Basic Eligibility Rules
Must own or rent, and manage land for agricultural or forest production, such as cropland, rangeland, grassland or pasture.
Available funding for FY26 (national total)
$1,300,000,000 (farm bill budget authority)
Land tenure and property right rules
In addition to your Farm Record documents, you will also need to submit to NRCS: 1. NRCS CPA-1200- Conservation Program Application 2. A map showing all land uses and acres in the operation. 3. A map or other documentation identifying any known ineligible land and associated acreage amounts.
Practices covered
CSP enrolls entire operations in the program, not individual fields. Available practices and practice standards vary by state. CSP applicants who want to increase their conservation stewardship even further may consider “bundles” of enhancement activities.
Cost share requirements
CSP does not use a cost-share approach. Payments to maintain the existing level of conservation, based on the land uses included in the contract and an NRCS assessment of existing stewardship at the time of enrollment, and payments to implement additonal conservation activities
Individual funding caps or income restrictions
Adjusted gross income must be below $900,000. Minimum contract payment is $4,000. as of FY24 Maximum payment is $200,000.
Other Restrictions or Requirements
Applications for NRCS conservation programs are accepted on a continuous basis. However, application ranking dates are set at key times throughout the year.
length of contracts
5 years, with renewal for an additonal 5 years possible
program established
program established in 2002 as Conservation Security Program (Food Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002)
share of proposals funded over time
35 percent of proposals were funded nationally in FY2020