Agricultural producers wanting to enhance current conservation efforts are encouraged to apply for the  Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP). While applications for CSP are accepted year-round, applications must be received by April 23, 2021, to be considered for this funding period.

Through CSP, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) helps private landowners build their business while implementing conservation practices that help ensure the sustainability of their entire operation. In FY 2020, Vermont NRCS allocated nearly $650,000 to private landowners through CSP. CSP provides many benefits, including increased crop yields, decreased inputs, wildlife habitat improvements, and increased resilience to adverse weather.

CSP is for Vermont working lands, including cropland, pastureland, and nonindustrial private forest land. This fall, USDA released the final rule for CSP which better aligned the program with NRCS’s Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) through common applications, contracting operations, conservation planning, conservation practices, and related administrative procedures.