Farmers in southwestern New Hampshire invited to harvest the rewards of their land stewardship with the Conservation Security Program

Sign-up is April 18 through May 16, 2008

New Hampshire farmers with land in the middle Connecticut River watershed, the Ashuelot River, and who practice good soil and water conservation are encouraged to contact their local USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) office to determine if they are eligible to sign-up for the Conservation Security Program (CSP). Sign-up begins April 18 and continues through May 16.

INFORMATION SESSIONS

Friday, April 11, 2008 at 1:00 pm - Keene, Cheshire Co., NH at the Keene Public Library in the Kay Fox Room.

Tuesday, April 15, 2008 at 6:30 pm - Goshen, Sullivan Co., NH at the Goshen Town Hall.

More than 350 farmers and nearly 41,000 acres of land in Massachusetts and New Hampshire in the Connecticut River watershed are potentially eligible for CSP this year. CSP is offered nationwide on a rotational basis in as many watersheds as funding allows.

CSP is a voluntary conservation program that supports ongoing stewardship of private, agricultural working lands and rewards those producers who are meeting the highest standards of conservation and environmental management on their operations.

Additional information on CSP, including eligible watersheds and a CSP self-assessment workbook is available on-line. Farmers may also call or visit their local NRCS office; New Hampshire locations  are listed here.

Payments can include three components: 1) an annual stewardship component for the base level of conservation treatment, 2) an annual component for maintenance of existing conservation practices, and 3) an enhancement component for exceptional conservation effort. Enhancement activities could include limited pesticide applications, renewable energy generation, and widening existing riparian forest buffers for restoring critical stream habitat.

To apply for CSP, NRCS asks potential participants to complete a CSP self-assessment workbook – available on the web or from local NRCS offices – to find out if their operation meets the requirements of the program and qualifies for program participation.

The self-assessment process is completed using a self-screening questionnaire for each land use to be enrolled. When this process is completed, the producer submits the CSP workbook to the local NRCS office during the sign-up period and meets with NRCS personnel to go over any additional needed documentation. NRCS will then determine if eligibility requirements are met and provide options for the producer's decision on enrollment category placement.

NRCS held the first CSP sign-up in 2004. This announcement brings the number of watersheds enrolled to 331 across the nation, covering 247.7 million acres that have been eligible for the program.

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