NASHVILLE, February 8, 2024 – NRCS Tennessee Acting State Conservationist Dennis Jones announced today the FY2024 Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) Classic application deadline. Tennessee agricultural producers who wish to be considered for funding this fiscal year should apply by Friday, March 8, 2024.
“Through CSP, NRCS helps farmers and ranchers earn payments for maintaining their current level of conservation across their entire operation,” Jones said. “CSP also provides the opportunity for farm operators to expand their conservation activities by adopting new technologies and management techniques.”
CSP provides many benefits, including increased crop yields, decreased inputs, wildlife habitat improvements, and increased resilience to weather extremes. The program is for working lands including cropland, pastureland, rangeland, nonindustrial private forestland, and agricultural land under the jurisdiction of a tribe. Farmsteads and other associated agricultural lands are also included. CSP also provides specific support for organic and transitioning to organic producers.
Tennessee will implement an additional funding opportunity for conservations activities through the socially disadvantaged farmers and ranchers (agriculture and forestland) and beginning farmer (agriculture and forestland) ranking pools. NRCS Tennessee will be utilizing an ACT NOW approach. Based on the availability of funds, applications with a score greater than a pre-determined threshold will be preapproved once assessed and ranked until funds have been expelled.
To be eligible, contract participants must meet Farm Bill Program eligibility in conjunction with the Farm Service Agency, which includes meeting the highly erodible land and wetland compliance requirements and the adjusted gross income limits.
Applicants must also:
- Control or own eligible land;
- Develop an NRCS CSP plan of operations;
- Provide a map(s) that identifies and delineates the boundaries of all eligible land uses and acres included in their operation; and
- Identify any ineligible land that is part of their operation.
While applications are accepted throughout the year, interested producers should submit applications to their local NRCS office by the deadline to ensure their operations are considered for FY 2024 funding.
Applications can be taken at all NRCS Tennessee county offices and USDA Service Centers. To locate an office near you, please click visit the USDA Service Center website. Applications MUST be received in your local service center by 4 p.m. on Friday, March 8, 2024.
Applicants can submit a signed and dated Form NRCS-CPA-1200 in the office, hand delivered, mailed, scanned, emailed, or through an agency-approved business tool (Farmers.gov). If NRCS receives a program application request by other means, such as by telephone, a NRCS representative must manually prepare Form NRCS-CPA-1200, using the date NRCS received the request to establish the application cut-off deadline has been met. NRCS will follow up to obtain the participant’s signature to ensure the application was properly completed prior to ranking.
NRCS continually strives to put conservation planning at the forefront of its programs and initiatives. Conservation plans provide landowners with a comprehensive inventory and assessment of their resources and an appropriate start to improving the quality of soil, water, air, plants, and wildlife on their land.
Contact Garrett Morris at garrett.morris@usda.gov or 615-277-2576, for more information about the CSP program in Tennessee, or visit the NRCS Tennessee website.
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Please visit the NRCS Tennessee website here.
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Montgomery County Soil & Water Conservation District 