October 7, 2013

The 2014 Farmer Rancher Grant Call for Proposals is now available from the North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (NCR-SARE) and for the first time, online submissions will be accepted. More information about the online submission system can be found in the call for proposals.

Farmers and ranchers in the SARE North Central Region are invited to submit grant proposals to explore sustainable agriculture solutions to problems on the farm or ranch.

Proposals should show how they plan to use their own innovative ideas to explore sustainable agriculture options and how they will share project results. Sustainable agriculture is defined here as good for the environment, profitable, and socially responsible. Projects should emphasize research or education/demonstration.

SARE has awarded 150 grants for more than $5.3 million in Nebraska since 1988, including 65 farmer rancher grants. For example, farmers Keith and Brian Berns used their grant to research the effectiveness of using cover crops to boost corn yields on non-irrigated settings. The brothers are now known as local experts on the topic and have spoken at nearly 25 events.

Grant Details

The Farmer Rancher Grant Program includes three types of competitive grants:

• individual grants ($7,500 maximum),
• partner grants for two farmers/ranchers from separate operations who are working together ($15,000 maximum), and
• group grants for three or more farmers/ranchers from separate operations who are working together ($22,500 maximum).

NCR-SARE has allocated approximately $400,000 for the program this year and expects to fund about 45 projects in the twelve-state North Central Region, including Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Michigan, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. To learn about previously funded grants, search the data at http://www.northcentralsare.org/Project-Reports/Search-the-Database.

The call for proposals and useful information for submitting a grant proposal are available at http://www.northcentralsare.org/Grants/Types-of-Grants/Farmer-Rancher-Grant-Program. Proposals are due by 4 p.m. CST Nov. 14.

Potential applicants with questions can contact Joan Benjamin, Associate Regional Coordinator and Farmer Rancher Grant Program Coordinator, at benjaminj@lincolnu.edu or 573-681-5545 or 800-529-1342.

Applicants can also contact Benjamin if they need a hard copy or an email version of the call for proposals. The call for proposals is revised annually, making it crucial that applicants have the most recent call.

Nebraska applicants can contact SARE State Coordinator Gary Lesoing at 402-274-4755 or glesoing2@unl.edu for more information or assistance.

More information about sustainable agriculture and the national SARE program is available at http://www.sare.org/. A free National Continuing Education Program online course about the basic concepts of sustainable agriculture is at http://www.sare.org/Learning-Center/Courses-and-Curricula.