CANTON – Landowners in St. Lawrence County might be able to take advantage of the Natural Resources Conservation Service’s Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP), which will provide about $175 million in funding for up to 12.6 million additional acres enrollment this year around the country

Although applications are accepted all year, farmers, ranchers and forestland owners interested in CSP should submit applications by June 14 to their local NRCS office to ensure they are considered for this year’s funding.

“CSP is different than our other financial assistance programs,” said NY NRCS State Conservationist Don Pettit. “It offers payments to producers who maintain a high level of conservation on their land and agree to adopt higher levels of stewardship. It’s about conservation activities on the entire operation, focusing on multiple resource concerns.”

Because of the extreme weather in 2012, more interest and participation in the cover crop enhancements is expected this year, according to NRCS experts. Other CSP enhancements available to producers help to improve soil quality, water quality, plant health, and/or animal habitat.

A CSP self-screening checklist is available to help producers determine if the program is suitable for their operation. The checklist highlights basic information about CSP eligibility requirements, stewardship threshold requirements and payment types.

For the checklist and additional information, visit the CSP website at http://www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/national/programs/financial/csp or call the local USDA NRCS office in Canton at 386-2401.