1. Sustainable AgricultureResearch & Education Providing Grants and Information to Improve Profitability, Stewardship and Quality of Life

2. Ag Educator Farmer/Rancher Grants Research & Education Grants PDP Grants On-farm Grants Principal Investigator Speakers or participants in training Technical Advisors Outreach Effort

3. Extending SARE Research Farmers/ Ranchers Extension All Farmers/Ranchers Research Applied Research Results Ideas

4. An integrated system of plant and animal production practices having a site-specific application that will, over the long term: Satisfy human food and fiber needs 1990 Farm Bill (FACTA) Definition of Sustainable Agriculture Enhance environmental quality and the natural resource base upon which the agricultural economy depends Make the most efficient use of nonrenewable resources and on-farm resources and integrate, where appropriate, natural biological cycles and controls Sustain the economic viability of farm operations Enhance the quality of life for farmers and society as a whole

5. Sustainable Agriculture  Integrates natural biological cycles  Optimizes the management and use of on-farm resources of on-farm resources  Enhances environmental quality  Provides an adequate and dependable farm income farm income  Promotes opportunities in family farming and farm communities and farm communities

6. Elements of Sustainability 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 1 1 Integrated pest management 2 Management intensive grazing 3 Soil conservation 4 Water quality 5 Cover crops 6 Crop/landscape diversity 7 Nutrient management 8 Agroforestry 9 Marketing

7. Economics Quality of Life Environment

8. What makes SARE different? Whole systems perspective Decentralizedstructure Participatoryapproach

9. Whole Systems Perspective Whole farm/ranch, or beyond Components in systems context Integrated research, education and outreach

10. SARE Regions

11. SARE’S Decentralized Structure Four Regional Host Institutions Regional Administrative Councils Regional Review Committees

12. SARE Regional Administrative Councils ARS CSREES State CE State AES NRCS State Departments engaged in S.A. Nonprofit orgs. Farmers Agribusiness USGS Other knowledgeable persons

13. SARE Grant Opportunities Research and Education Farmer Rancher Professional Development Graduate Student On-Farm Research Sustainable Community Innovation

14. SARE Grant Opportunities Research and Education –Involve scientists, producers, and others in an interdisciplinary approach. –$30,000 to $350,000

15. SARE Grant Opportunities Farmer Rancher –Enable producers to conduct on-site experiments or test marketing strategies and share the results with other producers. –$500 to $18,000

16. SARE Grant Opportunities Professional Development –Spread knowledge about sustainable concepts and practices among Cooperative Extension and other agriculture professionals. –$4,000 to $170,000

17. SARE Grant Opportunities Graduate Student –The objective of the Graduate Student Awards is to help support the costs of a thesis or dissertation project that addresses sustainable agriculture issues. –Maximum of $10,000

18. SARE Grant Opportunities On-Farm Research –For agricultural professionals who work directly with farmers – specifically Cooperative Extension, NRCS, NGOs, and others operating in the farm community – who are interested in developing on-farm demonstration, research, or marketing projects related to sustainable agriculture. –Maximum of $10,000

19. SARE Grant Opportunities Sustainable Community Innovation –Southern SARE and the Southern Rural Development Center now offer a pilot grants program that will invest in projects that strengthen both agriculture and Southern communities through explicit linkages between sustainable agriculture and community development, and improve understanding of the mutual benefits of such linkages. –Maximum of $10,000

20. SARE Research & Education Grant Sustainable Year-Round Forage System for Goat Production in the Southern USA Sandra Solaiman, Tuskegee University, Alabama Funded by Southern Region ($178,120) The Southeast’s warm, humid climate is ideal for raising the forages and browses on which goats thrive. To identify the top performers, Sandra Solaiman tested forages for weight gain and palatability. “Producers are thirsty for information. We can only compete with other production systems like beef and poultry if we’re unique and efficient.” ~ Sandra Solaiman

21. SARE Farmer/Rancher Grant Imperial Stock Ranch Heritage Lamb/Fiber Marketing Jeanne Carver, co-owner, Imperial Stock Ranch, Maupin, Ore. Funded by the Western Region ($7,000) With more than a century of sheep ranching tradition on her 30,000-acre ranch, Jeanne Carver was determined to continue raising sheep despite declining lamb and wool markets. After investigating markets, she launched new ventures, including selling lamb to high-end restaurants, wool for yarn-and- pattern kits and ready-to-wear woolen and lambskin fashions. “Our customers love the quality of our product, the flavor profile of the meat, the feel of the wool, and the message of the land and sense of place.” ~ Jeanne Carver

22. SARE Research & Education Grant Implementing a Bio-Intensive Strategy for Caterpillar Control in Sweet Corn Ruth Hazzard, University of Massachusetts Funded by Northeast Region ($68,265) Hazzard and her research team developed new, effective biological controls to fight damaging earworms — corn oil and Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt). Hazzard’s technique calls for applying Bt and corn oil to the top of each ear during the formative stage, causing earworms that crawl into the ear to suffocate. “The idea came out of a SARE project from the early 1990s, when a farmer said he used to use mineral oil. We’ve taken the concept and brought in new materials.” ~ Ruth Hazzard

23. SARE Professional Development Grant Local Food to Local People: Enlarging a Regional Food System Through Nutrition Education Nancy O'Connor, Community Mercantile Education Foundation Inc, Lawrence, Kan. Funded by the North Central Region ($60,145) With healthful eating and farmer livelihoods in mind, nutritionist Nancy O’Connor forged partnerships with Extension and the nonprofit Kansas Rural Center to run cooking demonstrations that deliver an “eat local” credo to expand the market for Kansas foods. “If I believe in it passionately, and I feed them and give them tools and information, they will go out and be different.” ~ Nancy O’Connor

24. Communications & Outreach Arm of the SARE Program Website (www.sare.org) Bulletins (free in quantity for educators) Books sanet-mg (sustainable ag listserv) Sustainable Agriculture Network

25. SAN is the communications and outreach arm of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program.

26. Sustainable Agriculture Network Dedicated to the exchange of scientific and practical information on sustainable agriculture systems using a variety of printed and electronic communications tools.

27. Resources from SAN

28. Building a Sustainable Business

29. Building Soils for Better Crops 2nd Edition

30. How to Direct Market Your Beef

31. How to Manage the Blue Orchard Bee As an Orchard Pollinator

32. Manage Insects on Your Farm A Guide to Ecological Strategies

33. Managing Cover Crops Profitably 2nd Edition

34. The New American Farmer Profiles of Agricultural Innovation

35. The New Farmers’ Market Farm-Fresh Ideas for Producers, Managers and Communities

36. Steel in the Field A Farmer's Guide to Weed Management Tools

37. SAN Online Informational Bulletins –Diversifying Cropping Systems –Exploring Sustainability in Agriculture –How to Conduct Research on Your Farm or Ranch –Marketing Strategies for Farmers and Ranchers –Meeting the Diverse Needs of Limited-Resource Producers: An Educator's Guide –Profitable Pork: Strategies for Hog Producers –Profitable Poultry: Raising Birds on Pasture –SARE Highlights (2003-2005) –Transitioning to Organic Production –A Whole-Farm Approach to Managing Pests –Smart Water Use on Your Farm or Ranch

38. Acknowledgements Special thanks to Mandy Rodrigues (Program Specialist) and Valerie Berton (Communications Specialist) of the National SARE Office for their assistance with this presentation.

39. Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences Agroecology Sustainable Agriculture Program SARE Coordinator P.O. Box 410 Greenview, Illinois 62642-0410 217/968-5512 Email: cvnghgrn@uiuc.edu http://www.aces.uiuc.edu/asap