University of Wisconsin - Extension

Madison, Wis. – The 2009 North Central Region - Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (NCR-SARE) Farmer Rancher Grant Call for Proposals is now available online at http://sare.org/ncrsare/cfp.htm.

Farmers and ranchers in the North Central Region are invited to submit grant proposals for projects to explore sustainable agriculture solutions to problems on the farm or ranch. Proposals should show how farmers and ranchers plan to use their own innovative ideas to explore sustainable agriculture options and how they will share project results.

Sustainable agriculture is good for the environment, profitable, and socially responsible.

Projects should emphasize research or education/demonstration. Grants can range from $6,000 for individual farmers up to $18,000 for groups of 3 or more farmers.

NCR-SARE expects to fund about 50 projects in the twelve-state North Central Region with this call.

The deadline for proposals is Thursday, December 3, 2009 at 4:30 p.m.

NCR-SARE has funded more than 700 farmer rancher grants worth more than $4,300,000 since the inception of this program. In 2009, the program funded grants to ten Wisconsin farmers for projects including research on the use of green manure cover crops; reducing parasites in yellow perch production; pasture management, and vegetable production.

Gene Schriefer raises cattle and sheep in Iowa County, and received a grant to evaluate seed mixes for renovating paddocks.

"I first read about "seed salad" cover crops following winter wheat in Noth Dakota from some NRCS soil scientists. As the diversity increased so did yield potential, and in subsequent years there were improvements in soil organic matter and an increased yield in the following crop. As a grazier, I occasionally renovate a paddock, and the seed salad cover crop sounded a plausible idea. The cover crop in the western trials was either grazed or used as a plow down, but I thought it also could be conserved as winter feed. The SARE Farmer/Rancher Grant is allowing me to learn and investigate the suitability of this idea to Wisconsin conditions."

For more information, contact Joan Benjamin, NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher Grant Program Coordinator, at jbenjamin2@unl.edu or 402-472-0809 or (800) 529-1342. You can also contact the Wisconsin SARE coordinator, Diane Mayerfeld at dbmayerfeld@wisc.edu or 608-262-8188.

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