presentations

Indiana's CSP Priority Resource Concerns (statewide geographic area)

2009 Enhancement Activity Job Sheets

"Enhancement" means a type of conservation activity used to treat natural resources and improve conservation performance. Enhancements are installed at a level of management intensity that exceeds the sustainable level for a given resource concern. Those directly related to a practice standard are applied in a manner that exceeds the minimum treatment requirements of the standard. Click on the topics below for national enhancement activity job sheets with Indiana supplements when applicable.

Air Quality
Animal
Energy
Plant
Soil Erosion
Soil Quality
Special Projects
Water Quality
Water Quantity

Supplemental Information

• CSP Wildlife Plant Species (DOC; 438 KB) Document requires Microsoft Word
• CSP's Contribution to Organic Transitioning (PDF; 45 KB) Document requires Acrobat Reader

How to Apply for CSP

Click here for application information.

Contact Information

For program information, please contact your local district conservationist at the nearest USDA Service Center.  For national CSP information, visit the NRCS Web site.

MaryJo Woodruff, Program Manager
NRCS, Indianapolis, IN

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