Technical Service Providers

Ohio's Technical Service Provider (TSP) program is intended to help professionals interested in providing technical assistance to landowners and farmers participating in USDA Farm Bill conservation programs and to help landowners find these certified Technical Service Providers.

Training Opportunities

CNMP Development Course - February 25-27, 2008
Louisville Downtown Marriott, Louisville, KY
Registration and additional information

Midwest Professional Nutrient Applicator Association Annual Meeting - March 11, 2008, OSU Extension Allen County, Lima, Ohio. Call 614-292-6625 to register by March 3.

CNMP Provider Follow-up Courses -
Session 1 - AWM Software, February 7, 9:30 - noon, Ottawa, Ohio
Session 2 - MMP Software, February 20, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Ottawa, Ohio
Session 3 - Nutrient Planning Course, February 28, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Lima, Ohio
Session 4 - RUSL2, March 13, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Ottawa, Ohio
Session 5 - Site Assessment, April 10 (tentative), 9:30 a.m. - 4:30 p.m., Auglaize County, Ohio
Registration and additional information

Great Lakes Manure Handling Expo - The Economics of Recycling, July 9, London, Ohio

The CNMP Development Course is being offered in coordination with Iowa State University and the Natural Resource Conservation Service. The CNMP Development Course provides the educational component of the ISU TSP CNMP certification program. This three-day short course is designed to train individuals in the development of Comprehensive Nutrient Management Plans (CNMPs).

The training will provide 22 professional development hours for professional engineers. 18 hours of CCA continuing education in the area of Nutrient Management and Soil and Water have been applied for. The course can also be used to provide 22 hours of update training for current Technical Service Providers.
 

Publications

These documents require Adobe Acrobat

TSP Express - February, 2007
TSP Express - March, 2006
TSP Express - March, 2005
TSP Express - November, 2004
Using a Technical Service Provider - Producer Options for Technical Assistance - March 2005
Technical Service Providers - Expanding Conservation Technical Assistance Capacity on Private Lands - September 2004
Technical Service Provider Assistance; Final Rule - November 29, 2004

This document requires Microsoft Word

Performance Results System Data Entry Worksheet

How to Become a Technical Service Provider (TSP)

TechReg is the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) Technical Service Provider Registry. Those interested in becoming certified Technical Service Providers or those interested in locating a certified Technical Service Provider will find the necessary information to do so on the TechReg website.

The premise behind the TSP process is that the demand for technical assistance to do conservation work is increasing and will exceed the current staffing capacity of the NRCS. Technical assistance includes conservation planning and design, layout, installation and checkout of approved conservation practices. NRCS has traditionally provided these technical services and will continue to do so. What is new is that USDA will now reimburse producers for technical services provided by a USDA certified TSP.

If you are interested in becoming a TSP, check out the TechReg-Step by Step Guide on the TechReg website. To register as a Technical Service Provider you must have a USDA e-Government account (user ID and Password). Reporting technical services provided also requires an e-Government account. All other features of TechReg are accessible without a user ID and password. NRCS is also working in partnership with professional organizations to facilitate the certifications of TSP's.  A listing of these organizations can be found on the TechReg website under the title "Recommending Organizations" in the Online Resources section.

As stated above, a potential TSP that does not have a USDA e-Government account must first register for a Level 2 e-Authentication account. To do that, go to the TechReg home page and click on “Apply Online” in the Technical Service Providers section. A dialog box for "First-Time TechReg Users" will open.  This box provides instructions on how to set up your user account and password and provides a link to the e-Authentication site where you will be able to register for a Level 2 e-Government account. After registering you must verify your identity in person at your local USDA Service Center and have the Service Center link your web account to a SCIMS (Service Center Information Management System) customer record. A Service Center employee will verify your identity and enter your information into the Service Center records. A driver’s license or passport will be needed for identification. Once this is done you will receive an email message stating that your account is ready for use with TechReg and you will be able to log-in using the user ID and password you created. You will then be able to go into the TechReg site and interact regarding TSP and other USDA business.

Why Become a Certified Technical Service Provider?

Certification is required to be reimbursed for technical services provided to landowners and farmers under the 2002 Farm Bill conservation programs. NRCS staff, partner agencies, non-profit organizations, private contractors, and businesses may be certified to provide technical assistance through NRCS. Different tasks require different certifications. TSP's can only provide services for which they have been specifically certified by NRCS in TechReg.

Ohio's CNMP Certification Process

Training

It is not the responsibility of NRCS to provide training for TSP’s. However, NRCS has agreements with several organizations to streamline the certification and training process. Prospective TSP’s can work with one or more of these organizations to meet the qualifications for certification in specific areas of expertise. These organizations include:

• American Society of Agronomy
• Environmental Management Solutions, LLC
• National Alliance of Independent Crop Consultants
• Society of American Foresters
• Society of Range Management
• The Irrigation Association
• The Wildlife Society
• University of Tennessee

TSP’s are required to obtain all necessary training at their own expense. Additional training and online courses are offered through the National Employee Development Center (NEDC).

NRCS-Ohio recognizes the following programs for CNMP certification:

• Iowa State University (ISU)
• Michigan State University (MSU)
• Environmental Management Solutions, LLC (EMS)

Prospective TSP’s should check the TechReg website for a complete listing of organizations approved for certification assistance.

Statements of Work

The Statement of Work is a document that details what is necessary to complete the technical services for program participants.

For example, if the "Grassed Waterway- 412" practice is to be completed, the Statement of Work will detail exactly what is expected of the TSP to satisfactorily complete the required technical services for each component (design, installation and checkout) of the practice.

Each Statement of Work provides information about how to complete a practice and has specific information about "deliverables" for each component which are required to meet  NRCS-Ohio Standards and Specifications.  The "deliverables" are the technical services required for each practice for which a client hires a TSP to provide.

How to Access the Statements of Work on the e-FOTG website:

• Go to NRCS-Ohio's e-FOTG website
• Select the Ohio county where the project is located
• On the Main Menu on the left side of the opening screen, select Section IV of the e-FOTG, then select Sub-section A - Conservation Practices
• Select (highlight) a conservation practice
• Below the name of the highlighted conservation practice will be a selection which repeats the selected conservation practice name along with the words "Statement of Work"
• Select the "Statement of Work" for the selected conservation practice.

Qualifications for Ohio TSP Certifications

In TechReg, you will find 44 different TSP certification categories and the criteria for each. You only need to meet the criteria for one option group to satisfy the certification requirements for a category.

Basic NRCS Resources for Technical Service Providers

State TSP Coordinators