Conservation Security Program (CSP)

The Conservation Security Program (CSP) is a voluntary program that provides financial assistance for the conservation, protection, and improvementt of soil, water, air, energy, plant and animal life, and other conservation purposes on private lands. The program provides payments for producers who practice good stewardship on their agricultural lands and incentives for those who want to do more.   The program is designed to reward the best conservation stewards of the most environmentally sensitive areas in targeted watersheds.

Lower Rappahannock, Mattaponi and South Fork Shenandoah Watersheds

Eligible farmers in the Lower Rappahannock and Mattaponi watersheds in eastern Virginia and the South Fork - Shenandoah watershed in northwestern Virginia watersheds will receive payments based on the level of land stewardship and conservation work they are following on their farms. 

The Lower Rappahannock watershed is 742,342 acres and includes parts of Spotsylvania, Stafford, King George, Caroline, Westmoreland, Lancaster, Richmond and Middlesex Counties.  The Mattaponi watershed is 584,359 acres and covers parts of Orange, Spotsylvania, Caroline, King William and King and Queen Counties.  The South Fork Shenandoah River is 1,070,161 acres and includes parts of Augusta, Rockingham, Warren and Page Counties.  Together, the watersheds have over 4,000 potentially eligible farms covering more than 750,000 acres. 

Virginia's CSP Documents

More Information

For more information about the Conservation Security Program, contact your local USDA Service Center.   National information materials on the CSP are available at the NRCS national website. 

Virginia CSP Program Manager
Ken Carter, Assistant State Conservationist
804-287-1663
Email:  Ken.Carter@va.usda.gov

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