Unlike the well-established Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), the CSP rewards farmers for conservation practices on actively worked land from which producers can still generate additional income.   

“With women-owned farms on the statistical rise, it is vital that your voice be represented within CSP by signing up for the program,” advises Aimee Witteman, Executive Director of the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC). “Thanks to the efforts of women farmers nationwide through calls and letters to their representatives on Capitol Hill and our coalition members, the CSP program has both improved and achieved significant funding levels. We now need to take advantage of the fruits of our collective work and encourage farmers to enroll in CSP.” 

CSP targets practices that conserve or improve soil, water, air, energy, biodiversity and wildlife habitat. Practices that sequester carbon and reduce greenhouse gasses are also rewarded. Among the more than 70 activities included are continuous cover cropping, resource-conserving crop rotation, management intensive rotational grazing, advanced IPM, organic cropping and livestock systems, prairie restoration, pollinator habitat and a variety of nutrient management and water and energy conservation techniques.   

Local Natural Resource Conservation Districts (NRCD) administers the program. States pick between three and five priority resource concerns for their region; CSP applicants must address that they already meet a minimum sustainability level called the “stewardship threshold” for at least one of their state’s priority concerns. The more resource concerns you meet during the 5-year contract period, the more favorable your application will rank, also netting potentially higher payments. 

Fortunately, various resources exist to help farmers quickly and efficiently navigate the application process. NSAC has compiled a succinct CSP summary with application links, including a NRCD self-screening tool to help evaluate eligibility and suitability for the program. Additionally, NSAC coalition member organizations such as the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES) and the Organic Farming Research Foundation offer detailed on-line resources. The Center for Rural Affairs is offering a Farm Bill Helpline to answer CSP and other conservation program questions (402-687-2100). The National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) is also offering a wealth of information on their website and through phone assistance (English: 1-800-346-9140; Spanish: 1-800-411-3222). 

“CSP provides more than a payment check, as it represents – particularly for women farmers – an opportunity to showcase nationally the long-term benefits of sustainable agriculture practices and inspire others to do the same. Only a short initial application needs to be completed by the September 30 deadline to start the process,” sums up Witteman.

Lisa Kivirist writes from her farm and B&B, Inn Serendipity, in Wisconsin.  She is co-author of ECOpreneuring and Rural Renaissance and is a Food & Society Policy Fellow with the Institute for Agriculture & Trade Policy (IATP).  www.ecopreneuring.biz, www.innserendipity.com.