Statewide & Federal
NRCS Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP)
Yearly payments for the conservation you already do, plus more for taking it further. Veterans can get ranking priority and a separate funding pool.
What It Offers
- CSP pays you every year to keep up existing conservation on your land and to add new practices, like multi-species cover crops or better grazing management.
- Contracts run five years, and you can compete to renew for another five.
- Most participants get at least $4,000 a year, even if their practices add up to less. Bundles of practices pay a higher rate.
- It works for cropland, pasture, and forest land. Looking for help with a single project instead? See EQIP.
Benefits for Veterans
- State offices can give veterans’ applications ranking priority.
- Veterans are included in the 5% of CSP and EQIP funds set aside for beginning and historically underserved farmers. Competing in that smaller pool improves your odds.
- Veterans may also qualify for higher payment rates on conservation practices.
- You count as a veteran for CSP if you have farmed for less than 10 years or first became a veteran within the last 10 years.
How to Get Started
- Contact NRCS at your USDA Service Center and tell them you’re interested in CSP and that you’re a veteran.
- A conservation planner will walk your land with you and build a plan.
- You’ll need a farm number from FSA (see how to get one), proof you control the land, and form AD-1026.
- Applications are taken year-round but ranked on set dates, so ask for the next ranking date.
Sources: USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service CSP page; farmers.gov Military Veteran Farmers page (updated August 2026).
