The SARE program provides 4 categories of competitive grants to support work in sustainable agriculture.

1. Research and Education Grants – call for preproposals usually issued in April and due in June
2. Farmer-Rancher Grants – call for proposals usually issued in August or September and due in early December
3. Professional Development Program Grants – call for preproposals usually issued in March
4. Graduate Student Grants – call for proposals usually issued in November and due in January
5. Youth and Youth Educator Grants -- call for proposals usually issued in August or September

Educators are strongly encouraged to let innovative farmers know about the SARE Farmer-Rancher Grants. Download a 2-page Handout about Farmer-Rancher Grants. For more information contact Diane Mayerfeld.

Recent examples of SARE grants in Wisconsin include:

Professional Development Projects

• Building Extension Capacity in the North Central Region to Address Agricultural Energy Use
• Greenhouse Energy Conservation Strategies and Alternative Fuels

Farmer-Rancher Projects

• Evaluating 2nd Generation Hybrid Hazelnuts Through On-Farm Production Trials
• Perfecting the day-range pastured-poultry system through on-farm replicated feeding trials
• Low input pasture renovation through multi species intensive grazing
• The Wisconsin Hops Harvest Partnership: Demonstrating the feasibility of using smallscale, cooperative harvesting systems to enable
  sustainable commercial hops production in Wisconsin.
• The Coney Garth: Effective Management of Rabbit Breeding Does on Pasture
• Assessing the sustainability of growing non-traditional fruit tree crops in the Upper Midwest: A collaborative agro-forestry approach
• Seed salad mix for planned paddock renovation
• Developing harvest task checklists to assist farmers in managing harvest crews
• Optimization of corn production following legume green manures
• Study to reduce parasitic infestations of Yellow Perch in flow-through outdoor grow out systems

Research and Education Projects

• Improving Forage Production and Quality with Native Legumes in Grazed Warm-Season Grass Stands
• Working with Farmers, Dairy Processors and Chefs to Build a Market for Grass-Fed Milk

Graduate Student Projects

• Epidemiology of the aster yellows phytoplasma: the influence of non-crop hosts on geographic distribution and movement of the pathogen
• Assessment of pasture management practices on microbial biomass, composition, and funtional diversity
• Burning and grazing cool-season grasslands to promote native grass recruitment for agronomic, ecological, and social benefits

Youth and Youth Educator Projects

• Aquaponics Farm-to-School Lunch Initiative
• Fieldhands and Foodways

A complete listing of SARE grants funded in Wisconsin is available at http://www.sare.org/highlights/states/WI_GrantList.pdf.

A searchable database of all SARE-funded projects is on the web at http://www.sare.org/projects/index.htm.

For more information about upcoming calls for proposals check the North Central Region SARE webpage at http://www.sare.org/ncrsare/cfp.htm