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Farmers, ranchers receive contracts for good soil stewardshipNebraska About 204 farmers and ranchers in an 11-county area of south-central Nebraska and parts of Kansas will receive financial rewards for being good stewards of the land through the Conservation Security Program approved in early July by the Natural Resources Conservation Service. "Over $3 million in annual payments will be paid in the 5 to 10 year contracts. CSP is a voluntary conservation program that supports ongoing stewardship of private, agricultural working lands. It rewards those producers who are meeting the highest standards of conservation and environmental management on their operations. CSP works with landowners to reward them for their good past efforts and provides incentives to move to the next level," said Steve Chick, NRCS State Conservationist. Local NRCS offices will be sending letters to approved applicants right away, he added. The Conservation Security Program, now in its fifth year in Nebraska, offers payments to producers who have treated their land with conservation practices, who are applying good irrigation or grass management, providing for wildlife habitat, or other actions that protect the environment, said Chick. Counties involved include portions of Franklin, Harlan, Kearney, Nuckolls, Phelps, Thayer and Webster counties in Nebraska. The sign up area also included portions of Jewell, Phillips, Smith and Republic counties in north central Kansas. That now makes 1,964 farmers or ranchers who have entered the program in Nebraska. In 2008, 10 percent of the approved applications nationwide were in Nebraska. "That speaks well for the historical good stewardship ethic of our producers," said Chick. A sign-up was started on April 18, 2008, and then extended until the end of May to give farmers more time because of spring planting and the rainy periods. The Conservation Security Program was renamed the Conservation Stewardship Program in the 2008 Farm Bill. Funding for the program will have to be passed by Congress, and any program changes may have to go through a public comment process. Any 2009 sign-up process will be announced by the Secretary of Agriculture. 7/21/08 Date: 7/16/08
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