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Grant funding available to support innovative ideas for farms, ranchesWebcast can help applicants with process Kansas Innovative farmers and ranchers who want to implement a new, sustainable, idea to improve their operation are encouraged to apply for grants available through the North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program. The program awards grants to farmers and ranchers for on-farm research, demonstrations, and education projects. By providing funds ranging from $6,000 per individual grant to up to $18,000 for grants awarded to groups of three or more, NCR-SARE helps facilitate essential agricultural research and development. Cal Adams of Beloit is a 2007 grant recipient. With the cost of commercial fertilizer mirroring the price of oil this past year, producers like Adams are looking at other options to build soil nutrients. He will research the question of how to maintain optimum production of cool season pastures while decreasing costs and improving late season forage quality. Many have tried to include alfalfa and sweet clover into the grass mix, but haven't been able to maintain persistent and productive stands of legumes or forfeiting grass production or quality. Adams is working with Keith Harmoney of Kansas State University, and Dwayne Rice, of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Natural Resource Conservation Service, to look at the effects of adding legume crops such as grazing-tolerant alfalfa, birdsfoot trefoil, hairy vetch, and others to his pastures. NCR-SARE grants are awarded based on applicants' ability to describe how their project will be sustainable in terms of their long-term profitability, being good for the environment, producing healthy foods, being socially responsible and supporting their community. Last year NCR-SARE funded 50 Farmer Rancher grants totaling $394,229. Five projects totaling $26,064 were funded in Kansas. This year, farmers and ranchers throughout the North Central Region will again have the opportunity to apply for roughly $400,000 in grant assistance. Applications for the 2008 NCR-SARE producer grant program are now available. To review the program and discuss grant writing basics, the Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops and the Kansas SARE Program are sponsoring a seminar on Sept. 22 beginning at 7 p.m. Registration is limited to the first 40 people. The online seminar, also called a Web cast, is accessible via a computer browser such as Internet Explorer with Internet requirements of at least DSL/cable connection (dial-up modem will not work). To learn how to participate in the Web cast, participants should go to the Web cast page, http://www.kansassustainableag.org/grantwriting.htm. Before participating, they should follow instructions on the Web cast page to be sure they have the appropriate software and connection. Grant proposals are due in the NCR-SARE office by Dec. 1, 2008. Interested applicants may contact Kansas SARE Coordinator, Jana Beckman at 785-532-1440 or beckman@ksu.edu or the NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher Grant Program Coordinator, Joan Benjamin at 402-472-0809 or ncrsare@umn.edu. The current Farmer Rancher Grant Call for Proposals application can be found on the NCR-SARE web site at http://ncr.sare.org/prod.htm. 9/15/08 Date: 9/11/08
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