CSP supports ongoing conservation stewardship of agricultural lands by providing assistance to producers to maintain and enhance natural resources.

CSP is designed to reward the best conservationists and motivate the rest. CSP is a voluntary program that provides financial and technical assistance to promote the conservation and improvement of soil, water, air, energy, and plant and animal life on Tribal and private working lands. Working lands include cropland, grassland, prairie land, improved pasture, and rangeland, as well as forested land that is an incidental part of an agriculture operation.

The program is available in all 50 States, the Caribbean area, and the Pacific Basin area. The program provides equitable access to benefits to all producers, regardless of size of operation, crops produced, or geographic location.

At this time, CSP is available in selected priority watersheds only.  Below are some questions to help landowners to determine CSP eligibility.  Review the questions to determine your eligibility.

PRODUCER ELIGIBILITY

1. Do you share in the risk of producing crops or livestock on this operation?

Note regarding landlords: Landlords who receive only cash payments for renting the land are not currently eligible to apply for CSP on that acreage. Landlords who share in the risk of producing the crop or livestock and would share in the crop or livestock produced are eligible.
2. Are you entitled to share in the crop or livestock available for marketing from the agriculture operation?
3. Do you have control of some or all of the land you manage for the life of the proposed 5- to 10-year contract period?
4. Is your average adjusted gross income less than or equal to $2.5 million, or if greater than $2.5 million, did 75 percent come from farming, ranching, or forestry?

Note: To participate in CSP, your average adjusted gross income for the 3 tax years immediately preceding the year the contract is approved cannot exceed $2.5 million, unless at least 75 percent of the income was derived from agriculture.

5. Is at least part of your land private agricultural land or Tribal land?

Note: Public land is not eligible for CSP.
6. Is your land in compliance with the highly erodible land and wetland conservation provisions of the 1985 Farm Bill?
7. Was your cropland used for crop production or considered cropland as part of a long-term rotation for 4 out of the last 6 years prior to May 13, 2002?
8. Is this land currently enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, Wetlands Reserve Program, or Grassland Reserve Program?

Note: Land enrolled in CRP,WRP, or GRP cannot be a part of the CSP contract. Other land in your operation may be eligible. For example: You have a 1.2-acre CRP buffer on a 40-acre parcel you wish to enroll. All but the 1.2 acres enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program may be eligible for CSP.

Below are the Initial Eligibility answers. If your answers differ, at this time you may not be eligible for CSP. Please review your responses, and answer only for the land, or portion of land, that you wish to enroll in the CSP. You can turn to Appendix 2 for information on eligibility requirements, and go to the CSP Web page to read the specific language that covers person and land eligibility.
1. Yes
2. Yes
3. Yes
4. Yes
5. Yes
6. Yes or NA – I am in compliance OR None of this land is highly
erodible or considered wetlands.
7. Yes or NA – My cropland meets this criteria OR This land is not
cropland.
8. No or NA – These acres are not enrolled in the Conservation
Reserve Program,Wetland Reserve Program, or the Grassland
Reserve Program.

Cropland (including Hayland), Vineyards, or Orchards
Note: Cropland includes permanent hayland and hayland as part of a long-term rotation. Pasture that is not cultivated, but mowed for hay, is addressed as a Pastureland land use.

Pastureland

Farmstead, Headquarters, or Livestock Feeding and Handling Areas

The following questions help to determine if the land you wish to enroll in CSP meets basic program requirements.
Assess Land Use
 

CROPLAND (INCLUDING HAYLAND), VINEYARDS, OR ORCHARDS
These questions help determine if the non-irrigated and irrigated cropland, hayland, vineyards, or orchards you wish to enroll in CSP meet basic program requirements. Each question pertains to the land you wish to enroll in CSP.
Managing Fertilizers and Nutrients on Cropland, Vineyards, or Orchards

1. Do you keep written records or documentation of your nutrient management activities for each field, such as yields, soil analysis, plant tissue analysis, and nutrients applied – including animal waste?
2. Are you managing nutrients (for example, adding supplemental nitrogen) by following a nutrient management plan or schedule that budgets nutrients based on soil and crop needs, and environmental risk?
3. Do you conduct soil tests and/or plant tissue tests?
4. If you have abandoned or active water wells in your cropland, orchard, or vineyard, have you taken adequate steps to protect ground water?
5. If you land apply animal manure or waste, are you following a waste utilization plan that includes adequate setbacks from surface waters and other hydrologically active areas (including sinkholes, karst topography, saline seeps, ground water recharge areas, wetlands, and wellheads)?
6. If cropland, vineyards, or orchards are grazed, are you managing livestock access to rivers, streams, and other surface water?
7. If cropland, vineyards, or orchards are grazed, are you following a grazing plan which includes the following?

• Selecting kinds of domestic animals suited to the terrain, climate, and other existing grazing area conditions
• Optimizing grazing distribution through placement of watering facilities, fences, or herding techniques
• Identifying periods of grazing, rest, and other treatment for each management unit
• Identifying and maintaining adequate cover on sensitive areas (riparian, wetland, and other habitats of concern)
• Not negatively impacting any cultural resource or sensitive species
• Identifying and monitoring key areas and key plants to evaluate grazing management decisions
8. If cropland, vineyards, or orchards are grazed, are livestock prevented from direct access to sinkholes, unprotected wells, or other direct conduits to ground water?

9. Do you keep written records or documentation of your pesticide application and pest control methods for each field?
10. Are you following a pest management plan or schedule that includes, as needed, insects, invasive species, and weeds?
11. Are you scouting for pests and using the information as a basis for applying pesticides?
12. Have you assessed the environmental risks of pesticide use on your cropland, vineyards, or orchards and addressed any risks with appropriate measures?

13. Do you grow high-residue crops at least 1 in 3 years in rotation, apply a mulch, use a cover crop annually, and/or have hay/pasture in rotation?
14. Do you maintain cover between the rows of your vineyards or orchards?
15. Do you include any of the following in your crop rotation:

• No-till, strip-till, direct seeding, or mulch-till
• Perennial sod or hay in rotation
• Add organic soil amendments such as manure or compost
• Grow cover and green manure crops to improve the soil
• If none of the above, do your soil tests indicate an increase in organic matter?
16. If you are in an area of saline or sodic soils, do you monitor soil salinity levels?
17. If you have saline soils, do you use one or more of these techniques to manage salinity: managing your irrigation and drainage water, deep tillage, crop selection, reduction in fallow, and/or soil amendments or planting salt-tolerant crops?
18. Do you avoid operating equipment in your cropland, vineyards, or orchards when soils are wet to reduce soil compaction?
19. Are sheet and rill erosion controlled?
20. Is wind erosion controlled?
21. Have you stabilized or treated ephemeral erosion or classic gullies on your operation?

22. Do you inspect and make repairs to your irrigation system at least annually?
23. Do you keep records of irrigation dates and irrigation amounts applied relative to the crop growth stage?
24. Do you adjust your irrigation management for nutrient and pesticide applications?
25. Do you control irrigation-induced erosion, by using a cover crop, perennial cover, polyacrylamide (PAM), residue management, or irrigation water management?
26. Are you following an irrigation water management plan?

These questions help to determine if the non-irrigated and irrigated pastureland you want to enroll in CSP meets basic program requirements. Each question pertains to the land you wish to enroll in CSP. Mark “NA” if the question is not applicable. Managing Water Quality on Pastureland

1. Are you following a grazing plan which includes the following?

• Selecting kinds of domestic animals suited to the terrain, climate, andother existing grazing area conditions
• Optimizing grazing distribution through placement of watering facilities, fences, or herding techniques
• Identifying periods of grazing, rest, and other treatment for each management unit
• Identifying and maintaining adequate cover on sensitive areas (riparian, wetland, and other habitats of concern)
• Not negatively impacting any cultural resource or sensitive species
• Identifying and monitoring key areas and key plants to evaluate grazing management decisions
2. Is forage availability balanced with livestock and wildlife demands (e.g., forage and animal balance, including a completed forage production estimate, livestock numbers identified, and wildlife numbers estimated)?
3. Do you keep written records or documentation of your pasture management activities for each field, such as grazing intensity, frequency, and duration of grazing periods, forage yields, livestock needs, soil analysis, and nutrients applied, including manure?
4. Are you managing livestock access to rivers, streams, and other surface water?
5. Do you conduct soil tests and/or plant tissue tests?
6. Are you managing nutrients (for example, adding supplemental nitrogen) by following a nutrient management plan or schedule that budgets nutrients based on soil and plant needs and environmental risk?
7. If you have abandoned or active water wells in your pasture, have you taken adequate steps to protect ground water?
8. Are livestock prevented from direct access to sinkholes, unprotected wells, or other direct conduits to ground water to protect water quality?
9. If you land apply animal manure or waste, are you following a waste utilization plan that includes adequate setbacks from surface waters and other hydrologically active areas (including sinkholes, karst topography, saline seeps, ground water recharge areas, wetlands and wellheads, etc.)?

10. Have you assessed the environmental risks of pesticide use on your pasture and addressed any risks with appropriate measures?
11. Do you keep written records or documentation of your pesticide application and pest control methods for each grazed area—pertaining to pesticide use and insect populations?
12. Do you control noxious weeds and undesirable brush species?
13. When you control noxious weeds and undesirable brush species, are you following a pest management plan that includes measures to protect water quality?

14. Do you manage grazing on pastureland to avoid soil compaction?
15. Are sheet and rill erosion controlled?
16. Is wind erosion controlled?
17. Have you stabilized or treated classic gullies on your operation?
18. If you are in an area of saline or sodic soils, do you monitor soil salinity levels?
19. Do you manage salinity through one or more of the following: subsurface drainage, use of soil amendments, or use of appropriate crops (salt-tolerant forage)?
20. Do you manage pasture access roads and trails to limit soil erosion?

21. Do you control irrigation-induced erosion?
22. Do you inspect and make repairs to your irrigation system at least annually?
23. Do you adjust your irrigation management for nutrient and pesticide applications?
24. Are you following an irrigation water management plan?

FARMSTEAD, HEADQUARTERS, AND HANDLING AREAS
Note: This section is not required, except for the highest level of CSP.
These questions pertain if you wish to enroll your entire operation in CSP and help to determine if other areas within your operation meet basic program requirements. Mark “NA” if the question is not applicable.
Livestock Feeding and Handling Areas (production areas, including dairy, poultry, feeding operations, etc.)

1. Do you inspect for leaks in pipelines, manure storage, or transfer facilities and equipment?
2. Do you manage runoff from manure handling and feed handling areas?
3. Do you control runoff from traps, lots, and other livestock concentration areas?
4. Do you properly dispose of livestock mortalities?

5. Is the wellhead location appropriate and are protection components in place for all potential sources of contamination?

• Sanitary well cap, tightly secured with a screened vent
• Pitless adaptor
• Other State-identified components
• Surface runoff cannot reach the area immediately surrounding the well
6. Is your well cased?
7. Does the well casing extend above the ground (meets State and local standards)?
8. Are all abandoned wells properly plugged?

9. Is the well located a safe distance from the fertilizer/pesticide storage site and/or mixing and loading areas?
10. If the fertilizer/pesticide storage site is located on highly permeable soil (sandy soil), is there secondary containment?
11. Is rinse water from cleaning fertilizer/pesticide application equipment properly disposed of?
12. Are used pesticide containers properly disposed of?