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NEWSUnited States Department of Agriculture
Grangeville, Idaho —Richard Spencer is still digging out from under the 2005 Conservation Security Program (CSP) sign-up held in Idaho County. Spencer, a District Conservationist for the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), says the office in Grangeville is still processing the 151 applications they received. NRCS held the CSP sign-up in 19 watersheds across the state this year and will rotate through all of Idaho’s watersheds within eight years. CSP rewards those producers already practicing good stewardship on their operations. Statewide, the agency received 354 eligible CSP applications with final approval expected sometime in July. Spencer says workshops held throughout the sign-up period helped his office get information out to the producers. But producers coming on in 2006 and beyond should start gathering information now. At least two years of record-keeping are needed for the application, plus one soil test in the last five years per field is also required. Producers are encouraged to gather soil samples for all fields prior to CSP coming to their watershed. Kelly Olson, area resource conservationist in Moscow, agrees there is a lot that can be done prior to the sign-up period. “Animal operators need to have a grazing plan,” she says. “Most had the basic information [in the recent sign-up] but didn’t have it organized.” Basic information includes livestock numbers, how livestock is rotated and an evaluation of the forage compared to the number of animals being grazed. This information is fed into a computer program which calculates an index number used in ranking the applications. Spencer says the county’s direct seed producers appear to have strong applications. “Although we won’t know for sure until the contracts are awarded.” Olson, one of many staffers from other counties pulled in to assist in the Idaho County watersheds, said growers need to evaluate their tillage methods. “The best thing they can do is reduce the number of tillage operations, especially in the fall,” she says. Even if a producer is using conventional tillage methods, the farm may still qualify for some part of CSP. Those applicants utilizing high residue crops and/or grass and legumes in rotation receive a higher rating than those using conventional rotations and tillage. Producers can improve their CSP status by agreeing to do enhancements on other land in the operation. Producers also must gather pesticide and fertilizer records. This was easier this sign-up for producers who used industry consultants, Olson says. Those producers simply went to the consultant for copies of the fertilizer or pesticide records. “Those that weren’t using crop consultants generally knew it but they didn’t have everything together,” she says Spencer says it is important that producers attend workshops and work with their local NRCS office to build the strongest application. For more information on CSP, visit www.id.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/csp/index.html. A CSP Self-Assessment Workbook and an Idaho Conservation Recordbook are available from local NRCS offices to help producers begin the application process.
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