Joan Benjamin, who has worked with the NCR-SARE program since 2005, has announced her retirement. Benjamin's journey in this field has been characterized by dedication, collaboration, and a commitment to sustainable agriculture and producers. Before joining NCR-SARE’s team, Benjamin worked with the Missouri Department of Agriculture (MDA) Sustainable Agriculture Demonstration Award Program. As a State Department of Agriculture representative, she was elected and served on NCR-SARE’s Administrative Council from 2002 to 2005.   In 2005, Benjamin joined NCR-SARE as the Farmer Ran ..read more

Collaboration, education, and community empowerment hold potential for driving positive change. Accordingly, Regional Food Business Centers in Hawaiian, Pacific Island, and Alaskan communities are harnessing their skills and resources to reach their shared vision of resilient, sustainable, and self-reliant local food systems. Geographic isolation, food transit logistics, large Indigenous populations, underdeveloped infrastructure, extreme climate change impacts, colonial histories, and legal issues have made creating such a food system challenging in these communities. The Hawaii Good Food All ..read more

SALVISA, Kentucky – Fatima Jackson is keeping her fingers crossed that native warm-season perennials being planted on her farm will perform better than tall fescue as an alternative forage for meat goats in the summer months. Farmer Fatima Jackson with her herd of meat goats in Kentucky. Photo credit: Southern SARE “Come the heat of the summer in July and August, the goats won’t touch the tall fescue,” said Jackson. “They’ll eat it only as a last resort.” Tall fescue grows throughout the pastures at Action Jackson Farms, located south of Lexington. But the grass, known for ease of establishmen ..read more

Three Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) programs are calling for preproposals. $5.9M in funding is available across the Research and Education, Research for Novel Approaches, and Professional Development grant programs. Preproposals are due August 6, 2024 by 5 p.m. EST. Q&A Sessions will take place in June and July to help applicants determine which program is right for their project. These sessions are a great opportunity to build community understanding around Northeast SARE grant programs and procedures. Register for the Q&A sessions. The Professional ..read more

GRIFFIN, Georgia -- The Southern region of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program has released its Call for Proposals for the 2025 Education Grants program. Education Grants are open to academic institutions and organizations, such as nonprofits and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), who are interested in conducting education and outreach activities for the benefit of the greater sustainable ag community, and promote efforts in farmer innovations, community resilience, business success, agricultural diversification, and best management practices. Non-governmental ..read more

The North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NCR-SARE) Program is pleased to announce the projects recommended for funding for the 2024 Partnership Grant Program. For the 2024 Partnership Grant Program, NCR-SARE awarded more than $966,000 to 22 projects. NCR-SARE’s Partnership Grant Program is intended to foster cooperation between agriculture professionals and small groups of farmers and ranchers to catalyze on-farm research, demonstration, and education activities related to sustainable agriculture. Those selected to receive funding included (in ord ..read more

GRIFFIN, Georgia – The Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SSARE) program is adding a new Equity, Justice, and Food Sovereignty seat to its Administrative Council, the governing body for the program in the Southern region. SARE is a USDA-funded program that provides both research grant funding opportunities and educational resources for farmers/ranchers, ag professionals and other stakeholders in the community to further sustainable agriculture production and marketing principles and practices. The Southern SARE program gives ag professionals and farmers/ranchers the oppor ..read more

GRIFFIN, Georgia – The Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SSARE) program is adding a new military Veteran member seat to its Administrative Council, the governing body for the program in the Southern region. SARE is a USDA-funded program that provides both research grant funding opportunities and educational resources for farmers/ranchers, ag professionals and other stakeholders in the community to further sustainable agriculture production and marketing principles and practices. The Southern SARE program gives ag professionals and farmers/ranchers the opportunity to serv ..read more

GRIFFIN, Georgia – The Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SSARE) program is adding a new Urban Ag seat to its Administrative Council, the governing body for the program in the Southern region. SARE is a USDA-funded program that provides both research grant funding opportunities and educational resources for farmers/ranchers, ag professionals and other stakeholders in the community to further sustainable agriculture production and marketing principles and practices. The Southern SARE program gives ag professionals and farmers/ranchers the opportunity to serve on the Admini ..read more

The Southern region SARE program is soliciting a national Call for Proposals for the Food Loss and Waste Training and Technical Assistance Grants. The purpose of this one-time grant opportunity is to implement outreach, training, and technical assistance efforts to build capacity for food loss and waste initiatives. SARE Food Loss and Waste Program Manager Lisa Johnson will walk participants through the details of the Call for Proposal and answer participant questions related to the grant in a webinar taking place on Zoom on May 7, 2024 from 12 p.m. (NOON)- 1 p.m. EST. Inte ..read more