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The Conservation Stewardship Program, or CSP, helps agricultural producers maintain and improve their existing conservation systems and adopt additional conservation activities to address priority resources concerns.
Participants earn CSP payments for conservation performance - the higher the performance, the higher the payment.
The 2021 CSP application deadline is March 26, 2021.
“We are making excellent strides to improve the applicability and benefits of CSP across all farm, ranch, and forestry operations,” says Carlos Suarez, state conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, California. “We have many options for conservation on small, urban, and large-scale farm operations.”
Through CSP, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, or NRCS, helps farmers, ranchers and forest landowners expand stewardship activities and receive payments for both their existing conservation work and new enhancements they undertake.
Enhancements are available to help with soil health, pollinators, changing weather patterns, western forest structure, efficient irrigation, rangeland health and much more.
“This is a program especially well-suited to California where many agricultural industries and supporters promote and reward advanced levels of stewardship,” says RaeAnn Dubay, assistant state conservationist for Farm Bill Programs. “CSP can help with those additional goals. It can also help producers meet regulatory requirements or further work they have been doing to promote organic production, forest health and rangeland management.”
While conservation applications are accepted throughout the year, interested producers should submit CSP applications to their local NRCS office by March 26 to ensure their applications are considered for 2021 funding.
Selections will be announced in late April and contracts will be obligated by July 30, 2021.
For additional information about CSP, please schedule an appointment with your local USDA Service Center; visit https://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/.
More information can be found at www.farmers.gov/.
Participants earn CSP payments for conservation performance - the higher the performance, the higher the payment.
The 2021 CSP application deadline is March 26, 2021.
“We are making excellent strides to improve the applicability and benefits of CSP across all farm, ranch, and forestry operations,” says Carlos Suarez, state conservationist for the Natural Resources Conservation Service, California. “We have many options for conservation on small, urban, and large-scale farm operations.”
Through CSP, USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service, or NRCS, helps farmers, ranchers and forest landowners expand stewardship activities and receive payments for both their existing conservation work and new enhancements they undertake.
Enhancements are available to help with soil health, pollinators, changing weather patterns, western forest structure, efficient irrigation, rangeland health and much more.
“This is a program especially well-suited to California where many agricultural industries and supporters promote and reward advanced levels of stewardship,” says RaeAnn Dubay, assistant state conservationist for Farm Bill Programs. “CSP can help with those additional goals. It can also help producers meet regulatory requirements or further work they have been doing to promote organic production, forest health and rangeland management.”
While conservation applications are accepted throughout the year, interested producers should submit CSP applications to their local NRCS office by March 26 to ensure their applications are considered for 2021 funding.
Selections will be announced in late April and contracts will be obligated by July 30, 2021.
For additional information about CSP, please schedule an appointment with your local USDA Service Center; visit https://offices.sc.egov.usda.gov/.
More information can be found at www.farmers.gov/.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
SACRAMENTO – The California Department of Food and Agriculture will be holding stakeholder meetings in February to solicit feedback from the public and agricultural stakeholders on farmer-and rancher-led climate solutions that sequester carbon, reduce greenhouse gases and enhance biodiversity.
“These outreach meetings are essential to ensure we gain information and knowledge from the people who live and work on the land and the organizations that support them,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “We want to hear from all those interested in discussing farmer- and rancher-led efforts to help ensure climate resilience, greenhouse gas mitigation, biodiversity and food security.”
The meetings will be organized around three agricultural categories: livestock and dairy; row and field crops (annual crops); and trees and vines (perennial crops).
The resulting report will be made available for a 30-day public comment period, after which the information will be used to inform CDFA and other state agencies about farmer-and rancher-led climate solutions.
The collected information will also inform the next update of the California AB 32 and SB 32 Scoping Plan, and ongoing and future work of the Natural Working Lands Climate Smart strategy.
Each agricultural category will include two meetings of approximately two hours each.
The first meeting will include an introductory presentation followed by an opportunity for stakeholder input.
The second meeting will allow further discussion and capture additional feedback. Those interested in attending are invited to register via the following links:
• Livestock and Dairy meeting No. 1, Feb. 8 at 2 p.m.:
https://csus.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsdO-qrjwpE9TCt74IRi0V4FaVYS9f5jNu
• Livestock and Dairy meeting No. 2, Feb. 12 at 9 a.m.:
https://csus.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEpce-opzMsGNAruyE0r0-kytqobtBN_cNN
• Annual Crops meeting No. 1, Feb. 16 at 2 p.m.:
https://csus.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYtdOqgqj0sGNRlzD5RdDouZcGBWa3d_RMc
• Annual Crops meeting No. 2, Feb. 19 at 9 a.m.:
https://csus.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEsf-GhrTsuE9J1mm3NiT8KwCR2qJhwBRXp
• Perennial Crops meeting No. 1, Feb. 23 at 2 p.m.:
https://csus.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEude6orDkiEtAwaTScN-oU3f5IQCBmAqws
• Perennial Crops meeting No. 2, Feb. 26 at 9 a.m.:
https://csus.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkcOytrz4pHd3fJw2Ig7xNqT6PbvGFKIEb
CDFA has engaged previously with agricultural stakeholders on farmer- and rancher-led climate solutions and produced several reports, including the Climate Change Consortium and Climate Assessment reports.
Farmer- and rancher-led climate solutions are also highlighted in CDFA's Climate Smart Agriculture programs under the Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation and include the Healthy Soils Program, State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program, Dairy Digester Research and Development Program and Alternative Manure Management Program.
Stakeholders are encouraged to review these programs prior to the public meetings noted above.
If you have questions regarding these meetings, please contact CDFA’s Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation by email atThis email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .
The meeting agenda can be found at www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/climate.
“These outreach meetings are essential to ensure we gain information and knowledge from the people who live and work on the land and the organizations that support them,” said CDFA Secretary Karen Ross. “We want to hear from all those interested in discussing farmer- and rancher-led efforts to help ensure climate resilience, greenhouse gas mitigation, biodiversity and food security.”
The meetings will be organized around three agricultural categories: livestock and dairy; row and field crops (annual crops); and trees and vines (perennial crops).
The resulting report will be made available for a 30-day public comment period, after which the information will be used to inform CDFA and other state agencies about farmer-and rancher-led climate solutions.
The collected information will also inform the next update of the California AB 32 and SB 32 Scoping Plan, and ongoing and future work of the Natural Working Lands Climate Smart strategy.
Each agricultural category will include two meetings of approximately two hours each.
The first meeting will include an introductory presentation followed by an opportunity for stakeholder input.
The second meeting will allow further discussion and capture additional feedback. Those interested in attending are invited to register via the following links:
• Livestock and Dairy meeting No. 1, Feb. 8 at 2 p.m.:
https://csus.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYsdO-qrjwpE9TCt74IRi0V4FaVYS9f5jNu
• Livestock and Dairy meeting No. 2, Feb. 12 at 9 a.m.:
https://csus.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEpce-opzMsGNAruyE0r0-kytqobtBN_cNN
• Annual Crops meeting No. 1, Feb. 16 at 2 p.m.:
https://csus.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZYtdOqgqj0sGNRlzD5RdDouZcGBWa3d_RMc
• Annual Crops meeting No. 2, Feb. 19 at 9 a.m.:
https://csus.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEsf-GhrTsuE9J1mm3NiT8KwCR2qJhwBRXp
• Perennial Crops meeting No. 1, Feb. 23 at 2 p.m.:
https://csus.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEude6orDkiEtAwaTScN-oU3f5IQCBmAqws
• Perennial Crops meeting No. 2, Feb. 26 at 9 a.m.:
https://csus.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUkcOytrz4pHd3fJw2Ig7xNqT6PbvGFKIEb
CDFA has engaged previously with agricultural stakeholders on farmer- and rancher-led climate solutions and produced several reports, including the Climate Change Consortium and Climate Assessment reports.
Farmer- and rancher-led climate solutions are also highlighted in CDFA's Climate Smart Agriculture programs under the Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation and include the Healthy Soils Program, State Water Efficiency and Enhancement Program, Dairy Digester Research and Development Program and Alternative Manure Management Program.
Stakeholders are encouraged to review these programs prior to the public meetings noted above.
If you have questions regarding these meetings, please contact CDFA’s Office of Environmental Farming and Innovation by email at
The meeting agenda can be found at www.cdfa.ca.gov/oefi/climate.
- Details
- Written by: Elizabeth Larson
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