Frequently Asked Questions - Handout

U.S. Department of Agriculture

National Agricultural Statistics Service

2013 National Resources Inventory – Conservation Effects Assessment Project

Frequently Asked Questions

What is CEAP?

The 2013 National Resources Inventory (NRI) – Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) survey collects information from agricultural producers in the California Bay-Delta watershed area, with a primary focus on the Sacramento River Watershed, the San Joaquin River Watershed, and the Tulare Lake Basin Watershed, about farming and conservation practices on cultivated and non-cultivated cropland. Conservation programs help farmers and rural communities maintain productive farmland, protect the environment and preserve clean water in their region. The information collected through the CEAP survey is vital to help determine what resources farmers may need to further protect the soil, water and related resources in their area and to document on-farm conservation accomplishments.

Why is CEAP important?

Federal funding supports conservation programs and practices on private lands in the United States, such as the Agricultural Water Enhancement Program and the Environmental Quality Incentives Program. The information from the 2013 National Resources Inventory-Conservation Effects Assessment Project 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 in the Sacramento River Watershed, San Joaquin River Watershed, and the Tulare Lake Basin Watershed.

How is CEAP conducted?

NASS representatives will visit 1,732 farms in California and 32 farms in Oregon in the California Bay-Delta watershed area, from October 2013 through February 2014, to collect information about on-farm conservation practices. USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service will combine the data collected with information from its hydrologic, climate and soil databases to estimate environmental and management conditions for the Sacramento River Watershed, San Joaquin River Watershed, and the Tulare Lake Basin Watershed, all of which make up the California Bay-Delta watershed area.

Why should I participate in CEAP?

Your response will help:

• Capture producers' current efforts to help protect soil and water resources and provide a complete picture of conservation practices in the California Bay-Delta watershed area, comprised of the Sacramento River Watershed, the San Joaquin River Watershed, and the Tulare Lake Basin Watershed.

• Provide the information needed to determine the effects of conservation practices commonly used on cultivated and non-cultivated cropland related to water conservation and water quality enhancement.

• Capture the efforts farmers and ranchers currently make to enhance fish and wildlife habitat restoration and identify potential gains of additional treatment.

• Maintain conservation programs that benefit producers by protecting the environment upon which their livelihood depends and providing financial incentives that can help their bottom line.

Will my information be kept confidential?

Respondents are guaranteed by law (Title 7, U.S. Code, CIPSEA, Public Law 107-347) that their individual information will be kept confidential.

Where can I get more information about CEAP?

For more information or questions about the CEAP survey, contact the NASS Agricultural Statistics Hotline at (800) 727-9540 or visit http://www.nass.usda.gov/Surveys/Conservation_Effects_Assessment_Project/index.asp.