Stewardship Program Purpose

1. Stewardship Program Purpose Encourage producers to address resource concerns in a comprehensive manner by: Installing and adopting additional conservation activities Improving, maintaining, and managing existing activities

2. Conservation Measurement Tool (CMT) In General the CMT Determines if the applicant meets the Stewardship Threshold Requirements of CSP.

3. Conservation Measurement Tool (CMT) In General the CMT Considers the relative conservation physical effects of conservation activities across natural resource concerns and energy to estimate: the existing conservation performance levels the additional conservation performance improvement to be achieved

4. Conservation Measurement Tool (CMT) Applications are evaluated and ranked based on: (ranking criteria in the CMT) Level of conservation treatment on all applicable priority resource concerns at the time of application Degree the proposed conservation treatment on the applicable priority resource concern increases conservation performance

5. Conservation Measurement Tool (CMT) Number of applicable priority resource concerns that will be treated to meet or exceed the stewardship threshold by the end of contract. Extent that other resource concerns will be addressed to meet or exceed the stewardship threshold by the end of the contract.

6. Stewardship Threshold Requirement The applicant’s conservation activities must meet: One resource concern at the time of application. Air, Animals, Plants, Soil Erosion, Soil Quality, Water Quality, Water Quantity and Energy

7. Stewardship Threshold Requirement The applicant’s conservation activities must meet: One priority resource concern: At the time of the application, or By the end of the CSP contract. CroplandNI Private Forest Soil Erosion Soil Erosion Water Quality Water Quality Animals Animals Soil Quality Soil Quality Energy Plants

8. Stewardship Threshold Requirement Applicants that are not currently meeting at least one resource concern will not be able to meet the stewardship threshold requirement. Will not be able to move forward with a CSP application.

9. Stewardship Threshold Requirement Applicants that cannot move forward with a CSP application: The operator will need to select a conservation practice that will allow them to address a resource concern. Install the practice(s) on their own or with the help of a conservation program such as EQIP. Then come back and move forward with a CSP application

10. Stewardship Threshold Requirement Applicants that are meeting at least one resource concern but Are not meeting at least one priority resource concern with their current conservation activities, can agree to meet the necessary priority resource concern by installing a new conservation practice, by the end of the contract.

11. CSP Requirements for Payments Payment for Performance – 2 types Annual payment for installing additional conservation activities as scheduled and maintaining existing activities Supplemental payment available for a participant receiving an annual payment who also adopts a resource-conserving crop rotation

12. Conservation Measurement TooL Annual Payment for the applicant: Meet the Stewardship Threshold Requirements Select at least one conservation activity per land use (Enhancement) that will be adopted in the first year of the contract. All enhancements must be scheduled, installed and adopted by the end of the third year of the contract.

13. Conservation Measurement TooL Supplemental Payment for the applicant: Agree to adopt a Resource-Conserving Crop Rotation (RCCR) Resource conserving crop must be adopted by 3rd year of the contract. RCCR must be fully adopted by the 5th year of the contract. RCCR is considered adopted when the resource conserving crop planted on at least 1/3 of the rotation acres.

14. Conservation Measurement TooL The CMT gives the applicant a score based on meeting the Stewardship threshold plus the conservation already on the ground and the new conservation activities they will adopt. The CMT score will result in a dollar amount per acre for the application – eventually.