Conservation Security Program 2005

The Conservation Security Program (CSP) is a voluntary program authorized by the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, commonly referred to as the 2002 Farm Bill.  The CSP provides financial and technical assistance to promote the conservation and improvement of soil, water, air, energy, plant, and animal life, and other conservation purposes 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 provides equitable access to benefits for all producers, regardless of the size of the operation, crops produced, or geographic location.  The CSP rewards the best conservation stewards with financial payments and technical assistance and encourages others to implement conservation practices on working agricultural lands.

Lower Suwannee Watershed

The Lower Suwannee Watershed in northern Florida has been selected as one of the nation's 202 priority watersheds for the fiscal year 2005.

Description of the Watershed

The total estimated area in the watershed is 988,406 acres.  The land uses in this watershed consist of cropland, irrigated cropland, and pastureland.  The dominant soils are well drained to somewhat poorly drained.  The hydrogeology of the area is karstic with closed basins and numerous springs with a high degree of recharge potential overlain by sandy well-drained soils.  
In the cropland areas of the watershed, there are about 1,464 farms covering about 83,800 acres of cropland. The average size farm is 197 acres.  Primary crops include corn, peanuts, tobacco, and vegetables.                                                                                      
Pastureland in the watershed comprises about 159,800 acres.  Much of this is improved pasture grass species such as Bahia and Bermuda grass.

Land Cover/Use

Where is the Lower Suwannee Watershed?

The Lower Suwannee Watershed is located in parts of eight north Florida counties:

• Lafayette

• Madison

• Columbia

• Levy

• Suwannee

• Taylor

• Gilchrist

• Dixie

Who is Eligible?

All producers in the Lower Suwannee watershed are eligible for the program, although not all may qualify.  You must meet a “high” level of conservation on your farm to qualify for the program.  You also must be in compliance with highly erodible and wetland compliance provisions, have an active interest in the agricultural operation, and have control of the land for the life of the contract.  NRCS will determine producer and land eligibility.  The following form may help in determining if you might qualify.

These documents may require Adobe Acrobat.

  CSP Preliminary Questions

How Do I Get Started?

  CSP Application Steps

Natural Resources Conservation Service Chief Bruce Knight released a self-assessment workbook for potential CSP participants.  By going through the workbook, producers will get a good idea about whether they are eligible for CSP at this time.  Producers who may not be eligible can find out about programs that can help them achieve a higher level of conservation so that they may apply for CSP in the future.  All producers must complete a self-assessment to determine their eligibility.  Workbooks are available at the local NRCS offices in the watershed, and online at:  www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/csp

The workbook will help you:

            1.  Determine if you meet the basic eligibility requirements,
            2.  Document your stewardship work--including conservation
                 practices, and
            3.  Prepare a benchmark inventory documenting conservation
                 treatments you have implemented.

Two local outreach sessions were held in January to address producer questions and provide updated information regarding the CSP eligibility and sign-up periods.  For more local information contact the District Conservationist from your county. 

Once you have completed the workbook and CSP application, submit it to the USDA Service Center during the sign-up period.  The sign-up period for 2005 is is closed.

Additional Information

Lower Suwannee Watershed
 CSP Stewardship Payments

These documents may require Adobe Acrobat.

  Delineating an Agricultural Operation in Conservation Security Program

Links:

Programa de Seguridad para la Conservación (Spanish Version)
Map of Lower Suwannee Watershed
For general information, visit the Florida NRCS web page or
National Conservation Security Program Information

Florida Program Contact

Greg Hendricks, State Resource Conservationist, 352-338-9543

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