Farmers and ranchers grant program is now accepting proposals
Farmers and ranchers have a critical insight when it comes to improving their systems. Whether they need to limit off-farm inputs, reduce erosion, create more time for family or community activities, learn marketing skills or find other ways to enhance their livelihoods, farmers and ranchers can turn to the North Central Region-Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program for grant opportunities and information.
NCR-SARE is one of four regional offices that run the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program, a nationwide grants and education program to advance sustainable innovation to American agriculture. NCR-SARE offers competitive grants and educational opportunities for producers, scientists, educators, institutions, organizations and others exploring sustainable agriculture in America’s Midwest.
In 1992, NCR-SARE began a competitive Farmer Rancher Grant Program exclusively to fund farmers and ranchers striving for agricultural sustainability. NCR-SARE’s Farmer Rancher Grant Program is a competitive grants program for farmers and ranchers who want to explore sustainable solutions to problems through on-farm research, demonstration, and education projects.
To apply
Farmers and ranchers in the 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 farmers and ranchers plan to use their own innovative ideas to explore sustainable agriculture options and how they will share project results. Sustainable agriculture is good for the environment, profitable, and socially responsible. Projects should emphasize research or education/demonstration.
There are three types of competitive grants: Individual grants ($9,000 maximum); team of two grants for two farmers/ranchers from separate operations who are working together ($18,000 maximum); and group grants for three or more farmers/ranchers from separate operations who are working together ($27,000 maximum). NCR-SARE expects to fund about 40 projects in the twelve-state North Central Region with this call. A total of approximately $600,000 is available for this program.
Interested applicants can find the call for proposals online as well as useful information for completing a proposal at www.northcentralsare.org/Grants/Types-of-Grants/Farmer-Rancher-Grant-Program. You can find more information about sustainable agriculture at www.sare.org.
Potential applicants with questions can contact Joan Benjamin, associate regional coordinator and Farmer Rancher Grant Program coordinator, at [email protected], 573-681-5545 or 800-529-1342. Applicants should also contact Joan Benjamin if they need a hard copy or an email version of the call for proposals. We make revisions to our calls for proposals each year, which means it is crucial to use the most recent call for proposals.
Each state in SARE’s North Central region has one or more State Sustainable Agriculture Coordinators who can provide information and assistance to potential grant applicants. Interested applicants can find their State Sustainable Agriculture Coordinator online.
