Agricultural Producers in the Lower Kennebec River Watershed Recognized as Being "Good Stewards of the Land"

Bangor, ME – July 31, 2008 – “Thank you for being a good steward of the land” is the message that the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) in Maine is giving to 72 agricultural producers in the Kennebec River at Merrymeeting Bay (Lower Kennebec) Watershed. According to NRCS State Conservationist Joyce Swartzendruber, these producers have been approved for contracts totaling more than $2.1 million of payments over a 5-year period through the USDA Conservation Security Program (CSP). The Lower Kennebec Watershed, selected as one of the 51 eligible watersheds nationwide for this year’s CSP signup, is primarily in the counties of Franklin, Kennebec and Somerset, but also includes portions of Androscoggin, Sagadahoc, Lincoln, Waldo, Penobscot and Piscataquis counties.

Unlike most federal farm conservation programs that are designed to address resource problems, CSP, administered by NRCS and part of the Farm Bill, is intended to recognize those agricultural producers who have already applied a full conservation system that addresses soil quality and water quality to meet program criteria. Payments are based in part on the existing conservation treatment as well as their willingness to undertake additional environmental enhancements, such as air quality, grazing lands health, ground and surface water quality, wildlife habitat quality, plant population health, soil quality and wetlands health. In Maine, CSP contracts will run between $170 and $36,000 per year for 5 years.

“NRCS has helped producers fix conservation problems such as soil erosion or water conservation since the Dust Bowl days of the 1930s”, said Swartzendruber. “Maine producers have taken our advice and improved their land for environmental and stewardship reasons and are doing the hard day-to-day work of making the right choices for the land and other natural resources that they manage. They don’t get much recognition, but CSP is a step towards rewarding the work they do. These proven stewards are good candidates to invest in to further improve the resources that sustain our families, our communities and our landscapes.”

For more information on CSP and other NRCS programs go to http://www.me.nrcs.usda.gov.
 

Maine Conservation Security Program Website

National Conservation Security Program Website

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