Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative (CBWI)

View map of Priority Areas

The Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative was authorized in the Food, Conservation and Energy Act of 2008 (2008 Farm Bill) to provide assistance to agricultural producers to minimize excess nutrients and sediments in order to restore, preserve, and protect the Chesapeake Bay. The initiative offers financial and technical assistance to eligible agricultural producers to install practices to help control erosion and nutrient loading before they reach the Chesapeake Bay. CBWI is administered by the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, using the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) program policies and rules.

The Susquehanna Watershed comprises the New York State portion of the Chesapeake Bay. Producers who are located in New York CBWI Priority Watershed areas of the Susquehanna Watershed are eligible to apply. Producers who are engaged in livestock or crop production on eligible land may apply for the initiative. Eligible land includes cropland, hayland, pasture, and other farmland as determined by the Secretary of Agriculture. Applicants must meet eligibility for Adjusted Gross Income (AGI) certification and be in compliance with the Highly Erodible Land and Wetland Conservation Provisions of the Food Security Act of 1985 as amended.

The Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative will address resource concerns in three focus areas; Cropland, Grazing, and Livestock Waste. Examples of eligible practices include Cover Crop, Riparian Forest Buffer, Nutrient Management, Prescribed Grazing, and Waste Storage Facility.

The Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative is available in the priority areas of the Susquehanna Watershed in parts of the following counties in New York State: Broome, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Steuben, Tioga, Tompkins.

Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) Survey Focuses on Chesapeake Bay Watershed

The 2011 National Resources Inventory (NRI) – Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) survey collects information from farmers in the Chesapeake Bay watershed about farming and conservation practices on cultivated cropland. National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) representatives will visit more than 1,500 farms in Delaware, Maryland, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and West Virginia to collect information on farm production practices; chemical, fertilizer and manure applications; integrated pest management; and installed conservation practices.

View the survey: NRI-CEAP Survey of Farming and Conservation Practices in the Chesapeake Bay Watershed

View the report: Assessment of the Effects of Conservation Practices on Cultivated Cropland in the Chesapeake Bay Region

How to Apply for USDA-NRCS Conservation Programs

Learn what steps you will need to take to prepare for, and submit, your application to become a USDA-NRCS Conservation Program participant.

Financial Assistance Payment Rates, and Program Application

The following documents require Adobe Reader.
 

Form Number	Form or Document Name	Print Version
	Cropland - Financial Assistance Payment Rates	PDF; 108 KB
	Grazing - Financial Assistance Payment Rates	PDF; 101 KB
	Livestock Waste - Financial Assistance Payment Rates	PDF; 199 KB
NRCS-CPA-1200	Conservation Program Application with Appendix	PDF; 128 KB

For additional information, visit your local USDA-NRCS office, or visit the NRCS Chesapeake Bay Watershed Initiative Web page.

If you encounter problems with this Web page, please contact the Webmaster at 315-477-6524.

< Back to Environmental Quality Incentives Program