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WASHINGTON — Ohio’s Sandusky Watershed is one of 51 eligible watersheds nationwide where farmers will have two additional weeks to apply for the Conservation Security Program in fiscal year 2008.

Originally, the CSP sign-up was scheduled to run from April 18-May 16, but the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) announced last week that sign-up has been extended to May 30.

“NRCS recognizes the inopportune timing of this year’s sign-up and that farmers and ranchers are busy in their fields. We want to give them as much time as possible,” NRCS Chief Arlen Lancaster said. “We are extending the sign-up as much as possible to allow producers adequate time to gather natural resource information and complete the required self-assessment and applicant interview. This two-week extension represents the fullest accommodation we can make and deliver a program this year.”

Natural disasters—such as excessive spring rains and flooding in certain parts of the country that caused delays in planting—also played a role in the decision to extend the sign-up, Lancaster said. As a result, many farmers and ranchers had little time to gather their records to meet the CSP sign-up requirements.

Approximately 3,300 farms are in the Sandusky Watershed, which extends into 11 counties in northern Ohio.

CSP, a voluntary program, encourages and rewards producers who practice outstanding stewardship on working agricultural land by offering financial incentives that increase with the level of conservation effort. Soil and water quality are the primary focus of this program; however, program goals also include improved wildlife habitat, air quality, and environmentally responsible energy production.

For more information about CSP and eligibility requirements, visit www.nrcs.usda.gov/programs/csp.