The 2011 NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher Grant Call for Proposals is now available.

Farmers and ranchers in the North Central Region are invited to submit grant proposals 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. New this year, there are three...

The 2011 NCR-SARE Youth & Youth Educator Grant Call for Proposals is now available.

These grants are a part of the Farmer Rancher Grant Program.Their purpose is to provide opportunities for youth in the North Central Region to learn more about sustainable agriculture. Sustainable agriculture is good for the environment, profitable, and socially responsible. A total of approximately $34,000 is available for this program.

There are two options:

1. YOUTH GRANTS. These grants are for on-farm research, demonstration, or education projects by youth ages 8-18. Research and demonstration projects...

NCR-SARE State Coordinator for Missouri, Debi Kelly, will be hosting 3 webinars to help producers understand the NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher Grant Program, the grant writing process, what makes a good proposal, and answer questions you may have.If you are interested in learning about the NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher Grant Program, join Debi Kelly on Sept 12th for a PowerPoint presentation about the grant program, and then join her again on September 19th and 26th to hear from past recipients about their NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher grants. 

• Sept 12: 7-8:30 pm - NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher Grant Program Webinar...

What does soil quality mean? Why is it so important? How do we measure it and how can we impact soil quality with our management practices? Hear experts from the University of Minnesota, Ohio State University, the USDA-Agricultural Research Service, and the USDA-Natural Resource Conservation Service address these questions and more at the "Soil Quality Workshop". This program will be held at two locations: Monday, September 12 at the West Central Research and Outreach Center in Morris, and Tuesday, September 13 at the Southern Research and Outreach Center in Waseca. Each workshop will...

Nationally known grazing expert and author Greg Judy will lead two days of workshops on how farmers and landowners can produce profits from pastured livestock Sept. 9-10 at the Broadway Ballroom in Alexandria, MN. The charge for both days is $80, which includes meals. Attending one day of the workshops costs $50, which also covers meals (a limited number of scholarships are available). Pre-registration is required; to register and for more information, call the Land Stewardship Project’s Julia Ahlers Ness at 320-269-2105, or e-mail janess@landstewardshipproject.org. Click here to download...

Will Allen, Founder and President, Rainbow Farmer’s Cooperative, Founder and CEO of Growing Power, and NCR-SARE grant recipient, and Fred Kirschenmann, Distinguished Fellow, Leopold Center for Sustainable Agriculture, President of the Board of Directors, Stone Barns Center for Food and Agriculture, and former NCR-SARE Administrative Council member have been named as recipients of the James Beard Foundation Leadership Award.

Source: James Beard Foundation

New York, NY (August 10, 2011) – Recognizing visionaries in the business, government and education sectors responsible for creating a healthier,...

Many an hour on the tractor or in the seat of a combine or driving that farm truck is spent in thoughtful solitude considering ways to save time, energy, labor, to be more profitable, to be a better marketer or to reduce their impact on the environment. One challenge that farmers face in initiating new on farm or community projects is finding adequate startup funding.

A live video program (webinar) to help farmers and rural residents and even communities identify sources of funding available to them will be held on Monday, August 29 from 10 am-noon (EST).  This free program will be hosted...

Vajra Farm, LLC and Kaw Permaculture are requesting apprenticeship applications for the Fall of 2011.

Vajra Farm is a 45 acre botanical sanctuary and permaculture training site located 17 minutes north of Lawrence, KS, and have been providing apprenticeship opportunities since 2000. They are seeking individuals who are looking for hands-on experience in broad-acre permaculture, including focus on no-till polyculture vegetable production, creation of plant guilds, forest gardens, viticulture and cultivation of medicinal herbs. Applicants should have a basic knowledge of permaculture principles...

Source: Pioneer Press

Nathan Schrecengost drives bushels of organically grown zucchini, potatoes and heirloom tomatoes six miles from his St. Paul croplands to the Lake Street farmers' market in Minneapolis, and if anyone claims his produce is more "local" than that, he'd like to see his odometer.

His four micro-farms are modestly sized, even by a hobby farmer's standards. Combined, they total three-quarters of an acre, in lots in and around St. Paul's heavily urban Frogtown neighborhood, known as the least green neighborhood in the city. And he's fine with that.

"So far, it's been...

Start making your plans today to attend the NCR-SARE Farmers Forum at the 19th  National Small Farm Trade Show & Conference on November 3 - 5, 2011 in Columbia, Missouri. 

The Farmers Forum is an annual event sponsored by Small Farm Today magazine and supported by NCR-SARE.  It gives farmers and ranchers, educators, researchers, and youth a chance to share results from their grant projects with an audience of interested farmers, ranchers, educators, and consumers.  It’s a great opportunity for you to meet NCR-SARE grant recipients and learn more about their projects.