One of the most pressing issues in the farm bill is whether or not conservation spending will be increased and those dollars targeted to beef up the Conservation Security Program (CSP) and improve the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) into a newly combined program called the Comprehensive Stewardship Incentives Program.
Below are some questions and answers put together by our friends at the Sustainable Agriculture Coalition to help folks understand this new concept. The Center for Rural Affairs is a member of the coalition. Tell your senators that you want them to support Senator Harkin’s efforts to reward and encourage conservation!
Please note: as of this writing, policy proposals were still in draft form – stay tuned for a future article about Senate action.
Q. Will I be eligible?
A. Yes! Both the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and the Comprehensive Stewardship Program (CSP) of CSIP would operate nationwide with a continuous sign-up process and a ranking system to determine enrollment.
Q. Will everyone who qualifies get into the program?
A. No! Only the highest ranking proposals submitted by producers would be enrolled each year. However, because of increased funding there would be a greater chance of getting into the Comprehensive Stewardship Program of CSIP than there was of getting into CSP as it was done in the past.
The Comprehensive Stewardship Program is designed to grow by about $250 million per year, so the number of people enrolled would be continuously expanding. The Environmental Quality Incentives Program under CSIP would continue to be funded at over $1 billion a year, consistent with the current EQIP program.
Q. What happened to the idea of CSP as an entitlement program?
A. CSIP would retain the vision of an entitlement conservation program, but postpone its realization. Enrollment in the Stewardship section of CSIP would be limited, but it would expand each year. Then after September 2017, there would be no cap on enrollment and all farmers and ranchers who qualify under the terms of the program would be admitted.
Q. Who will get in?
A. The ranking criteria would determine who gets into the program.
Q. Will existing conservation be rewarded?
A. Yes! Stewardship applications demonstrating high levels of existing performance would be given preference in the ranking criteria, and producers would get stewardship enhancement payments for continuing to implement existing conservation practices. However, to receive CSIP contracts producers would also need to implement new conservation.
Q. Will grassland be enrolled?
A. Yes! One of the purposes of CSIP is to “improve and maintain grass-based agricultural systems.” The draft bill does not specify how much grassland would be enrolled or at what rate. However, the use of an acreage and cost per acre cap encourages the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to enroll more grassland because the conservation on grassland generally costs less per acre.
Q. What are some of the key differences between CSP and the EQIP section of CSIP?
A. Under CSP, farmers could enroll at one of three tiers or levels of participation, the upper two of which required enrollment of the entire farming operation and could be for up to 10 year contracts. Under the first two tiers, all participants had to have achieved the highest standards for soil and water quality protection prior to entering the program, while under the top tier all resources of concern had to have achieved the highest standards prior to enrollment.
Under the new Comprehensive Stewardship Program, there are no tiers, all participants must enroll their entire farming operation, and all contracts are for five years. USDA will prescribe stewardship thresholds for all resources of concern, and all participants must be at or above the threshold for at least two resources of concern prior to enrollment and must agree to reach or exceed the threshold for one additional resource of concern during the first contract period. Like the CSP, contracts may be renewed if they have been successfully maintained and if new conservation activities are added under the new contract.
Q. Why create the umbrella Comprehensive Stewardship Incentives program that combines CSP and EQIP?
A. Creating the umbrella will require the Secretary to coordinate the programs and use a consistent process to identify resource needs. This will also protect funding, promote streamlining, and facilitate increasing levels of conservation.
Contact: Traci Bruckner,
tracib@cfra.org or 402.687.2100.
Dakota Rural Action has been a close ally of the Center for Rural Affairs since the South Dakota grassroots organization was established. In particular, Dakota Rural Action is a key ally in South Dakota on livestock market reforms, beginning farmer and rancher initiatives and on anti-corporate farming laws. Visit them online today. 
