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 expected in March
4. Graduate Student Grants – call for proposals usually issued in November and due in January

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.

Current examples of SARE grants in Wisconsin include:

Professional Development Projects

• Biofuels and Community Participation: engaging process in the emerging bioeconomy
• Greenhouse Energy Conservation Strategies and Alternative Fuels

Farmer-Rancher Projects

• Comparing prairie grass & small grain straw for mulching vegetable crops
• Perfecting the day-range pastured-poultry system through on-farm replicated feeding trials
• Low input pasture renovation through multi species intensive grazing
• Eliminating invasive buckthorn with goats, an ecological and habitat restoration study
• Re-establishing the Jerusalem Artichoke, a plant native of North America
• 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

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