SYRACUSE, New
York, September 24, 2009
- State Conservationist Astor F. Boozer reminds New York’s farmers and forestland owners that Wednesday, September 30 is the cutoff date for applications for the new Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) to be considered for the current round of funding. USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service administers CSP, a voluntary conservation program designed to encourage agricultural and forestry producers to adopt additional conservation practices and improve, maintain and manage existing ones.
“The Conservation Stewardship Program changed dramatically in the 2008 Farm Bill,” said Boozer. “NRCS took the time to develop a program that would appeal to our diverse customers and offer them an equal chance to participate. We hope that agricultural and forestry producers in New York take full advantage of the benefits this newly revised program offers.”
Individual producers, legal entities and Indian tribes are eligible to apply for the program and must be listed as the operator in the USDA farm records management system for the operation being offered for enrollment. They must document that they control the land for the term of the contract and include all eligible land in their entire operation in that contract. They must comply with highly erodible land and wetland conservation provisions and comply with Adjusted Gross Income provisions. Eligible lands include cropland, grassland, improved pastureland, non-industrial private forestland
- a new land use for the program - and agricultural land under the jurisdiction of an Indian tribe.
New York can enroll up to 96,000 acres of cropland and pastureland and up to 44,000 acres of forestland during this initial ranking period. While final values will not be determined until after applications are ranked, CSP per acre contract payments could range from $12 - $22 for cropland, $7 - $14 for pastureland, and $6 – $12 for forestland. In addition, farmers willing to adopt resource conserving crop rotations could receive a supplemental payment of $12 - $16 per acre. The annual payment limitation for a person or legal entity is $40,000. A person or legal entity cannot exceed $200,000 for all contracts entered into during any five-year period.
Applications for CSP must be completed at an NRCS Field Office by September 30 to be considered for the current round of funding. For more information about the new CSP, please visit
the NRCS New
York Conservation Stewardship Program Web page or visit
your
local USDA NRCS office.
Media Contact
Acting State Public Affairs Specialist
Angela Wishoff
Syracuse, New York
Telephone: 315-477-6504
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits discrimination in all its programs and activities on the basis of race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or family status. (Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print, audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center at 202-720-2600 (voice and TDD).
To file a complaint of discrimination, write USDA, Director, Office of Civil Rights, Room 326W, Whitten Building, 14th and Independence Avenue, SW, Washington, DC 20250-9410 or call (202) 720-5964 (voice or TDD). USDA is an equal opportunity provider and employer.
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