Basin News
Conservation Security Program Opens in Milwaukee River Watershed
The U.S. Department of Agriculture announced that the long awaited signup for the Conservation Security Program will begin on April 18, 2008 in 52 watersheds, including the Milwaukee River Watershed in Wisconsin . The Conservation Security Program is the country's only green payments program, which rewards farmers for their practices that promote clean water, air and wildlife habitat on their farms.
The Conservation Security Program helps farmers maximize good conservation on their working agricultural lands. The program rewards sustainable farming practices that promote clean water, energy conservation, wildlife habitat and other natural resource protection. Some 16 million acres nationwide have already been enrolled since the program was created in the 2002 Farm Bill. Between 2004 and 2006, 649 farms in Wisconsin were enrolled in the program, totaling more than 188,400 acres.
This may be the last program signup restricted to just a few watersheds throughout the country. Congress is currently negotiating a new farm bill that prominently features a streamlined and expanded Conservation Security Program. If ultimately passed, the new law would allow all farmers nationwide to compete on a continuous basis to enroll in the program, totally 13 million acres to be enrolled each year. Farmers who practice good conservation on their farms and who aspire to the best environmental performance would compete to receive five year contracts paying up to $40,000 each. (Existing contracts, including the new signup, would be continued.)
For more information about the Program visit the NRCS website at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/csp.
Milwaukee River Basin Event Calendar Link
Milwaukee River Basin Partnership
1845 N. Farwell Avenue, Suite 100
Milwaukee, WI 53202
(414)763-6170