356 Mountain View Drive, Suite 105, Colchester,
VT 05446
802-951-6796; Fax: 802-951-6327
February 22, 2006
Dear Farm
Operator:
The USDA
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has announced that a portion of
the Hudson Hoosic Watershed is one of the 60 watersheds nationwide to be
included in the Conservation Security Program (CSP) in 2006.
This portion of the Hudson Hoosic watershed selected for 2006 CSP
ranges from southern Dorset to Northern Pownal and Samford (see map on the
back of this letter).
We are
contacting farm owners and operators within watershed to let them know that
they may be eligible to apply for CSP during the signup period, February 13
through March 30.
CSP is a
tremendous opportunity for farmers who practice good soil and water
conservation. The purpose of CSP
is to reward the best conservation farmers for their stewardship efforts and
motivate others to become good stewards of the land.
This new
stewardship program offers payments, for five to ten-year contracts, on part
or all of an agricultural operation. The
more conservation work you have completed and promise to do in the near
future, the higher payment you are eligible to receive.
To qualify for CSP, farms will need to have soil erosion and water
quality practices in place, including nutrient and pest management.
Lands that are eligible include cropland (row crops, orchards,
vineyards, sugarbushes, hayland and horticultural crops), pasture lands, and
incidental forest land.
The CSP signup
process will be different from other USDA conservation programs.
Participants are required to conduct a self-assessment to determine on
their own whether or not they are eligible for the program.
Before taking
the self-assessment, NRCS recommends you complete the preliminary checklist
below. If you can answer “yes”
to all of these questions you might be eligible to participate in CSP and
should call your local NRCS office listed below to reserve a spot at the
workshop listed below. At this
workshop you will learn more about the specifics of the CSP program for 2006
and receive a copy of the self-assessment workbook.
Date
Time Location
March 2, 2006
7-9 PM
Bennington County Field Office
The Bennington
County Field Office is located on the second floor of the Citizens Bank
building, which is located on 310 West Main Street in downtown Bennington.
Parking is available behind the bank. Please use the back door to the building
since the bank will be closed during the meeting.
If you answer
“no” to most of the checklist questions, you should still consider
completing the self-assessment to help you prepare for future CSP signups and
to help NRCS identify programs in which you can better protect the natural
resources on your farm. Contact
the local NRCS office to get a copy of the self-assessment workbook, or go to
our website at www.vt.nrcs.usda.gov.
Sincerely,
Heather J.
Wetzstein
Vermont
Conservation Security Program Manager
These questions
will help you determine if your land might be eligible for CSP. Only answer
these questions that apply to the land you are considering enrolling in CSP.
Forestland and farmsteads are not eligible for CSP.
1. Do
you own or have control of the land you intend to enroll in CSP for the length
of the proposed 5 to 10 year contract period?
Yes_____No_____N/A_____
2. Do
you materially participate and share in the risk of producing any crop or
livestock on this farm; and are you entitled to share in the crop or livestock
available for marketing from the farm?
Yes_____No_____N/A_____
3. Do
you take soil tests at least every three years and follow the recommendations
when applying manure/fertilizer?
Yes_____No_____N/A_____
4. Do
you have records of WHERE, HOW MUCH, and WHEN you apply manure/fertilizer?
Yes_____No_____N/A_____
5. If
you raise annually tilled crops, do you follow a crop rotation schedule?
Yes_____No_____N/A_____
6. If
you apply pesticides do you have records that document he pesticide type,
amount, time applied, and rate?
Yes_____No_____N/A_____
7. Are
your crop and pasture fields free of active gullies?
Yes_____No_____N/A_____
8. Do
you have two years records of your grazing management plan including number of
animals including size, grazing period, grazing distribution and management of
access to water?
Yes_____No_____N/A_____
If you can answer “yes” to all of these questions, you are
possibly eligible for CSP.
If you cannot answer “yes” to all of these questions, there may
be other conservation programs that can help you become eligible for CSP.
Contact Information - NRCS Offices:
Bennington County, Jenny Kimberly – (802) 442-2275 jennifer.kimberly@vt.usda.gov