Selected Recipients for this Program

Not Applicable.

Uses and Use Restrictions

Applicants may offer eligible land on a portion of their agricultural operation to enter into a five year contract, or entire agricultural operation for a five to ten year contract.

Subject to the acceptance of an offer by the Federal Government, the participant shall agree to participate as outlined in the CSP stewardship plan and contract.

The contract will include appropriate stewardship, new practice, existing practice, and enhancement payments.

Subject to the availability of funds, CCC will make stewardship, existing practice, new practice or enhancement payments at the rates specified in this contract after a determination by CCC than an eligible practice or activity has been established in compliance with the CSP plan of operations and in accordance with appropriate standards and specifications.

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Eligibility Requirements

Applicant Eligibility

Applicants must have applied prior to Oct.

1, 2008.

An individual producer, partnership, association, corporation, estate, trust, other business or other legal entities controlling eligible lands.

The term producer means an owner, operator, landlord, tenant or sharecropper that shares in the risk of producing any crop or livestock; and must be entitled to share in the crop or livestock available for marketing from an agricultural operation.

An applicant must be in compliance with highly erodible land and wetland conservation provisions, and average adjusted gross income requirements.

Lands enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, Wetlands Reserve Program, the Grassland Reserve Program pursuant to 16 U.S.C.

3838n, public land including land owned by a Federal, State or local unit of government are not eligible for enrollment in CSP and may not receive CSP payments.

Beneficiary Eligibility

An individual producer, partnership, association, corporation, estate, trust, other business or other legal entities controlling eligible lands. The term producer means and owner, operator, landlord, tenant or sharecropper that shares in the risk of producing any crop or livestock; and must be entitled to share in the crop or livestock available for marketing from an agricultural operation. A participant must be in compliance with highly erodible land and wetland conservation provisions, and average adjusted gross income requirements. Lands enrolled in the Conservation Reserve Program, Wetlands Reserve Program, the Grassland Reserve Program pursuant to 16 U.S.C. 3838n, public land including land owned by a Federal, State or local unit of government are not eligible for enrollment in CSP and may not receive CSP payments.

Credentials/Documentation

The participant must have control of the land offered for the length of the contract period. 2 CFR 200, Subpart E - Cost Principles applies to this program.

Aplication and Award Process

Preapplication Coordination

Preapplication coordination is required.

An environmental impact assessment is required for this program.

This program is excluded from coverage under E.O.

12372.

Application Procedures

2 CFR 200, Uniform Administrative Requirements, Cost Principles, and Audit Requirements for Federal Awards applies to this program. Conduct a CSP self-assessment and benchmark condition inventory, and submit an intention to enroll to the local NRCS office that serves the area in which the agricultural operation is located during the designated sign-up period.

Award Procedures

All applications which meet the sign-up criteria within the priority watersheds will be placed in an enrollment category regardless of available funding. Enrollment categories and subcategories will be funded in priority order until the available funds are exhausted.

Deadlines

Not Applicable.

Authorization

Title XII, subtitle D, chapter 2, subchapter A of the Food Security Act of 1985, 16 U.S.C. 3838-3838c, as added by the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002, Pub.L. 107-171, as amended by Section 2301 of the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008, Pub. L. 110-246. The Agricultural Act of 2014 did not make any changes to the authority for NRCS to continue to make payments on existing Security contracts entered into prior to FY 2009.

Range of Approval/Disapproval Time

From 60 to 180 days after the application is filed with the NRCS.

Appeals

An applicant or a participant may obtain administrative review of an adverse decision. Participants cannot appeal payment rates, payment limits, and cost-share percentages, eligible conservation practices, or other matters of general applicability. Before a participant can seek judicial review, the participant must exhaust all administrative appeal procedures.

Renewals

The conservation security contract may be renewed, as appropriate, for an additional period of not less than 5, nor more than 10 years.

Assistance Considerations

Formula and Matching Requirements

Statutory formulas are not applicable to this program. Matching Requirements: Payments may have as many as four components including a base conservation stewardship payment, existing practice payment, new practice cost-share payment, and enhancement payment. Payments will be made as described in the contract in return for the implementation and/or maintenance of a specified level of conservation treatment on all or part of the agricultural operation. MOE requirements are not applicable to this program.

Length and Time Phasing of Assistance

The schedule of payments will be specified in the conservation stewardship contract based on calculations identified in the rule and sign up notice. Method of awarding/releasing assistance: lump sum.

Post Assistance Requirements

Reports

No reports are required.

Audits

In accordance with the provisions of 2 CFR 200, Subpart F - Audit Requirements, non-Federal entities that expend financial assistance of $750,000 or more in Federal awards will have a single or a program-specific audit conducted for that year. Non-Federal entities that expend less than $750,000 a year in Federal awards are exempt from Federal audit requirements for that year, except as noted in 2 CFR 200.503. Recipients are subject to audit by the Office of Inspector General, USDA.

Records

Records will be maintained by the participant, as appropriate and in the county NRCS office, State NRCS office and Federal Record Centers for the length of the agreement.

Financial Information

Account Identification

12-1004-0-1-302.

Obigations

(Salaries) FY 16 $561,000; FY 17 est $2,721,000; and FY 18 est $0. (Direct Payments for Specified Use) FY 16 $1,464,000; FY 17 est $6,042,000; and FY 18 est $0

Range and Average of Financial Assistance

Not applicable.

Regulations, Guidelines, and Literature

The program was announced through news media, local conservation districts, and in letters to agricultural landowners in the county. Regulations published in the Federal Register and 7 CFR XIV.

Information Contacts

Regional or Local Office

See Regional Agency Offices. Consult the local telephone directory for location of the NRCS office. If no listing, contact the appropriate State NRCS office listed in the NRCS Section of Appendix IV. the Catalog.

Headquarters Office

Tim Landreneau 1400 Independence Ave, SW, Washington, District of Columbia 20250 Email: Tim.Landreneau@la.usda.gov Phone: 318-473-7759

Criteria for Selecting Proposals

All applications which meet the sign-up criteria within the priority watersheds will be placed in an enrollment category regardless of available funding. Enrollment categories and subcategories will be funded in priority order until the available funds are exhausted.