The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Washington announced July 23, 2023, as the 2nd application batching period for the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) Classic and IRA for Fiscal Year 2023.

The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is for producers who are passionate about conservation and environmental stewardship and offers technical and financial assistance to help them take their conservation efforts to the next level. NRCS provides technical and financial assistance to help producers and landowners make conservation improvements on their land that benefit natural resources, build resiliency, and contribute to the nation’s broader effort to combat the impacts of climate change.

Through CSP, agricultural producers and forest landowners earn payments for actively managing, maintaining, and expanding conservation activities like cover crops, ecologically-based pest management, buffer strips, and pollinator and beneficial insect habitat – all while maintaining active agricultural or forest production on their land. CSP also encourages the adoption of cutting-edge technologies and new management techniques such as irrigation monitoring, precision agriculture applications, improved grazing systems, on-site carbon storage and planting for high carbon sequestration rate, and new soil amendments to improve water quality.

Although applications are accepted on a year-round basis, eligible applicants interested in the 2nd batching period for CSP Classic and CSP IRA must first submit their application and the below listed items to their local service center by July 23, 2023:

• Provide a map(s) that identifies and delineates the boundaries of all eligible land uses and acres included in the operation.
• Identify any ineligible land that is part of the operation as described above.
• And then submit all of the following eligibility determinations to FSA by July 23, 2023:
• Highly Erodible Lands and Wetland Determination (AD 1026)
• Adjusted Gross Income Form (CCC 941)
• Farm and Track Eligibility determination
• Farm Operating Plan (CCC 902)

For more information on the Conservation Stewardship Program in Washington, click here.

To learn how to get started with NRCS, click here, or visit your local USDA service center.

Original source can be found here.