Conservation Stewardship Program sign-up announced

The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced continuous sign-up for the new Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) in South Carolina. The first cutoff for ranking purposes is Sept. 30.

CSP is a voluntary program that encourages agricultural and forestry producers to maintain existing conservation activities and adopt additional ones on their operations.

The Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill) authorizes CSP. Congress renamed and revamped the former Conservation Security Program to improve its availability and appeal to agricultural and forestry producers. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service administers CSP.

Eligible lands include cropland, grassland, prairie, improved pastureland, rangeland, non-industrial private forestland — a new land use for the program — and agricultural land under the jurisdiction of an Indian tribe.

For information about CSP, including eligibility requirements, producers can visit http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/new_csp or visit their local NRCS field office.