USDA Needs Your Comments
on the Conservation Security Program!

February 1, 2004

Thanks to the efforts of rural activists around the country, the Conservation Security Program became law with the passage of the 2002 Farm Bill. This innovative program was intended to provide income support to producers who engage in voluntary stewardship activities on their land and to encourage others to meet the same high standards of conservation practices. From its inception, the CSP was intended to reward the best and motivate the rest.

Unfortunately, the program has faced an uphill battle since it was signed into law. In the last round of appropriations wrangling on Capitol Hill, the CSP very nearly lost its status as an entitlement program open to all eligible producers. In the end, it has survived, with a funding cap for fiscal year 2004, but as an uncapped program thereafter. However, in the meantime, the Natural Resources Conservation Service drafted an issued their proposed rule for implementation of the CSP – and this rule, which is based on the premise of a program with very limited funding, shortchanges both "the best" and "the rest." And it fails to provide strong incentives for farmers engaged in biodiversity conservation.

What you can do: Send the NRCS a letter asking them to revise their rule to comply with the program’s objectives of "rewarding the best and motivating the rest." Comments are due by March 2, 2004. 

You can send them to:

David McKay
Conservation Operations, NRCS
P.O. Box 2890
Washington, DC, 20013-2890

by fax to 202-720-4265, or by email to david.mckay@usda.gov.

Please write "Attn: CSP" at the top of your letter. You can base your comments on this sample letter, but you should also include a description of yourself and your interest in the CSP. The National Campaign for Sustainable Agriculture has compiled additional details and concerns that you can include in your letter.