VERMONT — The Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program is seeking applications for its 2019 Farmer Grants.
Proposals are due online by Nov. 27 at 11:59 p.m. Funded projects will be announced in late February 2019, and projects may begin in the spring.
Northeast SARE Farmer Grants are intended for farm business owners and managers who would like to explore new sustainable production and marketing practices, often through an experiment, trial or on-farm demonstration. Reviewers look for innovation, potential for improved sustainability and results that will be useful to other farmers.
Application materials, including detailed instructions and supporting documents, are posted on the Northeast SARE website at northeastsare.org/FarmerGrant. Questions about the grant program should be directed to [email protected].
Northeast SARE will host a Farmer Grant webinar on Oct. 10 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Carol Delaney, grant program coordinator, will provide information on program eligibility, how to apply, types of projects SARE funds, allowable expenses and more. The webinar is free. To register, visit go.uvm.edu/farmergrant19. To request a disability-related accommodation to participate, contact Debra Heleba at (802) 651-8335, ext. 552, by Oct. 3.
Farmer Grant projects must be conducted in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia or Washington, D.C. Awards are capped at $15,000 and projects may address the wide range of issues that affect farming in the Northeast. To search topics that SARE has previously funded, please access the national database of projects at projects.sare.org/search-projects.
Applicants must work with a technical advisor — typically a Cooperative Extension educator, Natural Resources Conservation Service staff, nonprofit organization employee, private crop consultant, veterinarian or other service provider — who provides support and advice to the farmer applicant.
Northeast SARE, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, offers competitive grants and sustainable agriculture education. It is housed within University of Vermont Extension, a unit of UVM’s College of Agriculture and Life Sciences.