Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) in Nebraska
The state-level CSP data only includes practices that had more than four contracts in a state for a particular year. Because of this, the data contained within the state pages will not sum up to the total payments by practice on the national page.
CSP payments by fiscal year in Nebraska
CSP payments by county, 2017-2022
Practices and enhancements on CSP acres, 2017-2022, Nebraska
| Rank | Practice | Payments, 2017-2022 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cropland Annual Payment | $151,875,156 |
| 2 | Rangeland Annual Payment | $72,145,214 |
| 3 | Maintaining quantity and quality of forage for animal health and productivity | $5,444,645 |
| 4 | Farmstead | $5,247,788 |
| 5 | Reduce risk of pesticides in surface water by utilizing precision pesticide application techniques | $4,534,398 |
| 6 | Existing Activity Payment-Land Use | $4,348,334 |
| 7 | Pasture Annual Payment | $3,882,033 |
| 8 | Associated Ag Land | $3,404,023 |
| 9 | Existing Activity Payment-Resource Concern | $2,483,612 |
| 10 | Improving nutrient uptake efficiency and reducing risk of nutrient losses to groundwater | $2,173,486 |
| 11 | Improved grazing management for plant productivity/health through monitoring | $1,967,701 |
| 12 | Reduce risk of pesticides in surface water by utilizing IPM PAMS techniques | $1,420,466 |
| 13 | Reduce risks of nutrient losses to surface water by utilizing precision ag technologies | $1,367,260 |
| 14 | Improving nutrient uptake efficiency and reducing risk of nutrient losses to surface water | $1,270,736 |
| 15 | Improving nutrient uptake efficiency and reducing risks to air quality - emissions of GHGs | $1,164,413 |
| 16 | Prescribed Grazing  | $986,038 |
| 17 | Grazing management for improving quantity/quality of plant structure/composition for wildlife | $896,848 |
| 18 | Pest Management Conservation System | $808,777 |
| 19 | Establish Monarch butterfly habitat | $695,705 |
| 20 | Advanced Automated IWM - Year 1 - Equipment and soil moisture is monitored- recorded and used in dec | $619,397 |
| 21 | Cover Crop | $603,268 |
| 22 | Use of multi-species cover crops to improve soil health and increase soil organic matter | $589,811 |
| 23 | Use of body condition scoring for livestock on a monthly basis to keep track of herd health | $526,133 |
| 24 | Improved grazing management for plant structure and composition through monitoring activities | $450,074 |
| 25 | Herbaceous weed control (plant pest pressures) for desired plant communities/habitats | $426,502 |
| 26 | Advanced Automated IWM - Year 1- Equipment and soil moisture or water level monitoring | $412,407 |
| 27 | Harvest of crops (hay or small grains) using measures that allow desired species to flush or escape | $404,145 |
| 28 | Improving nutrient uptake efficiency and reducing risk of nutrient losses | $402,820 |
| 29 | Eliminate use of chemical treatments to control pests and increase dung beetle populations | $389,724 |
| 30 | Eliminate use of chemical treatments to control pests and to increase the presence of dung beetles | $352,622 |
| 31 | Advanced IWM--Soil moisture is monitored- recorded- and used in decision making | $347,773 |
| 32 | Supplemental Payment | $326,484 |
| 33 | Reduce ozone precursor emissions related to pesticides by utilizing IPM PAMS techniques | $307,969 |
| 34 | Advanced IWM--Weather is monitored- recorded and used in decision making | $305,856 |
| 35 | Enhancement - Soil Management | $289,922 |
| 36 | Incorporating wildlife refuge areas in contingency plans for prescribed grazing-cover/shelter | $270,397 |
| 37 | Advanced Automated IWM - Year 2-5- Soil moisture is monitored- recorded and used in decision making | $267,449 |
| 38 | Improved grazing management through monitoring activities | $263,272 |
| 39 | Intensive cover cropping to increase soil health and soil organic matter content | $253,775 |
| 40 | Modifications to improve soil health and increase soil organic matter | $227,827 |
| 41 | Herbaceous weed treatment to create plant communities consistent with the ecological site  | $225,993 |
| 42 | Maintaining quantity and quality of forage for animal health and productivity | $223,108 |
| 43 | Cover crop to reduce water erosion | $218,974 |
| 44 | Reduce risk of pesticides in water and air by utilizing IPM PAMS techniques | $188,823 |
| 45 | Forage harvest management that helps maintain or improve wildlife habitat (cover and shelter) | $185,598 |
| 46 | Pastured Cropland Annual Payment | $174,508 |
| 47 | Herbaceous Weed Treatment | $172,682 |
| 48 | Tree/shrub planting for wildlife cover | $170,164 |
| 49 | Reduce risk of pesticides in surface water by utilizing precision pesticide application techniques | $164,865 |
| 50 | Stewardship Payment | $154,548 |
| 51 | Adding food-producing trees and shrubs to existing plantings | $151,412 |
| 52 | Minimum Payment Adjustment | $150,862 |
| 53 | Reduce risks of nutrient loss to surface water by utilizing precision agriculture technologies | $141,199 |
| 54 | Nutrient Management | $132,237 |
| 55 | Reduced tillage to reduce water erosion | $114,070 |
| 56 | Tree/shrub planting for wildlife food | $111,077 |
| 57 | Management Intensive Rotational Grazing | $110,498 |
| 58 | Use of multi-species cover crops to improve soil health and increase soil organic matter | $109,021 |
| 59 | Grazing management that protects sensitive areas from gully erosion | $108,995 |
| 60 | Stream habitat improvement through placement of woody biomass | $108,973 |
| 61 | Conservation Crop Rotation | $102,480 |
| 62 | Non-Industrial Private Forest Land Annual Payment | $98,905 |
| 63 | Controlled traffic farming to reduce compaction | $98,591 |
| 64 | Manage livestock access to streams/ditches/other waterbodies to reduce nutrients in surface water | $98,121 |
| 65 | Leave standing grain crops unharvested to benefit wildlife food sources | $94,395 |
| 66 | Implementing Bale or Swath Grazing to increase organic matter and reduce nutrients in surface water | $89,146 |
| 67 | Prescribed grazing that improves or maintains riparian and watershed function-erosion | $87,029 |
| 68 | Brush management for improved structure and composition | $84,778 |
| 69 | Improved grazing management for soil compaction on rangeland through monitoring activities | $74,739 |
| 70 | Improved grazing management for enhanced plant structure and composition for wildlife | $74,156 |
| 71 | No till system to increase soil health and soil organic matter content | $61,292 |
| 72 | Cover crop to suppress excessive weed pressures and break pest cycles | $57,339 |
| 73 | Brush Management | $54,880 |
| 74 | Improved grazing mgmt for plant productivity/health through monitoring | $54,593 |
| 75 | Reduced tillage to reduce wind erosion | $53,386 |
| 76 | Cover crop to minimize soil compaction | $52,435 |
| 77 | Establish Monarch butterfly habitat | $48,539 |
| 78 | Upland Wildlife Habitat Management | $46,904 |
| 79 | Enhancement - Water Management | $46,231 |
| 80 | Irrigation Water Management | $45,809 |
| 81 | Tree/shrub planting for wildlife food | $45,179 |
| 82 | Brush management that maintains or enhances wildlife or fish habitat | $44,951 |
| 83 | Tree/Shrub Establishment | $41,622 |
| 84 | Enhancement - Pest Management | $40,106 |
| 85 | Native grasses or legumes in forage base | $40,080 |
| 86 | Existing Practice Payment | $38,677 |
| 87 | Reduced tillage to increase soil health and soil organic matter content | $38,376 |
| 88 | No till system to reduce wind erosion | $34,946 |
| 89 | Leave standing grain crops unharvested to benefit wildlife cover and shelter | $34,366 |
| 90 | Incorporating wildlife refuge areas in contingency plans for wildlife food | $32,105 |
| 91 | Conservation cover to provide cover and shelter habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects | $32,046 |
| 92 | No till to reduce water erosion | $30,749 |
| 93 | Reduced tillage to increase plant-available moisture: irrigation water | $29,614 |
| 94 | No till to increase plant-available moisture: irrigation water | $29,051 |
| 95 | Resource conserving crop rotation | $28,862 |
| 96 | Brush management to improve wildlife habitat | $23,817 |
| 97 | Conservation cover to provide food habitat for pollinators and beneficial insects | $22,367 |
| 98 | Enhancement - Habitat Management | $21,665 |
| 99 | Prescribed grazing that improves or maintains riparian and watershed function-erosion | $20,225 |
| 100 | Enhancement - Nutrient Management | $18,607 |
| 101 | Intensive cover cropping to increase soil health and soil organic matter content | $18,496 |
| 102 | Conservation Cover | $18,406 |
| 103 | Conservation cover for pollinators and beneficial insects | $18,355 |
| 104 | Herbaceous weed control (inadequate structure and comp) for desired plant communities/habitats | $18,193 |
| 105 | Cover crop to suppress excessive weed pressures and break pest cycles | $17,901 |
| 106 | Cover crop to reduce wind erosion | $17,340 |
| 107 | Reduction of attractants to human-subsidized predators in sensitive wildlife species habitat | $17,040 |
| 108 | Fishpond management for native aquatic and terrestrial species | $16,236 |
| 109 | Cover crop to reduce soil erosion | $15,559 |
| 110 | Reduced tillage to reduce soil erosion | $15,249 |
| 111 | Harvest of crops (hay or small grains) using measures that allow desired species to flush or escape | $13,030 |
| 112 | Complete pumping plant evaluation for all pumps on a farm. | $12,964 |
| 113 | Manage livestock access to waterbodies to reduce nutrients or pathogens to surface water | $12,776 |
| 114 | Increase stream shading for stream temperature reduction | $12,306 |
| 115 | Forest Stand Improvement | $11,809 |
| 116 | Residue and Tillage Management- Reduced Till | $11,755 |
| 117 | Residue and Tillage Management- No Till | $11,710 |
| 118 | Snags- den trees- and coarse woody debris for wildlife habitat | $11,306 |
| 119 | Edge feathering for wildlife cover | $11,286 |
| 120 | Leave standing grain crops unharvested to benefit wildlife | $11,049 |
| 121 | Complete pumping plant evaluation for all existing pumps on a farm. | $10,740 |
| 122 | Forage harvest management that helps maintain wildlife habitat cover- shelter or continuity | $10,126 |
| 123 | Soil health crop rotation | $8,876 |
| 124 | Cover crop to reduce water quality degradation by utilizing excess soil nutrients-surface water | $8,846 |
| 125 | Forage harvest management that helps maintain wildlife habitat continuity (space) | $7,532 |
| 126 | Pasture and Hay Planting | $7,257 |
| 127 | Enhancement - Energy Management | $7,154 |
| 128 | Fence | $6,452 |
| 129 | Conservation cover to provide habitat continuity for pollinators and beneficial insects | $6,293 |
| 130 | Incorporating wildlife refuge areas in contingency plans for livestock feed and forage | $6,049 |
| 131 | Enhancement - Air Resource Management | $5,978 |
| 132 | Enhancement - Grazing Management | $5,940 |
| 133 | Modifications to improve soil health and increase soil organic matter | $5,678 |
| 134 | Watering Facility | $5,092 |
| 135 | Structures for Wildlife | $4,007 |
| 136 | Forage Harvest Management | $3,406 |
| 137 | Forage and biomass planting that produces feedstock for biofuels or energy production | $3,319 |
| 138 | Adding food-producing trees and shrubs to existing plantings | $3,203 |
| 139 | Cropland conversion to grass-based agriculture to reduce wind erosion | $3,041 |
| 140 | Field Border | $2,739 |
| 141 | Grazing management for improving quantity and quality of food or cover and shelter for wildlife | $2,463 |
| 142 | Range Planting | $1,978 |
| 143 | Establishing tree/shrub species to restore native plant communities | $1,629 |
| 144 | Roof Runoff Structure | $1,513 |
| 145 | Enhanced field borders to reduce water induced erosion along the edge(s) of a field | $1,386 |
| 146 | Critical Area Planting | $1,350 |
| 147 | Windbreak/Shelterbelt Establishment and Renovation | $1,168 |
| 148 | No till to reduce soil erosion | $869 |
| 149 | Snags- den trees- and coarse woody debris for wildlife habitat | $647 |
| 150 | Establish pollinator and/or beneficial insect habitat continuity (space) | $482 |
| 151 | Access Control | $387 |
| 152 | Prescribed Burning | $314 |
| 153 | Reduction of attractants to human-subsidized predators in sensitive wildlife species habitat | $225 |
| 154 | Tree/Shrub Site Preparation | $101 |
| 155 | Tree/Shrub Pruning | $92 |
| 156 | Early Successional Habitat Development-Mgt | $80 |
| Show All | ||
| Show Less | ||
| Total Payments, 2017-2022 | 279,916,658 | |
NRCS 2024 climate smart practice.
NRCS 2024 provisional climate smart practice.
NCRS climate smart practices on CSP acres, 2017-2022, Nebraska
| Rank | Practice | Payments, 2017-2022 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prescribed Grazing | $986,038 |
| 2 | Cover Crop | $603,268 |
| 3 | Improving nutrient uptake efficiency and reducing risk of nutrient losses | $402,820 |
| 4 | Improved grazing management through monitoring activities | $263,272 |
| 5 | Herbaceous weed treatment to create plant communities consistent with the ecological site | $225,993 |
| 6 | Maintaining quantity and quality of forage for animal health and productivity | $223,108 |
| 7 | Herbaceous Weed Treatment | $172,682 |
| 8 | Reduce risks of nutrient loss to surface water by utilizing precision agriculture technologies | $141,199 |
| 9 | Nutrient Management | $132,237 |
| 10 | Management Intensive Rotational Grazing | $110,498 |
| 11 | Use of multi-species cover crops to improve soil health and increase soil organic matter | $109,021 |
| 12 | Conservation Crop Rotation | $102,480 |
| 13 | Implementing Bale or Swath Grazing to increase organic matter and reduce nutrients in surface water | $89,146 |
| 14 | Brush Management | $54,880 |
| 15 | Establish Monarch butterfly habitat | $48,539 |
| 16 | Irrigation Water Management | $45,809 |
| 17 | Tree/shrub planting for wildlife food | $45,179 |
| 18 | Tree/Shrub Establishment | $41,622 |
| 19 | Resource conserving crop rotation | $28,862 |
| 20 | Brush management to improve wildlife habitat | $23,817 |
| 21 | Prescribed grazing that improves or maintains riparian and watershed function-erosion | $20,225 |
| 22 | Intensive cover cropping to increase soil health and soil organic matter content | $18,496 |
| 23 | Conservation Cover | $18,406 |
| 24 | Conservation cover for pollinators and beneficial insects | $18,355 |
| 25 | Cover crop to suppress excessive weed pressures and break pest cycles | $17,901 |
| 26 | Cover crop to reduce soil erosion | $15,559 |
| 27 | Reduced tillage to reduce soil erosion | $15,249 |
| 28 | Forest Stand Improvement | $11,809 |
| 29 | Residue and Tillage Management- Reduced Till | $11,755 |
| 30 | Residue and Tillage Management- No Till | $11,710 |
| 31 | Pasture and Hay Planting | $7,257 |
| 32 | Modifications to improve soil health and increase soil organic matter | $5,678 |
| 33 | Field Border | $2,739 |
| 34 | Range Planting | $1,978 |
| 35 | Critical Area Planting | $1,350 |
| 36 | Windbreak/Shelterbelt Establishment and Renovation | $1,168 |
| 37 | No till to reduce soil erosion | $869 |
| 38 | Prescribed Burning | $314 |
| Show All | ||
| Show Less | ||
| Total Climate Smart CSP payments, 2017-2022 | $4,031,288 | |
| Climate Smart CSP payments, 2017-2022 | $3,495,984 | |
| Provisional Climate Smart CSP payments, 2017-2022 | $535,304 | |
NRCS 2024 climate smart practice.
NRCS 2024 provisional climate smart practice.
CSP payments by county, 2017-2022
| Rank | State | CSP Payments, 2017-2022 |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Richardson County, Nebraska | $18,928,718 |
| 2 | Kimball County, Nebraska | $18,234,597 |
| 3 | Dixon County, Nebraska | $15,687,092 |
| 4 | Knox County, Nebraska | $15,590,767 |
| 5 | Cedar County, Nebraska | $14,654,122 |
| 6 | Gage County, Nebraska | $13,445,048 |
| 7 | Cheyenne County, Nebraska | $13,243,323 |
| 8 | Stanton County, Nebraska | $10,796,183 |
| 9 | Burt County, Nebraska | $10,703,093 |
| 10 | Thurston County, Nebraska | $10,187,657 |
| 11 | Johnson County, Nebraska | $9,809,385 |
| 12 | Morrill County, Nebraska | $9,654,632 |
| 13 | Banner County, Nebraska | $9,288,941 |
| 14 | Box Butte County, Nebraska | $9,180,550 |
| 15 | Dakota County, Nebraska | $9,010,080 |
| 16 | Saunders County, Nebraska | $8,546,811 |
| 17 | Seward County, Nebraska | $8,201,587 |
| 18 | Lancaster County, Nebraska | $8,118,587 |
| 19 | Madison County, Nebraska | $7,955,849 |
| 20 | Antelope County, Nebraska | $7,674,211 |
| 21 | Chase County, Nebraska | $7,529,704 |
| 22 | Hayes County, Nebraska | $7,427,272 |
| 23 | Butler County, Nebraska | $7,262,981 |
| 24 | Nemaha County, Nebraska | $7,248,331 |
| 25 | Furnas County, Nebraska | $6,770,281 |
| 26 | Cuming County, Nebraska | $6,758,966 |
| 27 | Pierce County, Nebraska | $6,461,249 |
| 28 | Otoe County, Nebraska | $6,244,058 |
| 29 | Pawnee County, Nebraska | $6,237,869 |
| 30 | Sheridan County, Nebraska | $6,042,482 |
| 31 | Hitchcock County, Nebraska | $5,671,147 |
| 32 | Jefferson County, Nebraska | $5,553,931 |
| 33 | Dundy County, Nebraska | $5,318,947 |
| 34 | Scotts Bluff County, Nebraska | $5,296,432 |
| 35 | Webster County, Nebraska | $4,980,243 |
| 36 | Red Willow County, Nebraska | $4,815,402 |
| 37 | Boone County, Nebraska | $4,421,178 |
| 38 | Saline County, Nebraska | $4,364,664 |
| 39 | Colfax County, Nebraska | $4,193,800 |
| 40 | Perkins County, Nebraska | $3,891,996 |
| 41 | Dodge County, Nebraska | $3,734,103 |
| 42 | Franklin County, Nebraska | $3,722,903 |
| 43 | Frontier County, Nebraska | $3,611,364 |
| 44 | Holt County, Nebraska | $3,353,105 |
| 45 | Nance County, Nebraska | $3,340,964 |
| 46 | Platte County, Nebraska | $3,167,080 |
| 47 | Lincoln County, Nebraska | $3,162,922 |
| 48 | Cass County, Nebraska | $2,917,660 |
| 49 | Deuel County, Nebraska | $2,814,670 |
| 50 | Washington County, Nebraska | $2,754,591 |
| 51 | Wheeler County, Nebraska | $2,697,894 |
| 52 | Keith County, Nebraska | $2,527,216 |
| 53 | Harlan County, Nebraska | $2,415,794 |
| 54 | Gosper County, Nebraska | $2,344,070 |
| 55 | Garden County, Nebraska | $2,262,432 |
| 56 | Howard County, Nebraska | $1,840,731 |
| 57 | Greeley County, Nebraska | $1,819,472 |
| 58 | Thayer County, Nebraska | $1,801,016 |
| 59 | Wayne County, Nebraska | $1,750,587 |
| 60 | Sherman County, Nebraska | $1,691,165 |
| 61 | Sioux County, Nebraska | $1,516,673 |
| 62 | Dawes County, Nebraska | $1,509,108 |
| 63 | Custer County, Nebraska | $1,498,538 |
| 64 | Dawson County, Nebraska | $1,456,524 |
| 65 | Buffalo County, Nebraska | $1,363,784 |
| 66 | Sarpy County, Nebraska | $1,244,633 |
| 67 | Nuckolls County, Nebraska | $1,112,732 |
| 68 | Douglas County, Nebraska | $887,363 |
| 69 | Merrick County, Nebraska | $754,437 |
| 70 | Clay County, Nebraska | $666,968 |
| 71 | Boyd County, Nebraska | $612,500 |
| 72 | Rock County, Nebraska | $496,272 |
| 73 | Valley County, Nebraska | $477,921 |
| 74 | Fillmore County, Nebraska | $373,059 |
| 75 | Garfield County, Nebraska | $369,028 |
| 76 | Cherry County, Nebraska | $367,503 |
| 77 | Adams County, Nebraska | $361,701 |
| 78 | Brown County, Nebraska | $318,297 |
| 79 | Polk County, Nebraska | $306,496 |
| 80 | Hamilton County, Nebraska | $267,182 |
| 81 | McPherson County, Nebraska | $185,847 |
| 82 | Keya Paha County, Nebraska | $185,070 |
| 83 | Hall County, Nebraska | $158,620 |
| 84 | Kearney County, Nebraska | $131,087 |
| 85 | York County, Nebraska | $129,336 |
| 86 | Loup County, Nebraska | $78,274 |
| 87 | Logan County, Nebraska | $48,101 |
| 88 | Phelps County, Nebraska | $42,631 |
| 89 | Blaine County, Nebraska | $41,608 |
| 90 | Hooker County, Nebraska | $8,133 |
| 91 | Thomas County, Nebraska | $5,368 |
| 92 | Grant County, Nebraska | $0 |
| 93 | Arthur County, Nebraska | $0 |
| Show All | ||
| Show Less | ||
The state-level CSP data only includes practices that had more than four contracts in a state for a particular year. Because of this, the data contained within the state pages will not sum up to the total payments by practice on the national page.
USDA Census of Agriculture Data for Nebraska, 2022
Land in Nebraska, 2022
| Land type | Acres |
|---|---|
| Number of Farms: | 44,479 |
| Total Acres in Farms: | 43,975,693 |
| Cropland Acres: | 21,217,519 |
| Permanent pasture and rangeland: | 21,472,107 |
| Woodland Acres: | 347,540 |
Livestock in Nebraska, 2022
| Livestock | Number of Animals |
|---|---|
| Broilers and other meat-type chickens sold | 90,851,080 |
| Layers inventory | 7,161,783 |
| Cattle and calves inventory | 6,390,191 |
| Hogs and pigs inventory | 3,606,923 |
| Sheep and lambs inventory | 58,026 |
USDA’s Conservation Reserve Program needs reform to improve climate benefits
Despite new climate-smart funds, agricultural conservation programs remain oversubscribed
Environmentally sensitive Mississippi River region croplands should be targeted for conservation
Major USDA conservation program must change to prioritize climate stewardship
$7.4B spent on two of USDA’s biggest conservation programs, very little went to ‘climate-smart’ agriculture
Climate change isn’t high priority for $1.2 billion USDA farm stewardship program
