Nevada NRCS Conservation Stewardship Program

The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) presents a significant shift in how NRCS provides conservation program payments. CSP participants will receive an annual land use payment for operation-level environmental benefits they produce. Under CSP, participants are paid for conservation performance: the higher the operational performance, the higher their payment. The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) is a voluntary conservation program that encourages producers to address resource concerns in a comprehensive manner by: 

• Undertaking additional conservation activities; and

• Improving, maintaining, and managing existing conservation activities.

CSP is available on Tribal and private agricultural lands and non-industrial private forest land in all 50 States and the Caribbean and Pacific Islands Areas. The program provides equitable access to all producers, regardless of operation size, crops produced, or geographic location. The Secretary of Agriculture has delegated the authority for CSP to the NRCS Chief.

Eligible Lands

Through CSP, NRCS will provide financial and technical assistance to eligible producers to conserve and enhance soil, water, air, and related natural resources on their land, including:

• Cropland

• Grassland

• Prairie land

• Improved pastureland

• Rangeland

• Nonindustrial private forest lands

• Agricultural land under the jurisdiction of an Indian tribe

• Other private agricultural land (including cropped woodland, marshes, and agricultural land used for the production of livestock) on which resource concerns related to agricultural production could be addressed.

How CSP Works

CSP encourages land stewards to improve their conservation performance by installing and adopting additional activities, and improving, maintaining, and managing existing activities on agricultural land and nonindustrial private forest land. An applicant must enroll their entire agricultural operation. This includes all eligible land operated under the applicant's control for the term of the proposed contract.

Applicants must compete for program funding based on the conservation performance level of their agricultural operation at the time of application. Eligible applicants and land operations are required to meet a stewardship threshold determined for the program. The applicant’s conservation performance level must be supported by operational records. Operational records include the applicant’s farm and ranch records, Operational Baseline Data (OBD) worksheets and the Conservation Measure Tool (CMT) worksheets submitted during the application process. Links for the OBD and CTM worksheets are at the bottom of this page.

Applicants are responsible for providing a map(s) of their entire operation, which identify the applicant’s agricultural operation and/or Non-Industrial Private Forestland component of the operation. Applicant map(s) must delineate eligible land by land use and associated acreage amounts, and land determined to be ineligible for the program. Applicant mapping sources may include:

• Farm Service Agency (FSA)

• Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

• Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA)

• County Assessor’s Office

Maps and operation records submitted by the applicant must be field verified by NRCS prior to funding any eligible application.

2012 CSP Application Period and Fact Sheet

The Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) has a continuous sign-up throughout the year, with deadlines established for each funding period determined by NRCS. Eligible Nevada Producers can earn up to $40,000 dollars annually through CSP participation, and up to $200,000 dollars per contract period. Contract periods are five years.  

The following document requires Acrobat Reader

CSP Program Fact Sheet (PDF, 45KB).

CSP offers participants two possible types of payments:

• Annual payment for installing and adopting additional activities, and improving, maintaining, and managing existing activities

• Supple mental payment for the adoption of resource-conserving crop rotations

Is CSP Right For Me?

You can play a large role in determining whether or not CSP is right for you. Here's how:

Download and fill out the 2012 Conservation Stewardship Self-Screening Checklist (PDF, 115KB)

You don't have to turn it in to NRCS; it's there to help you determine for CSP is right for you. If you have questions regarding the Checklist, please contact your local NRCS office.

ADDITIONAL PROGRAM INFORMATION FOR 2012 NEVADA APPLICANTS:

Conservation Program Activity Lists

Download and look over a Conservation Program Activity List to identify new activities you may be interested in to install or adopt.  "Enhancement" means a type of conservation activity used to treat natural resources and greatly improve conservation performance.  Enhancements are installed at a level of management intensity which exceeds the sustainable level for a given resource concern. Enhancements directly related to a practice standard are applied in a manner that exceeds the minimum treatment requirements of the standard.

The following document requires Acrobat Reader

Conservation Activity List Ranking Period One 2012 (PDF, 93KB)

Operations Baseline Data Questions

To initiate the use of the Conservation Measurement Tool (CMT) during the CSP application process, you'll work with NRCS field personnel to define your Operation Baseline Data. The CMT will use this data, in part, to determine the conservation performance for existing and additional conservation activities. The documents below are copies of the Operation Baseline Data questions, grouped by land use.  You can download and review the questions, and begin drafting responses to start the process before you meet with your local NRCS office.

The following documents require Acrobat Reader

Cropland Operation Baseline Data Questions (PDF, 50KB)

Forestland Operation Baseline Data Questions (PDF, 50KB)

Pastureland Operation Baseline Data Questions (PDF, 50KB)

Rangeland Operation Baseline Data Questions (PDF, 50KB)
 

Conservation Measurement Tool Inventory (CMT) Questions

As part of the CSP application process, you'll work with NRCS field personnel to complete your resource inventory using a Conservation Measurement Tool (CMT). The CMT determines the conservation performance for existing and additional conservation activities.

The documents below are copies of the resource inventory questions, grouped by land use. You can download and review the questions, and begin drafting responses to start resource inventory process before you complete the CMT in your local NRCS office.

The following documents require Acrobat Reader

2012 Ranking Period One CMT NIPF General Questions (PDF, 16KB)

2012 Ranking Period One CMT Tool General Questions (PDF, 16KB)

2012 Ranking Period One CMT Tool Cropland Questions (PDF, 40KB)

2012 Ranking Period One CMT Tool Forest Land Questions (PDF, 29KB)

2012 Ranking Period One CMT Tool Pastureland Questions (PDF, 26KB)

2012 Ranking Period One CMT Tool Rangeland Questions (PDF, 21KB)

2012 Ranking Period One CMT Tool Water Questions (PDF, 19KB)
 

Conservation Measurement Tool (CMT) Scoring Process

NRCS will use the CMT to evaluate CSP applications through a point-based system to estimate environmental benefits.
The CMT evaluates existing and proposed new activities to calculate conservation performance points which will be used for ranking and payment purposes. Conservation performance points are programmed in the CMT, along with all controls, filters, and calculations. A scientific validation of CMT is underway and future modifications to these points may be needed.

The 2012 Payment for Performance pay rates fact sheet is available for download and printing (PDF, 36KB).

CSP Application

The following document requires Acrobat Reader

Conservation Program Application NRCS-CPA-1200 (PDF, 40KB)

Visit the National Web site for more specific information on the new Conservation Stewardship Program.

National CSP Web Site

For More Information

Please contact your local NRCS field office for more information and assistance with the application process.

State CSP Contact:

Susan Looper
Technical Resource Conservationist
Phone (775) 857-8500 x 106
Email:  susan.looper@nv.usda.gov