USDA Rewards Organic Producers for Conservation Activities
By Harriet Behar
This article was first printed in the Sept/Oct 2009 issue of the Organic Broadcaster, published by the Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service.
The 2009 farm bill recognized that natural resource conservation and organic agriculture share many of the same goals. Two farm bill programs, EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentive Program) and CSP (Conservation Stewardship Program) specifically offer special cash benefits directed toward organic farmers. These programs recognize and reward farmers for the beneficial activities they maintain which provide a healthy environment for people and wildlife. The vast majority of our land is privately owned and these programs are a way to help these landowners “do the right thing” for natural resource conservation and protection.
Some of these programs have a “continuous sign-up,” with periodic times when the farmers who have signed up by a specific date are then ranked in a pool. New applications can continue to be accepted after signup dates, and will then be ranked in the subsequent ranking period.
Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP)
The EQIP program has three parts that can help organic farmers. The main EQIP program is open to all farmers, and encourages them to address a specific resource concern (such as water quality) with payments for specific activities (such as cover crops or nutrient management planning). Each county has separate pools that are ranked for payment according to the how important the concern may be in the area and how effective the activity would be to improve the situation. There are specific dollar amounts given, state by state, for specific practices. For instance, in Wisconsin, cover crop payments are $18 per acre. EQIP is an incentive to do the right thing. It is not meant to pay for all costs associated with the implementation of the activity, but will the farmer with dollars that can contribute to the cost of implementation. The covered activity must be new to the farm, or be somewhat enhanced. If a farmer had already been planting rye in the fall but decided to add hairy vetch to the rye, enhancing the rye with this nitrogen fixing legume, this would be considered a new activity and would be fundable. Many EQIP contracts are signed for multiple years, providing payments every year for the length of the contract.
A new addition this year was the EQIP Organic Initiative, which offers higher payments for the same practices as the main EQIP program specifically to farmers who are either currently organic or transitioning to organic. For example, farmers who sign up under the Organic Initiative EQIP to grow cover crops as a new activity, will receive 42% more per acre (in WI $18 + $7.56= $25.56). There are six core practices that add these specific multiplier effects to the usual EQIP practices. The signup period for this program is closed for the current year, but it does appear there will be a similar program for next year, although the specific core practices and multipliers may be different. It would be useful for organic producers to learn more about the wide variety of practices that EQIP will fund, from shelterbelt improvement and rotational grazing, to improved stream crossings and pest management activities. This will help organic farmers be prepared with possible activities when this program is open for signups next year.
Another new addition to EQIP is payments to help farmers, both new to organic and currently organic, to write a plan and assess land for transitioning to organic production. These plans will be written by Technical Service Providers who are familiar with both Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and National Organic Program (NOP) requirements for resource conservation and certified organic production. A part of the development of eachTransition to Organic Production plan will be to identify what other funding might be received through the NRCS EQIP programs, or other federal programs. In addition to the Transition to Organic Plans program farmers can also receive funding for Forestry Plans and Energy Plans, which include resource conservation components. The signup for this program is also currently closed, but it does appear the funding for the writing of these plans will be offered again next year.
Conservation Stewardship Program
The new 2009 Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) replaces the old Conservation Security Program (CSP) covered in the previous farm bill. Both CSPs tie payments to conservation activities done by farmers on their working lands. The new CSP also emphasizes and provides payments for new conservation activities. All CSP contracts are now for 5 years, with a potential renewal option for an additional 5 years. The old CSP was only open to farmers in targeted watershed areas around the country and enrolled approximately 20 million acres. The new CSP program allows 12.8 million acres nationally to be enrolled for each of the five years of this current program and is open to all farms having a “farm record number” with the Farm Service Agency (FSA). If your farm has participated in any commodity payment programs, or the Conservation Reserve Program (CRP), you meet this requirement. If you are not listed with the FSA you will need to make an appointment to create a farm record. You will need to provide proof of ownership (deed) or lease of the land, location maps outlining crop fields and other land uses as they are currently managed and any business related legal papers (article of incorporation, trusts etc). All acreage under your management must be included in your farm record, both owned and rented.
The two upcoming deadlines for CSP are September 30, 2009 and mid January 2010. CSP is available to farmers or ranchers who have both cropland (which includes row crops, pasture, forages and vegetables) and/or private (nonindustrial) forestland on their property. 10% of the funds will be given to forestland owners nationwide who have demonstrated conservation with their timber management. The first payment for both the September and January ranking periods will be dispersed in October of 2010.
To apply, the producer must first establish eligibility with FSA, then sign a program application at the NRCS office. Applicants then make an appointment to work with their local NRCS person to complete the Conservation Measurement Tool, which describes and documents your current and future conservation activities. The data developed in the Conservation Measurement Tool (CMT) is used by the NRCS to rank applications and develop stewardship plans and contracts. In addition to this on-line questionnaire based CMT, there will be a farm visit by local NRCS personnel to verify the CMT information and review documentation for existing conservation practices. Farmers who currently practice good conservation on their farm and are willing to perform additional conservation measures should consider applying for the program.
In Wisconsin the main priority concerns are soil erosion, water quality, protection of plants and animals, plus conservation that leads to less reliance on nonrenewable energy sources. There are areas in the state, called “ranking pools,” within which the farmers will be ranked against others only from their pool. The amount of dollars or approved acres for each ranking pool will limit the number of CSP contracts that can be accepted. The cap for payment is $40,000 per year, or $200,000 for the five year period. It is estimated that payments will average $18 per acre nationwide, but this will vary by region, land use and the individual level of existing and planned stewardship. Contact your county NRCS person to find out the boundary of your ranking pool area and your state’s specific priority concerns.
Examples of conservation activities include use of cover crops over the winter to prevent soil and water erosion, or a crop rotation that includes numerous years of a sod crop such as hay or pasture. These items would meet Wisconsin’s priority concerns. If a producer decides to also put in native pollinator habitat, this is beyond the priority concern for the state, but could still receive some points in the Conservation Measurement Tool. Changing cropland to perennial pollinator habitat would be an example where the producer would forego income in favor of a conservation activity. There are opportunities for livestock producers as well, with good manure and nutrient management rewarded as well as protection of natural resources by controlled grazing and stream bank protection. Forest land owners who are participating in timber stand improvement or regenerating old windbreaks may also find CSP a beneficial program to aid them in their conservation efforts.
Additional Resources
Natural Resources Conservation Service
http://www.wi.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/csp/cstp.html
A Farmers Guide to CSP: National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition
http://sacdev.org/publications/grassrootsguide/conservation-environment/conservation-stewardship-program/
Center for Rural Affairs
http://www.cfra.org/csp-ten-steps or call 402-687-2100 and ask for the Farm Bill Helpline.
ATTRA
http://attra.ncat.org/csp/ or call 800-346-9140.
The Land Stewardship Project
http://www.landstewardshipproject.org/
Midwest Organic Sustainable Education Service (MOSES)
www.mosesorganic.org or call 715-778-5775 or 608-872-2164.
Harriet Behar is the MOSES Organic Specialist. She was an organic inspector and inspector trainer for many years and has an organic bedding plant and vegetable operation with her husband in Southwest WI.
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