Released October 16, 2009
PINE BLUFF, Ark. - Farmers, like everyone else in these tough economic times, are seeking non-traditional funding to help their bottom lines, said 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 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 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, http://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.
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http://www.uaex.edu/news/october2009/1016SARE_grant.htm
Writer: Carol Sanders, (870) 575-7238, sanders_c@uapb.edu
