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USDA’s CSP shows promise but needs adjustments

A Missouri farmer says USDA’s Conservation Stewardship Program has promise but adjustments need to be made.

Richard Oswald tells Brownfield CSP promoted practices like no-till farming, traffic management and water quality improvement are valuable, but the program is more suited towards smaller farms.

“I see everyone focusing on getting that crop planted and getting the most out of the crop,” he said.

He said currently, CSP might be difficult to implement on larger farms of 1000 acres or more because of the time it takes to manage.

“As time goes by, there will probably be adjustments and things in there to try and bring in bigger farmers,” Oswald said. “The no-till, a lot of times, that’s just an outreach and education that you can do that. It’s getting more and more common here to do those things.”

The deadline for farmers to apply to CSP through the USDA is March 15^th.