Farmers and ranchers in the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program’s North Central Region (NCR-SARE) have until Dec. 6 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,” says Karl Hoppe, a North Dakota State University Extension livestock systems specialist and North Dakota SARE coordinator.

“Sustainable agriculture is good for the environment, profitable and socially responsible,” he adds. “Projects should emphasize research or education/demonstration.”

The North Central Region consists of North Dakota, South Dakota, Minnesota, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, Ohio and Wisconsin. The NCR-SARE program receives its funding through the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

NCR-SARE offers three types of competitive grants for the Farmer Rancher Grant Program: 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 12-state North Central Region with this round of grants. A total of approximately $600,000 is available for this program.

NCR-SARE will accept online submissions for the grants. Visit https://tinyurl.com/SARE-Farmer-RancherGrants for details or to submit an application. Proposals are due by 4 p.m. CST on Dec. 6.

For more information, contact:

• Hoppe in Carrington at 701-652-2951 or karl.hoppe@ndsu.edu
• North Dakota SARE coordinator Bill Hodous in Devils Lake at 701-662-7030 or bill.hodous@ndsu.edu
• North Dakota SARE coordinator Clair Keene in Williston at 701-774-4315 or clair.keene@ndsu.edu
• Joan Benjamin, SARE Farmer Rancher Grant Program coordinator in Jefferson City, Mo., at 573-681-5545 or toll-free at 800-529-1342, or BenjaminJ@lincolnu.edu

NDSU Agriculture Communication - Nov. 28, 2018