The USDA says it’s accepting Conservation Stewardship Program renewal applications through March 31 for over 11,000 contracts set to end this year. More than nine million acres are currently enrolled in the CSP, USDA’s largest working lands conservation program.
“In the fiscal year 2020, NRCS helped enhance 9.3 million acres of land enrolled in CSP,” says Terry Crosby, Acting Chief for USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service. “CSP continues to prove its worth by helping farmers and ranchers advance their business operations through conservation enhancements on their land that sustain the natural resources that improve productivity and their bottom lines.”
Participants with existing CSP contracts that close on December 31 of this year can benefit from recent program changes by renewing their contracts for an additional five years if they agree to adopt additional conservation practices on their land.
Applications to renew expiring contracts are due by March 31.