What Is SARE??

Grants program encourages the adoption of sustainable farming systems.

Since 1988, the Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE) program has encouraged the adoption of farming
systems which are profitable, environmentally sound and good for communities. A research and education grants program is
used to motivate producers and other agricultural professionals to pursue these goals. The program is headquartered in USDA with local partnerships involving land grant universities in four regions of the country. The Western SARE (WSARE) office is located at Utah State University.

All WSARE grants are competitive and fund projects in four primary categories. They are Research& Education, Farmer/Rancher, Agricultural Professional and Producer, and Professional Development. A new category for Graduate Students has recently been added as a fifth category. Grants range in size from $1,000 to $200,000 depending on the
category. For more information on these grant opportunities, see the WSARE web site (http://wsare.usu.edu/grants/). Deadlines are fast approaching, so do not hesitate if you are interested.

In recent years, Colorado has been quite successful in obtaining grants from WSARE. For example, this year Colorado received more than $29,000 in farmer/rancher grants; $60,000 in professional development; and $144,000 in research and education grants. Overall, the WSARE funded 44 projects across the West for $2.25 million. Projects range from
increasing shrimp production in Arizona, to educating producers about alternative energy in California, analyzing market
opportunities and barriers for organic producers in the Four Corners states, and extending the growing season for raspberries in Utah. Phil Rasmussen, WSARE coordinator, states that,“These grants enable scientists and producers to test innovative practices that can have profound impacts on agriculture.”

As our state sustainable agriculture coordinator for Cooperative Extension, some of my duties are to make sure these grant opportunities are publicized to the public and to assist investigators in the review of their proposals before submission. Hence, if you need assistance, do not hesitate to contact me at 970-491-2074 or Dennis.Lamm@colostate.edu. Also, check out our new “Sustaining Agriculture in Colorado” web site at http://www.coopext.colostate.edu/sustag/. We hope this is a good resource for you, and your comments are always welcome.

Dennis Lamm, Professor of Extension Education