TURNER – The first public meeting to explain a new watershed-based conservation program was held at the Leavitt Institute on Dec. 14. The program is offered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and is presented through the Natural Resources Conservation Service.

The Conservation Security Program is a capped entitlement program that pays agricultural producers for existing conservation practices, including some management techniques that maintain and improve the area’s natural resources.

There are also funds available to help agricultural producers further enhance their land base. The program is open to all of the agricultural producers in the upper and lower Androscoggin River watersheds.

The program is only available to each of the nation’s watershed areas once in an eight-year cycle. It also addresses many types of farming operations, including orchards, Christmas trees, sugar bush and area farmers of all types, large and small. The program has been designed to reward operations that are doing well at conserving and protecting soil and water.

The producers assess their operations and lands, and determine the eligibility of their farm land by completing a workbook. Conservation personnel will work with the land operators to determine if their acreage meets nationally established criteria.

The workbooks are available at conservation offices. Information on upcoming workshops will be released as it becomes available. For more information, or to obtain a workbook, call 753-9400, ext. 3.