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CSP rewards producers for stewardship effortsColorado Producers in the Upper Arkansas-John Martin Reservoir Watershed have the opportunity to sign up for the U.S. Department of Agriculture Natural Resources Conservation Service Conservation Security Program from now until May 16. CSP rewards farmers and ranchers for long-term stewardship "CSP offers one of the best opportunities to inform, educate, and reward land users' stewardship efforts on their land," according to John Knapp, NRCS Area Conservationist in La Junta, Colo. "The great thing about this program is that it offers opportunities to guide land users through a process of learning not only where their operation stands but also the potential for what they can achieve." The Palmer family who ranch near Boyero, Colo., saw the benefits to signing up when the Rush Creek Watershed was selected for the 2005 sign up. "It was kind of a long process, but it was a lot simpler than what we thought when we started," said Don Palmer. The Palmer Ranch includes Palmer and his brother John and wife Sandi, and their parents, Marie and Bob. The Palmers were interested in applying for CSP since they were already doing conservation work that fit into the program. "We started a rotational grazing system back in the early 1990s to utilize what we had, as far as a grass crop," said Don. "Up to then, we really weren't using what we had." To keep costs at a minimum, the Palmers started with the grazing system, as far as fencing and water that they had on their 12,000-acre ranch, and just added from there. Today, their system consists of the summer rangeland where there are 11 different pastures with a water source for each pasture. With their current system that the Palmers installed--without any cost-share assistance--they qualified for CSP. The Hass family, who dryland farm and ranch southeast of Limon, Colo., also qualified for CSP in 2005. Burton and his son Bruce have made it their life-long commitment to be stewards of the land. "Strip cropping and reduced tillage are what we have to do on the land we farm," said Burton. "We knew that from the beginning when my parents were farming our land." Ahead of their time, conservation-wise, the Hass family practiced reduced tillage on their cropland before it was required in NRCS conservation plans. "We've always left more residue than what's required and use narrower strips," Bruce added. Bruce and his wife Kara operate the grazing program that received the highest CSP stewardship award for management of pasture health and rotations schedules. Albert and Mary Krueger, who farm near Meeker, Colo., are irrigators who signed up for CSP in 2005 and qualified. "We have seen a significant increase in production and labor costs have dropped, as a result of the irrigation techniques we have applied. CSP provides us financial support as an incentive to keep working on improvements on our farm and to keep applying good conservation practices," said Albert. For additional information regarding CSP, or to obtain a hard copy of the CSP self assessment workbook, please visit your local NRCS or Conservation District field office located in the USDA Service Center that services your county. 5/5/08 Date: 4/30/08 Advertisement
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