1. Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE)
Creating Alternatives for Agriculture

2. Director, Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education(SARE)
Rob Hedberg
Director, Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education(SARE)

3. SARE
SARE is a Regional Program Administered by a Regional Administrative Council
25 Years
$22,666,000/year now
about 400 projects/year
5,000+ projects to date

4. Administrative Council Membership
ARS
Farmers utilizing systems and practices of sustainable agriculture
NIFA
Agribusiness
State Cooperative Extension
USGS or State Geologists
State Experiment Stations
Other persons with knowledge of sustainable agriculture and its impact on the environment and rural communities.
NRCS
State Agencies engaged in sustainable agriculture
NGO’s with expertise

5. SARE’s Four Pillars Productive and Efficient Economically Sustainable
Environmentally Sustainable
Socially Sustainable
(derived directly from legal definition of sustainable agriculture)

6. Stakeholder Engagement
Farmers involved in problem identification, research, outreach AND Regional Administrative Councils

7. SARE Attributes - Inclusive
Open to all types of farming – large or small; organic or conventional; urban or rural; row crop, livestock, small fruit and vegetable, and aquaculture
Open to different points on the value chain – production, processing or marketing

8. SARE Attributes - Accessible
Many grant types – many on ramps
Not restricted to specific disciplines
Low Barriers to Entry
(application commensurate with grant size and type)

9. SARE Grants in Virginia 1988-2014; $4.5 M
17 Research & Education Grants
37 Farmer/ Rancher Grants
8 On-Farm Research Grants
10 Graduate Student Grants
9 Community Innovation Grants
6 Professional Development Grants

10. SARE’s Primary Grant Types
Research and Education (Extension)
Farmer/Rancher
On Farm/ Producer + Professional
Graduate Student
PDP
State Programs
Competitive Programs

11. Sources of SARE Information
Regional Contacts
Regional Grant Information
Project Reports (Projects Database)
Publications

12. SARE Regional Coordinators
North Central SARE
Southern SARE R&E Coordinator
R&E Coordinator:
Beth Nelson
Jeff Jordan
University of Minnesota
University of Georgia
PDP Coordinator:
PDP Coordinator
Rob Myers
David Redhage
University of Missouri
Kerr Center, Oklahoma
Northeast SARE R&E Coordinator:
Western SARE
R&E Coordinator
Vern Grubinger
Teryl Roper
University of Vermont
Utah State University
Tom Morris
Jim Freeburn
University of Connecticut
University of Wyoming

14. Shepherd’s Grain Vision
To reconnect the producer to the consumer
To showcase a sustainable production system
To provide a market opportunity for family farms in Oregon, Washington and Idaho
To consistently provide quality wheat flour and legumes

15. Grad Student Research Projects
2000; First Grad Student grants in Southern region; 136 awards
2002; First Grad Student grants in North Central region; 195 awards
2006; First Grad Student grants in Western region; 62 awards
2010; First Grad Student grants in Northeast region; 90 awards

16. Building a Better No-Till and Cover Crop System
It all began in 2002 with a $6,500 SARE grant and the seed of an idea………………..

17. Or the start of a little business

18. Cover Crop Publications
st Edit. 2nd Edit 3rd Edit.
Approximately 50,000 hard copies sold or distributed
Plus free downloads from website
231,000 individual page views in 2014

19. SARE Cover Crop Projects; 1988-2014
138 projects with Cover Crops in Title; $6,664,030.68
833 projects with Cover Crops included in the project profile; $46,804,351.06
Cover Crop Acreage
USDA Best 2 million acres; < 1%
2012 – Census of Agriculture: 10.3 Million acres

20. Discussion
Extension as a source of proposals – opportunities and challenges
State Coordinators – selecting and supporting them
Where are the next innovations needed – SARE’s next 25 years?