Each year two Producer Grants are offered by Southern
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) to any farmer or group of
farmers in the southern United States. The Call for Proposals is available now
and proposals are due November 15, 2012. Both grants provide funding to help a
producer improve processes on the farm but do not pay a farmer to farm.
The On-Farm Research Grant Program is a grant that is
applied for by a county extension agent, university researcher, or other
agencies that regularly work with farmers.
The proposal is to be written with the producer for a research project
on their farm that can last up to two years.
The funding is provided for costs of sampling, materials and supplies, field
day expenses, travel, and hired labor and can be provided up to a maximum of
$15,000.
The Producer Grant is similar but is applied for by the
farmer for an innovative sustainable practice that they are not currently doing
but would like to try. The purpose of
the grant is to help pay for the risk of trying new practices, and also to
provide funding to share the results with other farmers at a field day. Unlike the On-Farm Research Grant the farmer
submits the proposal but an extension agent must still be involved to assist in
the project.
The Producer Grant will pay for the same expenses as the
On-Farm Research Grant but is limited to $10,000 for an individual farmer or
$15,000 for a producer group. Areas of focus for both grants are: Beneficial
Insect Habitat, Alternative Crops/Animals, Organic Agriculture, Sustainable
Marketing Projects, Sustainable Grazing Systems, Soil Organic Matter
Building/Protection Management, Increasing Sustainability of Existing Farming
Practices, Appropriate Technology and Agroforestry/Water Quality.
Contact the UF/IFAS Sumter County Extension Office at
(352) 793-2728 x236 to learn more or go to the Southern SARE website at ssare@uga.edu.
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