The Farmland Stewardship Program

1. Introduction	The Farmland Stewardship Program represents a breakthrough approach to conserving the privately owned lands that provide our food and fiber -- and hold so much of the habitat for wildlife and other key natural resources. Find out why.
2. Summary	Over a five-year period, private landowners, conservation interests, agriculture groups, and government agencies held discussions that led to the development of the Farmland Stewardship Program. Here's how it works.
3. Full Description New!	Here's a complete description of the Farmland Stewardship Program, as proposed in legislative language pending before the U.S. Congress.
4. Benefits	Here's a list of 35 ways in which the Farmland Stewardship Program will make existing conservation programs more effective.
5. Payments	Various incentives can be used to compensate landowners for entering into a Farmland Stewardship Agreement. Here are some of the key options available.
6. Legislation Updated Sept. 21	Here are links to 12 documents -- including bills pending in the U.S. Congress to implement the Farmland Stewardship Program, a section-by-section summary of these bills, the text of a bill that was approved in the Florida Legislature last spring and text of a bill approved by the Oregon Legislature in June.
7. A Comparison Between the FSP & Conservation Security Program	This chart provides a quick comparison between the Farmland Stewardship Program and the working lands conservation program that has been introduced by Senator Tom Harkin and Representative John Thune, the Conservation Security Program. Both programs compliment each other, and both can stand alone or work together.
8. Complimentary State Programs New!	Here is an innovate state-level program in Wisconsin that will provide an excellent complement to the Farmland Stewardship Program.
Developing the Farmland Stewardship Program
9. Videos New!	View two streaming videos describing the project as it evolved. The first video, produced in 1995, focuses on the "conceptual plan" developed by the Landowner Working Group. The second video, produced in 1999, illustrates the benefits of private land stewardship through interviews with private landowners and biologists, and stunning wildlife photography The two videos each take about 12 minutes to view.
10. History	Started in 1993, here's a quick overview of how this project has evolved over the last 8 years.
11. An Overview - Guidelines	Various groups and interests in Florida came together over a two-year period to discuss the Farmland Stewardship Program and how the approach should be implemented. Here's an overview of those discussions followed by the general guidelines that emerged.
12. An Outline - Full Term Agreement	This detailed outline of the Farmland Stewardship Program describes the mechanics of the agreement, eligible lands, payment options and penalties and reclaim provisions.
13. Cost Calculation	Here is a tool to determine the cost of the various activities associated with the maintenance of habitats for wildlife, wetlands and other natural resources under the Farmland Stewardship Program.
14. Land Assessment	To determine which property should be covered by a Farmland Stewardship Agreement or other conservation programs, a University of Florida wildlife ecologist developed criteria for assessing land. Here's an explanation of his evaluation technique.
15. Provisional Contract	Provisional contracts provide payments over a two-year period to landowners wishing to participate in the Farmland Stewardship Program and the supervising organization or agency as baseline data is gathered, documents are prepared and the formal Farmland Stewardship Agreement is negotiated. Here's an outline of the contract.

Model Project: Hall's Tiger Bay Ranch	This is the documentation prepared by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Natural Resources Conservation Service for the project's model project.
Pilot Projects: 20 landowners - 170,000 acres	Twenty landowners, with 170,000 acres of land, have expressed interest in being the first to participate in a pilot project to demonstrate the value of the Farmland Stewardship Program. Here are brief property descriptions and the reasons behind the owners' decision to participate.
Solving Conflicts: Using the FSP to resolve an endangered species conflict in Klamath Falls, Oregon	This page describes how the Farmland Stewardship Program could be used to resolve an endangered species conflict in Klamath Falls, Oregon.

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