Washington ag producers among first to participate in innovative conservation program.

Eight years ago, when Bill and Dean McLean switched

from their traditional farming methods to a conservation-based approach,

they believed their investment would pay off - someday.

Through the years, it has. They've seen their erosion rates

reduced, their soil quality improved, and their operation become more

consistent and sustainable - even through prolonged drought.

Today, that investment in conservation paid off again.

The McLeans, who farm near Coulee City, were recognized at a

ceremonial signing event in Spokane as Washington's first agricultural

producers to participate in USDA's Conservation Security Program (CSP).

Authorized in the 2002 Farm Bill, CSP is a voluntary program

that provides financial and technical assistance to promote the

conservation and improvement of soil, water, air, energy, plant and

animal life, and other conservation purposes on Tribal and private

working lands. The program supports ongoing stewardship of private

agricultural lands by providing payments for maintaining and enhancing

natural resources.

"While conservation incentive programs and technical assistance

from USDA date back to the Dust Bowl days of the 1930s," said Natural

Resources Conservation Service State Conservationist Gus Hughbanks, "CSP

represents the first time agricultural producers are being paid for

ongoing stewardship." Hughbanks' agency administers the program.

The McLeans farm in the Moses Coulee Watershed, which was one of

only 18 watersheds nationwide - and the only watershed in Washington -

to be included in the program's debut-year. Of the 83 applications in

the watershed, 43 met the minimum requirements for water quality and

soil quality, according to the NRCS. Of the 43 qualifying applications,

13 were approved for Tier I; 26 for Tier II; and four for Tier III.

"Those applicants who met the minimum requirements," Hughbanks

said, "will be participating in three different tiers reflecting both

their documented historical conservation management as well as their

agreement to do additional practices to further enhance the

environment," he said.

Hughbanks said that producers would receive annual payments

between $550 to $12,135 for Tier I contracts; $380 to $30,625 for Tier

II contracts; and $2,366 to $35,300 for Tier III contracts. The payments

are for a broad range of conservation work that is protecting and

enhancing natural resources including water quality, soil quality and

wildlife habitat.

"All successful applicants have achieved high technical

standards for protecting soil and water quality," he said. "These are

model conservationists who we can point to as our first line of defense

in managing ecosystems like the Moses Coulee Watershed with both

productivity and careful stewardship as twin goals."

Nationally, the 2,188 farmers and ranchers who were awarded CSP

contracts today represent 1.88 million acres. Work done by the producers

in the 18 selected watersheds will significantly benefit both their own

watersheds and the people and resources downstream.

Announcements regarding which Washington watersheds will be

selected for the program next are expected later in the year, Hughbanks

said. "Producers can look at the conservation activities of these

successful CSP applicants now," he said, "so they can ready their farms

and ranches for the time when their watershed is selected."

The NRCS offers technical assistance and a "portfolio" of other

conservation programs to help producers implement conservation

activities that can help them qualify for CSP, Hughbanks said. "The

key," he said, "is to begin early."

Hughbanks said the McLeans represent the best of Washington's

conservation community. "They, like hundreds of other Washington

producers, are doing what no single program or agency is capable of

doing-they are protecting the natural resources upon which all future

generations of Americans depend," he said. "This is an historic day for

Washington's agricultural producers, and it's a new day for

conservation," Hughbanks said.

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