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NRCS Announces Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) FY2025 Signup
Jackson, Miss., September 30, 2024 – The next deadline for Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) applications to be considered for funding in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 is November 1, 2024.
Through CSP, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) helps farmers, ranchers and forest landowners earn payments for expanding conservation activities while maintaining agricultural production on their land. CSP also encourages adoption of new technologies and management techniques.
"CSP remains a highly effective resource for agricultural producers aiming to improve their conservation and management objectives," stated Kurt Readus, NRCS state conservationist for Mississippi. "It is the largest conservation initiative in the United States, encompassing over 70 million acres of valuable agricultural and forest land enrolled in the program."
While applications are accepted throughout the year, interested producers should submit applications to their local NRCS office by November 1, 2024, to ensure their applications are considered for FY 2025 funding.
CSP is offered in Mississippi through continuous sign-ups. The program provides many benefits, including increased crop yields, decreased inputs, wildlife habitat improvements, and increased resilience to weather extremes. CSP is for working lands, including cropland, pastureland, rangeland, nonindustrial private forest land, and agricultural land under the jurisdiction of a tribe. Higher payment rates are available for certain conservation activities, including resource-conserving crop rotations and advanced grazing management.
In Fiscal Year 2024, Mississippi NRCS provided over $39 million in financial assistance through the Conservation Stewardship Program to agricultural producers to expand and enhance existing conservation activities on their land.
For additional information about CSP or to submit an application, landowners should contact their local NRCS office at the USDA Service Center for their county. For more information, visit our website at www.nrcs.usda.gov/ms.
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