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Livestock nutritionist Woody Lane,
right, consults with Andy and Mary
Rae Thompson about the
alternative plantain crop the
Thompson’s are testing on their
western Oregon cattle operation as
part of the Willamette Valley Grazing
and Nutrition Group (FW99-071).
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SARE Grant Tutorial
Western SARE grants are used to increase knowledge about sustainable practices
and to help farmers and ranchers adopt those practices. Since 1988, Western
SARE has funded more than 700 projects including:
 Farmer/Rancher
Grants (FRG) – Ag producers apply for these grants––ranging
from $1,000 to $15,000—to conduct on-site experiments that
can be shared with other producers. Subcategories include marketing,
organic and professional + producer.
Research
and Education Grants (R&E) – Ranging in size
from $20,000 to $200,000 or more, these grants fund projects that
usually involve scientists, producers and others in an interdisciplinary
approach.
Professional
Development Program Grants (PDP) – To spread knowledge
to producers about sustainable concepts and practices, these projects
educate Cooperative Extension, NRCS and other agricultural professionals.
A call for proposals, issued in the spring, announces
the grant opportunities. After the submission deadline in the fall,
committees of farmers, ranchers, scientists and others rank the
proposals and the Western SARE Administrative Council decides which
will be funded.
To receive a call for proposals in any of the
three grant categories, check deadlines or learn more about sustainable
agriculture visit the Western SARE Web site at http://wsare.usu.edu
or call the Western SARE office at Utah State University, (435)
797-2257.
Note: As you read through this report, you’ll see
our project codes. Codes with the letters FW are
Farmer/Rancher Grants; SW, Research and Education
Grants; and EW, Professional Development Program
Grants. Use these codes when seeking more information on a grant
through our office or our Web site.
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Warren Weber of Point Reyes,
California, is using a Western SARE
Farmer/Rancher Marketing Grant to
promote the value of locally grown
produce to help members of an
organic cooperative compete with
the large companies that are
entering the organic arena
(FW03-107).
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SARE’s Sustainable Agriculture Network,
or SAN, offers a raft of helpful tools and information. Visit the
SAN Web site at www.sare.org and you
will find:
Publications
on topics ranging from business plans to farmers markets, from
building soils to managing cover crops and more.
Online
information bulletins that cover limited resource producers, pastured
poultry, profitable pork, pest management, marketing, on-farm
research and crop diversification.
Educational
tip sheets.
A calendar
of events.
Gateways
to Web sites of SARE’s four regions.
Sign-up
for the Sustainable Ag Network discussion group.
Andy Clark, SAN coordinator, can answer your questions at (301)
504-6425 or coordinator@sare.org.
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