FY22 RCPP CSP Program
Final day to submit applications is March 31, 2022
The Spokane Conservation District set the application deadline for the FY22 Regional Conservation Partnership Program (RCPP) Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) to March 31, 2022. Read the news release here.
Click here to learn more about the Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP).
Through CSP, USDA’s 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 encourages adoption of new technologies and management techniques. 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.
Changes in the 2018 Farm Bill authorize NRCS to accept new CSP enrollments from now until 2023 and makes some improvements to the program. These updates include:
- NRCS now enrolls eligible, high-ranking applications based on dollars rather than acres.
- Higher payment rates are now available under the 2018 Farm Bill for certain conservation activities, including cover crops and resource conserving crop rotations.
- Provides specific support for organic and for transitioning to organic production activities and a special grassland conservation initiative for certain producers who have maintained cropland base acres.
While CSP classic applications are accepted throughout the year, interested producers should complete their Farm Service Agency (FSA) eligibility requirements and submit applications and required items below to their local NRCS office by the deadline date to become an eligible application to be considered for 2022 funding. Applicants must:
- Control or own eligible land
- Comply with adjusted gross income limitation (AGI) provisions
- Be in compliance with the highly erodible land and wetland conservation requirements
- 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 the operation.
- Identify any ineligible land that is part of the operation as described above.
Greater Spokane River Watershed RCPP-CSP is available to eligible landowners/operators in the Washington portion of the Spokane River Watershed who wish to address water quality, inadequate habitat for fish and wildlife, soil quality, and air quality issues. This includes parts of Whitman, Lincoln, Spokane, Stevens, and Pend Oreille Counties. The previous five years of the Spokane River Watershed RCPP CSP program has provided landowners/operators with financial assistance of nearly $720,000 with nearly $1,800,000 remaining in CSP funding.
Although this application process is being conducted through the SCD, all USDA program eligibility requirements must be satisfied. For more information regarding the CSP program or eligibility contact your local USDA Service Center. USDA Service Centers are open for business by phone appointment only and field work will continue with appropriate social distancing. While program delivery staff will continue to come into the office, they will be working with producers by phone, and using online tools whenever possible. All Service Center visitors wishing to conduct business with NRCS, FSA, or any other Service Center agency are required to call their Service Center to schedule a phone appointment. More information can be found at farmers.gov/coronavirus.
For application questions in the Greater Spokane River Watershed, contact the GSRW-RCPP Program Manager, Charlie Peterson at charlie-peterson@spokanecd.org, 509-535-7274 x 220.
RCPP information and/or application materials can also be obtained from your local USDA Service Centers