Plan now for Conservation Stewardship Program Eligibility
By Erez Brandvain, Conservation Technician
The Washtenaw County Conservation District (WCCD) and Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Teams have been hard at work finalizing Conservation Plans for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) as the deadlines have come and gone in the past few weeks. This means that if you have submitted an application and have had a field visit by a Technician, you are in the que and your Conservation Plan is either in the works, or completed, and next steps are being taken to process your application. If you did not complete an application or conservation plan for CSP before March 5th, now is the time to prepare for the next round!
CSP is designed to reward farmers who already have in place strong conservation practices by providing additional cost-share for enhancing existing practices. For example, if a farmer has already received funding through EQIP for a single cover crop in order to reduce soil erosion, that producer will be eligible for the CSP program, where they would then receive funding for a mix of two cover crops, rather than just one. The primary mission of the CSP program is to both reward landowners for their already existing conservation efforts, and to emphasis technical assistance on conservation-based practices.
The EQIP program remained popular in Washtenaw County, with participation steadily increasing each year. The excitement around establishing infrastructure such as hoop houses and fencing for grazing through EQIP makes Washtenaw County producers stand out as both eager, and serious, about wanting to farm the right way and to work with available programs to transform their ambitions into actions. Equally as exciting, the CSP program in Washtenaw County has gone from very little exposure in recent years to a record number of applications in Washtenaw County in 2021. Again, the fact that interest in CSP has increased is another testament to the mindset of Washtenaw County Farmers; eager to build on already established Conservation Programs for the sake of farming in a way that conserves natural resources and the health of soil and groundwater throughout the county.
If you are interested in the EQIP or the CSP programs, and have not yet submitted an application, feel free to reach out to me to begin the process and learn how the Farm Bill may assist you with your conservation needs! Contact me at erez@washtenawcd.org or 734.302.8714.
The Washtenaw County Conservation District (WCCD) and Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) Teams have been hard at work finalizing Conservation Plans for the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP), and the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) as the deadlines have come and gone in the past few weeks. This means that if you have submitted an application and have had a field visit by a Technician, you are in the que and your Conservation Plan is either in the works, or completed, and next steps are being taken to process your application. If you did not complete an application or conservation plan for CSP before March 5th, now is the time to prepare for the next round!
CSP is designed to reward farmers who already have in place strong conservation practices by providing additional cost-share for enhancing existing practices. For example, if a farmer has already received funding through EQIP for a single cover crop in order to reduce soil erosion, that producer will be eligible for the CSP program, where they would then receive funding for a mix of two cover crops, rather than just one. The primary mission of the CSP program is to both reward landowners for their already existing conservation efforts, and to emphasis technical assistance on conservation-based practices.
The EQIP program remained popular in Washtenaw County, with participation steadily increasing each year. The excitement around establishing infrastructure such as hoop houses and fencing for grazing through EQIP makes Washtenaw County producers stand out as both eager, and serious, about wanting to farm the right way and to work with available programs to transform their ambitions into actions. Equally as exciting, the CSP program in Washtenaw County has gone from very little exposure in recent years to a record number of applications in Washtenaw County in 2021. Again, the fact that interest in CSP has increased is another testament to the mindset of Washtenaw County Farmers; eager to build on already established Conservation Programs for the sake of farming in a way that conserves natural resources and the health of soil and groundwater throughout the county.
If you are interested in the EQIP or the CSP programs, and have not yet submitted an application, feel free to reach out to me to begin the process and learn how the Farm Bill may assist you with your conservation needs! Contact me at erez@washtenawcd.org or 734.302.8714.
