Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program

Advancing innovations that improve profitability, stewardship and quality of life by investing in groundbreaking research and education.

Program Basics
SARE is a grant making and outreach program advancing sustainable agriculture across the whole of American agriculture. Successful SARE grantees are producers, researchers, nonprofit organizations and educators engaged in projects that simultaneously address the three Ps of sustainability:

• Profit over the long term
• Protection of the land and water
• People (communities) who depend on agriculture

SARE is grassroots: Four regional councils of producers, researchers, educators and government representatives set SARE policies and make grants.

SARE Outreach produces and distributes practical information based on the program's more than 20 years of research results.

SARE also conducts educational and extension programs in an effort to increase knowledge about—and help farmers and ranchers adopt—sustainable farming practices.

SARE is funded by USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) and since its beginning in 1988 has invested a total of $161 million in more than 4,000 initiatives.

Grant Making Program
SARE's four regional offices administer three primary grant programs: Research and Education, Professional Development and Farmer/Rancher. Some regions offer additional grant opportunities for community innovation, graduate student research, agricultural professionals conducting on-farm research, and region-specific initiatives.

Project examples
SARE has funded more than 4,000 projects since 1988. Some examples are:

• In Vermont, one SARE-funded farmer is producing biofuel from his fields of canola, which functions well as both an energy source and cover crop. The farmer also sells the byproduct, canola meal, for cattle feed, which helps ensure profitability.
• Hundreds of Southern growers adopted SARE-funded researchers' recommendations for pest-plagued cotton: conservation tillage, cover crops and various seeding tactics. The result: fewer pesticide applications, less erosion, better yields and higher profits.
• A project in Illinois, Michigan and Missouri helped extension and other educators design assistance programs for Latino communities, one of the country's fastest growing farming groups.
• With a SARE professional development grant, a Nevada educator oversaw development of a wide-reaching curriculum for agricultural educators focusing on growing plants and animals on small properties in environmentally sensitive areas. The curriculum, co-developed with extension educators in seven neighboring states, covers the basics of goal-setting, soils, water, vegetation and animals.

Grant information
Each SARE region solicits proposals and awards grants. All grant programs have only one application period per year; each grant type (see below for the three primary grant types) has its own application, deadline and focus.

• Research and Education Grants ($60,000 to $150,000): These grants fund projects that usually involve scientists, producers and others in an interdisciplinary approach. Many projects involve on-farm research trials, economic analysis and outreach. The program also funds education and demonstration projects. Producers can team up with technical experts (such as a university researcher) to apply.
• Producer Grants ($1,000 to $30,000): This grant is for producers who want to test an idea. Projects typically involve on-farm research with crops or livestock, marketing and/or educational activities. Producers are expected to partner with an extension professional or other agricultural adviser, and share their results with others.
• Professional Development Grants ($10,000 to $100,000): These grants spread knowledge about sustainable concepts and practices among Cooperative Extension Service (CES) staff and other agriculture professionals using a variety of approaches, from workshops to educational videos to on-farm training sessions. Proposals that involve both extension staff and producers are preferred. Partnerships of nonprofits with extension and/or Natural Resource Conservation Service staff are welcome. Grants also provide opportunities for NRCS and other field agency staff.

Check SARE's regional offices for information on other grant opportunities. SARE’s regional contacts and websites are listed at the end of this section.

Eligibility, uses and restrictions
Universities, nonprofit organizations, government agency staff and agricultural producers are eligible for SARE grants.

The uses and restrictions vary by region and year, depending on the specific call for proposals for a given year. Call the regional office for details (see below for contact information).

Outreach: Information Resources
The SARE Outreach office and regional communications specialists promote effective communication about sustainable agriculture through a variety of printed and electronic information tools (for the full range of resources, see www.sare.org).

SARE handbooks
Free downloads are available at www.sare.org. To order, call (301) 374-9696. A sample of SARE titles include:

• Crop Rotation on Organic Farms
• Manage Insects on Your Farm
• Managing Cover Crops Profitably
• Building a Sustainable Business: A Guide to Developing a Business Plan for Farms and Rural Businesses
• Building Soils for Better Crops
• How to Direct Market Your Beef
• Youth Renewing the Countryside

Bulletins
Free information bulletins for producers and agricultural professionals are available at www.sare.org, or call (301) 504-5236. Topics include:

• Clean Energy Farming: Cutting Costs, Improving Efficiencies, Harnessing Renewables
• Diversifying Cropping Systems
• A Whole-Farm Approach to Managing Pests
• Marketing Strategies for Farmers and Ranchers
• Rangeland Management Strategies
• Transitioning to Organic Production
• Smart Water Use on Your Farm or Ranch

Contacts
For grant information contact your regional SARE office.

North Central Region
120 BAE, University of Minnesota
1390 Eckles Avenue
St. Paul, MN 55108
Phone: (612) 626-3113
E-mail: ncrsare@umn.edu
Web: www.sare.org/ncrsare

Northeast Region
University of Vermont
655 Spear Street
Burlington, VT 05405-0107
Phone: (802) 656-0471
E-mail: nesare@uvm.edu
Web: www.nesare.org

Southern Region
University of Georgia Griffin
Agricultural Experiment Station
1109 Experiment Street
Griffin, GA 30223-1797
Phone: (770) 412-4786
E-mail: info@southernsare.org
Web: www.southernsare.org

Western Region
Utah State University
Ag Science 305
Logan, UT 84322-4865
Phone: (435) 797-2257
E-mail: wsare@ext.usu.edu
Web: http://wsare.usu.edu/

For books, bulletins and other information resources, contact SARE Outreach:
SARE Outreach
10300 Baltimore Ave., BARC Bldg. 046
Beltsville, MD 20705
Phone: (301) 504-5236
E-mail: info@sare.org
Web: www.sare.org

For information on national program management and national initiatives:
National Program Office
Director, Sustainable Agriculture Programs
1400 Independence Ave., SW
USDA Mail Stop 2223
Washington, D.C. 20250-2223
Phone: (202) 720-6527
E-mail: director@sare.org

Internet
www.sare.org

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