Applications are now being accepted for the 2017 Farmer Rancher Grant Program of the North Central Region of USDA's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE).

This is a competitive grants program for farmers and ranchers in the north central region who want to explore sustainable solutions to problems through on-farm research, demonstration, and education projects.  The SARE North Central Region includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

The SARE Farmer Rancher Grant program has funded a variety of topics including pest/disease management, crop and livestock production, education/outreach, networking, quality of life issues, marketing, soil quality, energy, and more.

• Farmer Rancher grants are offered as individual ($7,500 maximum), team of two ($15,000 maximum), or group ($22,500 maximum) grants for ideas initiated by farmers and ranchers.
• Projects may last up to 24 months.
• About 40 projects are funded each year.

View recently funded projects, download a grant application, or watch online presentations on how to apply for a farmer rancher grant on the website.

For more information on the NCR SARE program in Nebraska, contact SARE State Coordinator and Nebraska Extension Educator Gary Lesoing at 402-274-4755 or gary.lesoing@unl.edu. A state summary for Nebraska is available on the NCR SARE website.