In the News - October 2009
SARE Deadline November 15 for Farmers and Ranchers
PINE BLUFF, Ark. - Farmers, like everyone else in these tough economic times,
are seeking non-traditional funding to help their bottom lines, said Dr. Henry
English, director of the Small Farm Program at the University of Arkansas at
Pine Bluff.
Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Producer Grants are one
possible funding source. The grants range from $500 to $15,000 and are paid
directly to producers or producer organizations for research or marketing
projects related to sustainable agriculture. Projects may be funded for up to
two years for a project maximum of $10,000 per individual or $15,000 per
organization. The application deadline is Sunday, Nov. 15.
Grants are appealing because they do not have to be repaid, said Dr. English,
but they are not without strings. When applying for grants, especially SARE
grants, farmers should remember three things: 1) Projects should include
cooperators-other farmers, researchers or interested individuals. 2) The project
must benefit more than one individual, which is the reason for the required
outreach component. 3) Projects should fall within the proposal focus areas.
Focus areas for 2010 include beneficial insect habitat, alternative
crops/animals, organic agriculture, sustainable marketing projects, sustainable
grazing systems appropriate technology, soil organic matter
building/protection/management, increasing sustainability of existing farming
practices and agroforestry/water quality.
Although Arkansas farmers and ranchers engage in projects similar to those
funded by
SARE, the amount of SARE funding in Arkansas and the South is nowhere near
that elsewhere in the nation, said Dr. English.
Successful grant applications include a Texas pecan grower who used a SARE grant
to reduce pesticide spraying for stinkbugs. He planted two rows of black-eyed
peas every 20-25 tree rows. The stinkbugs preferred the peas to the pecans. An
Oklahoma cut flower grower used the grant to extend the growing season by
conducting trials of different flower species and greenhouse temperatures. The
grower learned which species could grow in minimally heated conditions. A
Georgia cotton grower set aside strips of native vegetation to provide habitat
for beneficial insects in the cotton field. Every time pests showed up,
predator-beneficials were waiting for them.
Producers interested in a SARE grant should begin at the SARE web site,
www.sare.org/grants, and follow the
links for information on proposal requirements, what grants cover, proposal
focus areas and tips on writing and preparing a proposal.
Your Extension associate or county agent will not write the grant for you,
but he or she will help in other ways. Whether or not you have Internet access,
begin at your Extension associate's or agent's office. Together become familiar
with the information on the SARE web site. Discuss it with your associate. Then,
discuss your idea with friends and other farmers to see if you want to pursue a
grant. Once you have an idea and cooperators, bounce ideas off your Extension
associate or agent. Solicit input.
Proposals must be submitted online on the SARE Producer Grant Online Proposal
Submission Web Site. Farmers or ranchers without Internet access can have their
Extension associate, county agent, Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)
representative or anyone submit their proposal.
October 16, 2009
By Carol Sanders
Writer/editor
UAPB School of Agriculture
Fisheries and Human Sciences
(870) 575-7238
sanders_c@uapb.edu
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