Conservation Effects Assessment Project - Brochure

Why is CEAP important?
Agricultural leaders value conservation
programs and their importance in protecting
and restoring the environment and natural
resources on which farmers and ranchers
depend. Billions of dollars in federal funding have supported the implementation of
conservation programs and practices on
private lands in the United States. The information from the CEAP survey will provide
the farming community, the general public,
legislators, and others involved in environmental policy with a current accounting of
the environmental impacts of conservation
practices. It will also help determine what resources farmers may need to further protect
the soil, water and related resources.

For more information
or questions about the
CEAP survey, contact
the NASS Agricultural
Statistics Hotline at
1-800-727-9540.

Conservation Effects
Assessment Project
Survey of Farming
and Conservation Practices
U.S. Department of Agriculture
National Agricultural Statistics Service
Natural Resources Conservation Service

To learn more about CEAP visit:
www.nass.usda.gov/Surveys/Conservation_
Effects_Assessment_Project/index.asp
www.nrcs.usda.gov/wps/portal/nrcs/main/
national/technical/nra/ceap

National Resources Inventory

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) prohibits
discrimination in all of its programs and activities on
the basis of race, color, national origin, age, disability,
and where applicable, sex (including gender identity and
expression), marital status, familial status, parental status,
religion, sexual orientation, political beliefs, genetic information, reprisal, or because all or part of an individual’s
income is derived from any public assistance program.
(Not all prohibited bases apply to all programs.) Persons
with disabilities who require alternative means for communication of program information (Braille, large print,
audiotape, etc.) should contact USDA’s TARGET Center
at (202) 720-2600 (voice and TDD).
To file a complaint of discrimination, write to: USDA,
Assistant Secretary for Civil Rights, Office of the Assistant
Secretary for Civil Rights, 1400 Independence Avenue,
S.W., Stop 9410, Washington, DC 20250-9410, or
call toll-free at (866) 632-9992 (English) or (800) 8778339 (TDD) or (866) 377-8642 (English Federal-relay)
or (800) 845-6136 (Spanish Federal-relay). USDA is an
equal opportunity provider and employer.
June 2012
OMB No. 0535-0245
Approval Expires 10/31/14

How is CEAP
conducted?

What is the

CEAP Survey?
The National Resources Inventory (NRI) – Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP)
survey collects information from farmers about
farming and conservation practices on their
cropland. The information collected through the
CEAP survey is vital to help determine not only
the effectiveness of existing conservation practices but also what resources farmers may need
to further protect the soil, water and related resources in selected watersheds and to document
on-farm conservation accomplishments.

Why participate in CEAP?
The survey captures producers’ current farming and management practices,
including conservation practices designed to
help protect soil and water resources. Each
year, the survey provides a complete picture of
conservation practices in selected watersheds.
This information is used to maintain, modify
and improve programs that assist farmers in
planning and installing on-farm conservation
practices. Changes made to these conservation programs have the potential to further
reduce sediment and nutrient losses from
cropland.
Maintaining conservation programs in the
United States benefits producers by protecting
the environment on which their livelihoods
depend. The programs provide financial
incentives such as rental payments and costsharing incentives to offset the cost of installing
conservation practices. USDA conservation
programs currently benefiting farmers include:
» Agricultural Management Assistance
» Agricultural Water Enhancement Program
» Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program
» Conservation Reserve Program
» Conservation Security Program
» Conservation Stewardship Program
» Environmental Quality Incentives Program
» Grazing Lands Conservation Initiative
» Wetlands Reserve Program
» Wildlife Habitat Incentive Program

In addition to these and other federal programs, assistance is available from state agencies and nonprofit organizations. Also, many
farmers install conservation practices without
public incentives or assistance.

USDA’s National
Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS)
conducts the CEAP
survey in selected
watersheds. Since
they were last surveyed, area farmers
may have changed
their on-farm best
management practices. Collecting
updated information helps document
the prevalence of
conservation practices and provides
the base from which
to strengthen conservation planning,
implementation and
management.
NASS representatives visit farms in
the selected areas to collect information such as
on-farm production practices; chemical, fertilizer
and manure applications; integrated pest management; and installed conservation practices. As
with all NASS surveys, respondents are guaranteed
by law (Title 7, U.S. Code, and CIPSEA, Public Law
107-347) that their individual information will be
kept confidential.
USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service
combines the data collected with information from
its field office records and hydrologic, climate
and soil databases to estimate environmental and
management conditions for the selected areas.