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GRANTS |
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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT |
If you haven't met the “Burleigh Boys” or heard about “Cover Crop Cocktails” yet chances are that you will soon. This group of ranchers in the Burleigh County, ND area have been working with the Burleigh County Soil Conservation District and the NRCS to develop a no-till cropping system that is based on the work and observations of Dwayne Beck from SDSU's Dakota Lakes Research Farm. They are building better yields and profits by first improving their soil health through no-till planting, wide crop rotation, cover crop mixtures, and flexible use of these crops for grain, hay, silage and grazing. They have been very busy telling hundreds of others across the plains about how they use these techniques and how well their ranch operations have improved as a result. Jon Stika of NRCS provided us these photos from the Burleigh County Soil Conservation District fall field day last year where visitors were able to see diverse “Cover Crop Cocktails” in action both above and below the ground. For more information about advancing sustainability through soil health contact Jay Fuhrer with NRCS (jay.fuhrer@nd.usda.gov ), Ken Miller with the Burleigh County SCD (Kenneth.miller@nd.nacdnet.net ), or visit the NRCS write up about the Gabe and Shelly Brown ranch (click here). The South Dakota Grassland Coalition was kind enough to post one of Gabe Brown’s presentations on their website: http://www.sdgrass..org/PhillipSD_07%20(2).pdf.
Experts in many other areas of agriculture are passing along information on crop rotations, reduced tillage farming, range management, marketing and other topics to educators via SARE sponsored travel scholarships and mini-grants for professional development. Young people, farmers and ranchers, and university researchers are also working on new ideas for sustainability for our region with SARE sponsored grants. Below is a list of the programs that SARE sponsors in the Dakotas and the North Central Region.
Information about Sustainable Agriculture is available via our links page to a host of organizations across the nation and around the world. National SARE has information about the program nation wide and also a list of books and free bulletins available from the Sustainable Agriculture Network. The North Central Region SARE website covers grants and activities in the 12-state North Central Region and their newsletter, Field Notes, will keep you up to date on major events in sustainable agriculture.
You can also access information from the presentations made at the recent National SARE conference in Kansas City, Missouri.
Youth Grants : For the last three years the North Central Region SARE program has provided $2000 per year to the program in the Dakotas to support granting up to $250 to youths, 8-18 years old, so that they can carry out their own sustainable agriculture project.
USDA Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)
Youth Grants for the Dakotas.
[ click for more information ] 
[ click for more information ] 
The 2008 Awardees
Test Plot for Alternative Insect Control in Tomatoes – John Baldwin, Hope, ND
Worm Beds under Rabbits/Rabbit Garden – Nathan Olson, Flasher, ND
Small Scale Pastured Chickens – Brandon Olson, Flasher, ND
Goat Grazing – Rex Schlicht, Woonsocket, SD
Egg Production Using a More Natural Way – Michael Anderson, Hayti, SD
Soil Quality Demonstration Project – Kalen Hartel, Watford City, ND
Exceptional Eggs – Tasha Krahn, Langdon, ND
Drug Free Lamb – Kasey Baker, Bonesteel, SD
Building a Local Market – Lacey Baker, Bonesteel, SD
How to Apply Food Safety to All Aspects of Gardening – Trista Johnson, Oakes, ND
Project Sweet Corn – Troy Donley, Estelline, SD
Novak Hogs II – Blaine Novak, Fordville, ND
Soil and Manure Testing – Danny Zenk, Webster, SD
Graduate Student Grants: North Central Region SARE funds Graduate Student grants in Sustainable Agriculture for projects that address sustainable agriculture issues and are part of the student's degree program. NCR-SARE instituted the Graduate Student grant program in 2002 for officially registered graduate students (Masters and Ph.D.) enrolled at accredited colleges or universities. Projects must benefit agriculture in the North Central Region of the U.S. Fifty-states. NCR-SARE awards grant funds for grad student projects up to $10,000, and projects may last up to three years. A Call for Proposals is usually issued in the fall, and Graduate Student Grant proposals are due in January. Usually, the Council announces the awards in the spring, and notifies recipients shortly thereafter. Funds are typically available in the fall.
Farmer Rancher Grants: Producers know best when it comes to improving their systems. Whether they need to limit off-farm inputs, reduce erosion, create more time for family or community activities, learn marketing skills, or find other ways to enhance their livelihoods, farmers and ranchers can turn to NCR-SARE for a financial boost to achieve their goals. The first step in exploring sustainable agriculture on-farm is to identify a research/education goal. Then contact local agricultural groups, extension educators, NRCS personnel or others, share ideas and invite participation. After identifying a specific goal that solves a specific problem and also putting together a good team, farmers and ranchers can apply to North Central SARE for up to $6,000 or up to $18,000 for groups of three or more independent producers. The call for proposals is usually issued in August with the proposals due in December. Decisions are made by the following March and funds available the following summer.
Research and Education Grants: Many agricultural researchers today acknowledge the connection between nature and what we eat , generating ideas on environmentally sound, economically viable, socially responsible agricultural systems. The USDA's North Central Region (NCR) Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program supports innovators with competitive Research and Education grants . Individual grants range from $10,000 to $150,000. These projects are carried out by collaborative teams working with producers to improve farm and ranch profitability while exploring social, economic and environmental aspects of whole systems. Calls for preproposals are issued in mid-April and these are due by mid-June. After these are reviewed, calls for full proposals are issued in August and the full proposals are due in October. Final decisions are made the following March and funds become available by late summer or early fall.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT FOR AGRICULTURE EDUCATORS
These programs are for educators with Extension, NRCS, Vo-Ag, Soil Conservation Districts, and other agencies and organizations to help build competence in areas of Sustainable Agriculture.
Travel Scholarships: Travel support of up to $500 is provided to qualifying educators so that they can 
attend field days, conferences or workshops and learn new information about sustainability that they willshare with their students and clients. These are available through the SARE program in the Dakotas and are open while funds remain. Applications must be sent in at least 30 days before the proposed event. Successful applicants must take the on-line Sustainable Agriculture course and fill out a self-evaluation form before being reimbursed for travel expenses.
Photo: Irene Graves of SDSU Cooperative Extension explains her SARE-sponsored project about grasslands management at a meeting thanks to a SARE Travel Scholarship.
Mini-Grants: Small grants of up to $2000 are available to help educators put on "Train the Trainer" programs that bring new information and skills about Sustainable Agriculture to other educators in the Dakotas. Grantees will develop and put on a program and then also evaluate and report on the effectiveness and outcomes of that program. Applications are accepted quarterly while funds remain. The next round is currently open and applications will be accepted until the end of June 2008. Applicants for Mini-Grants will be expected to complete the on-line Sustainable Agriculture course before being reimbursed for program expenses. Evaluation forms for successful applicants are also available here.
To learn more about Jan Knodel's Mini-Grant sponsored workshop on soybean IPM for the Dakotas and Minnesota please visit this website: http://plantsci.sdstate.edu/conferences/ipmforum/brookings.cfm .
Professional Development Grants: These grants from the North Central Region SARE program are for up to $75,000 for programs that will develop greater knowledge, competence, and activity about Sustainable Agriculture for agriculture educators across the region. Preproposals are called for in spring and are due in May. Full proposals are called for in late summer and are due in late fall. Decisions are announced the following March and funds are available by late spring.
Other Professional Development Opportunities : The State Coordinator for the SARE Professional Development Program in the Dakotas also puts on workshops and other presentations around the Dakotas. Those activities will be announced on our calendar or you can contact the coordinator directly.
[See the Organic Farm Tour presentation made via interactive video to locations in North Dakota, South Dakota and New York.]
