NCR-SARE Professional Development Program grant recipient, Tonya Haigh, in association with the National Drought Mitigation Center will be conducting a series of webinars about drought management and planning on ranches. The webinars will occur on a monthly basis, from January through May, 2013.

Each one‐hour session will include a briefing on current drought status, followed by a session on a specific topic or tool related to drought planning. The information that will be presented is meant to be used as a part of a complete ranch drought planning process. 

The...

Source: Barb DeGroot, 952-433-1459

Chanhassen, MN (Jan. 2, 2013)- Learn the latest research in sustainable farming - both rural and urban - and network with leaders in the movement at the Sustainable Agriculture Summit: Growing the Farmer to Farmer Network, set for Friday and Saturday, Feb. 15 & 16, at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum.  The conference runs 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and the fee is $90 a day (through Jan. 15) and $95 a day (after Jan. 15).

Presented by the Arboretum in partnership with the Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota, the summit offers an opportunity for...

NCR-SARE is seeking nominees* for two seats on its Administrative Council (AC) as follows:

• Producer representative**
• State Department of Agriculture representative ***

*Council members must be from one of the 12 states that comprise the North Central SARE region. Those states are IL, IN, IA, KS, MI, MN, MO, ND, NE, OH, SD, and WI.

**Should be actively engaged in farming or ranching in one of the twelve North Central states.

***Should be an employee of a state department of agriculture in the North Central region.

The term for each of these SARE Administrative Council slots is four years. Council...

The First International Symposium on Elderberry (Sambucus) will take place in Columbia, Missouri, USA, June 9–14, 2013.

This will be the world’s first gathering of international scientists from multiple disciplines studying all aspects of the elderberry plant and fruit, and its use as a food and dietary supplement. Horticulturists, botanists, biochemists, food scientists, economists, and others will gather in Missouri during peak elderberry flowering season for several days of scientific exchange and fellowship. The Symposium is being organized under the auspices of the International...

Source: Edible Madison, Vanessa Herald 

This story features NCR-SARE grant recipient, Julie Engel, and her Coney Garth rabbits. With her SARE project, Engel developed a system for raising rabbits on pasture and built handling equipment that consistently and efficiently herds her rabbit does in a stress-free manner.

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“The rabbits and the project have stretched me way beyond where...

NCR-SARE is pleased to announce a new collaboration with the Conservation Technology Information Center to distribute a survey to farmers who have been growing cover crops. 

"Momentum is building on cover crops, and I believe this survey information will be helpful not only for our SARE grant planning but also for other organizations," said Dr. Rob Myers, NCR-SARE’s PDP Coordinator and Regional Director for Extension Programs. "One of the goals of the survey is to determine the impact of cover crops on cash crop yields under the drought conditions...

From programs that will train tribal educators to a project that will build community support for local food, the NCR-SARE program recommended funding nearly $650,000 in  Professional Development Program grants in 2012. NCR-SARE Professional Development Program competitive grants emphasize training agricultural educators in extension, Natural Resources Conservation Service, private, and not-for-profit sectors, using farmers as educators and addressing emerging issues in the farm community.

NCR-SARE administers each of its grant programs, each with specific priorities, audiences, and...

The story below features a powwow event called Gichi Manidoo Giizis that focuses on commitment to community and the environment. It is sponsored, in part, by the Minnesota SARE State Program.

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Source: Indian Country Today Media Network, by Tish Leizens

The Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa in Minnesota is launching its first powwow this month as the tribe renews its commitment to its community and environment.

The traditional powwow called Gichi Manidoo Giizis, meaning Great Spirit moon or start of the winter moon, will be held Saturday, January 12, at...

Sheep producer and SARE grantee, Curt Cline, was a featured speaker at the 2012 Buckeye Shepherd's Symposium. Cline received a NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher grant in 2007 to explore the use of rotational grazing systems to decrease lamb worm loads. He was awarded an NCR-SARE 2012 Farmer Rancher grant to study grazing corn plants as an alternative summer annual forage. Read more about Cline and his SARE grazing projects in the story below.

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Source: Farm and Dairy, by Chris Kick

Few Ohio producers have the grazing aspect down as well as Curt Cline, who raises sheep in of Athens...

The Indiana SARE Program and Purdue Extension are sponsoring a Cattle Handling Practices and Facilities Seminar on January 19, 2013 which will feature livestock industry consultant, Temple Grandin.

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Source: Purdue Agriculture News, by Jennifer Stewart

A Purdue Extension beef management seminar will give cattle producers the chance to learn about animal handling facilities and on-farm management practices from some of the nation's top experts, including author and livestock industry consultant Temple Grandin.

The Cattle Handling Practices and Facilities seminar will be Jan....