October 2006
Farmer-rancher grants for $15,000-$30,000 available
Proposals due Dec. 6
UC conservation tillage research was funded by SARE. Photo by Gene Miyao
"Funding can be requested for research into production practices, business development, and marketing alternatives," said David Chaney, education coordinator for the University of California's Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program and the Western Region SARE representative. "We want to alert growers and ranchers in the Western United States that Dec. 6 is the deadline for these very useful grants."
Dec. 6 is also the deadline for "Professional + Producer" grant proposals. Under those grants, agricultural professionals such as Cooperative Extension educators or Natural Resources Conservation Service employees, coordinate the projects with farmers or ranchers serving an advisory role. The same funding levels apply depending on the number of producers involved.
Recent grant recipients in California include Morgan Doran, UC Cooperative Extension Solano County (Professional + Producer grant, "Using molasses as an attractant for concentrating grazing on medusahead") and Jeff Mitchell, UC Kearney Agricultural Center (Professional + Producer grant, "Conservation tillage forage production in California’s San Joaquin Valley").
Calls for Proposals are available on the Web at http://wsare.usu.edu or by calling the Western SARE office at Utah State University, (435) 797-2257.
USDA's SARE program helps advance farming systems that are profitable, environmentally sound and benefit communities through a national research and education grants program. The program, part of USDA's Cooperative State Research, Education and Extension Service, funds projects and conducts outreach designed to improve agricultural systems.
Media contacts:
David Chaney, (530) 754-8551, dechaney@ucdavis.edu
