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NCR SARE 1997 Grant Activity



Please excuse any cross postings.


*********************
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                 
September 11, 1997

Contact:
Lisa Bauer
Communications Specialist
402-472-0265, 0280 (fax)
sare003@unlvm.unl.edu


USDA's SARE PROGRAM ANNOUNCES GRANTS 
TOTALING $1.9 MILLION IN THE NORTH CENTRAL REGION
                             
Lincoln, NE--Approaching its 10th anniversary, the Sustainable Agriculture
Research and Education (SARE) program in the North Central Region
recommended, pending USDA approval, 70 grants for exploring sustainable
agriculture in 12 Midwestern states.
     
"We're very proud of our 1997 project portfolio," said North Central Region
(NCR) SARE Coordinator Steve Waller. "It's fitting that we carry such a
solid list of grants into SARE's anniversary year to celebrate 10 years of
agricultural improvement."
     
Funds are slated for researchers, educators, producers, organizations and
others who will coordinate projects supporting environmentally sound,
economically viable and socially responsible agricultural systems.
     
"Grant work will include a variety of sustainable topics, including
marketing, whole-farm planning, pest management, community development,
animal agriculture and crop diversification," said Dave Swaim, NCR SARE
Administrative Council Chair. 
     
Awards will be distributed under three competitive grant programs:
*$1,315,473 to 16 projects in the Research and Education Grant Program:
Awarded to scientists, educators and other organizations and
multi-disciplinary teams exploring sustainable agriculture.
*$376,586 to 12 projects in the Professional Development Program: Awarded to
teams of people developing educational programs to train professionals in
sustainable systems and concepts.      
*$201,318 to 38 projects in the Producer Grant Program: Awarded to farmers
and ranchers interested in experimenting with sustainable agriculture on-farm.
     
The NCR Administrative Council also recommended $19,923 to three special
diversity enhancement projects, for people and organizations involved in
encouraging sustainable agriculture development in Native American and other
minority communities.
     
In addition to the approximately $1.9 million in competitive grants, the NCR
SARE program proposed $151,914 for a region-wide training project in
sustainable agriculture.
     
To award the competitive grant portion of SARE funds, the NCR SARE
Administrative Council (AC), with committee guidance, reviewed and selected
proposals throughout 1997. The AC, composed of representatives from regional
farms, government agencies, universities, nonprofit organizations and
agribusinesses, submitted its recommendations to the USDA for final
approval. After USDA approval, project coordinators officially receive SARE
funds.
     
The new 1998 cycle for Research and Education grants began July 15;
applications are still available for a special Call for Innovative Marketing
Proposals, due in January 1998. The NCR SARE will call for Professional
Development Program proposals in December 1997. Producer applications will
be available in February 1998. For more information on grant programs, past
grants, or other sustainable agriculture resources, contact: NCR SARE, 13A
Activities Bldg., University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68583-0840;
402-472-7081; or sare001@unlvm.unl.edu. Also find us on the web at
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/ncrsare. 
     
Grant applicants must reside in the North Central Region: Illinois, Indiana,
Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio,
South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

     
The SARE program began with the 1985 Farm Bill and was first funded by
Congress in 1988. Competitive grants go to producers, scientists, educators
and public and private institutions and organizations exploring sustainable
agriculture. The North Central Region, managed by a diverse Administrative
Council and directed by regional coordinators, is one of four regions in the
SARE program. Contact the national SARE office at 202-720-6071.

###
                                        
EDITORS: A state-by-state breakdown of grant awards follows. This release,
including the state-by-state grant list, can also be found at the NCR SARE
web site   http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/ncrsare.




***********************************
1997 NCR SARE GRANT RECOMMENDATIONS 
(Includes project title, coordinator, affiliation, and total '97 SARE
funding per state in bold)
           
Illinois   $4,188
--------

Long-Term Benefits of Cover Crops and Crop Rotations.  Ralph Upton, Jr., farmer.

Indiana   $103,615
-------

Development of Market Infrastructure to Support Local and Regional Food
Systems. Steve Bonney, Indiana Sustainable Agriculture Society.

Holistic Resource Management Workshop. Craig Dobbins, Purdue University.

Great Circle Farm CSA/Permaculture Demonstration Site. Beth Neff, farmer.

Ornamental Bittersweet Production for Small Woodland Farms. John Klueh, farmer.

Iowa   $157,224
----

Combining Landscape and Augmentative Biological Control to Suppress European
Corn Borer Populations in Sustainable Low-Input Systems. Leslie Lewis, Iowa
State University.

Multi-Agency On-Farm Sustainable Agriculture Training. Richard Thompson,
Practical Farmers of Iowa.

Legal Guide for Farm Marketers. Neil Hamilton, Drake University Law School.

Feasibility of Corn Stalk Ash as a Fertilizer Source. David Reinig, farmer.

Converting Unproductive Woodlands into a Profitable Shade-Plant Nursery.
Sylvia DeWitt, farmer.

Trees for Food. Mary Carter, farmer.

Kansas   $206,077
------

Yesterday's Research for Tomorrow's Needs. Hans Kok, Kansas State University.

Cluster Use of Whole-Farm Planning with Decision Cases and Evaluation.
Rhonda Janke, Kansas State University.

Creating the Link: Cooperative Marketing of Organic (all natural) Beef.
Diana Endicott, farmer.
           
Biological Control of Small Soapweed (Yucca glauca Nutt). Richard Baldwin,
farmer.

Comparing Controlled Microbial Systems Composting (CMS) to Conventional
Composting to Piled Feedlot Manure. Rick Boller, farmer. 

Machinery Link Co. David Govert, farmer.

Tree Filter and Wetland Livestock Waste Management Plan. Bob Sextro, farmer.

Kickapoo Tribe Farm. Nancy Bear, Kickapoo tribal chairperson.

Michigan   $233,209
--------

Enhancing Adoption of Sustainable Agriculture Practices via Farmer-Driven
Research. Dale Mutch, Michigan State University.

Environment for Community Supported Agriculture. Laura DeLind, Michigan
Organic Food and Farming Alliance. (Three-state project: MI, OH, and IN)

Self-Directed Participatory Agent Learning. Natalie Rector, Michigan State
University.

Innovative Farmers Seeking Lowest Nitrogen Rates for Corn on Sandy Soils to
Protect Ground Water. Eric Hiscock, farmer.

Innovative Farmers Seeking Sustainable Solutions through On-Farm
Demonstrations. Kevin VandyBogurt, farmer.

Developing Partnerships between Southern Michigan Cash Crop Farmers and
Northern Michigan Livestock Farmers. Henry Miller, farmer. 

Integrated Row Tillage Project. Todd Williams, farmer.

Swine Finishing in Hoop Structure with Deep Bedding. Gary Blonde, farmer.

Custom Grazing of Replacement Dairy Heifers on Fuego Fescue and Barenbrug
Ryegrass Pasture under a Management Intensive Grazing System. Helene Paulik,
farmer.

Transition from Traditional Grain/Livestock Agriculture to On-Farm Roadside
Marketing of Produce. Pamela Bosserd, farmer.

Farmer Networking to Direct Precision Agriculture Technologies toward
Sustainability. Tom Waller, farmer.

Marketing On-Farm Composted Manure. Joe Slater, farmer.

The Economics of Seed Saving on Three Biological Farms in Western Michigan.
Paul Keiser, farmer.

Processing and Marketing Milk Produced on our Small Family Dairy. George
Shetler, farmer.

Minnesota   $246,202
---------

Farm Beginnings: An Educational Training and Support Program to Establish
Young Dairy Farmers in Southeast Minnesota. Chuck Schwartau, University of
Minnesota.

A Sustainable Approach to Controlling Mite Pests of Honey Bees. Marla
Spivak, University of Minnesota.

Minnesota Sustainable Farming Association Chapter Networking. DeEtta Bilek,
Sustainable Farming Association of Minnesota. 

Feeding the Saints Pilot Project. Tim King, farmer.

Development of Cultivation Equipment for Diversified Vegetable Production.
Joe Lancaster, farmer.

Cattle, Grass, and Streams: Can They Exist Together as a Sustainable
Ecosystem? Ralph Lentz, farmer.

Native Minnesota Medicinal Production Feasibility Study. Renne Soberg, farmer.

Increased Pasture Profitability through South African Dorper Sheep. Michael
Burke, farmer.

Diversifying a Small Crop Farm with Hogs and Poultry on Pasture, Apple
Trees, and Plums. Nancy Aspelund, farmer.

Community-Based Direct Marketing with the World Wide Web. Lee Ann Van Der
Pol, farmer.

Missouri   $90,755
--------

Use of Vegetative Filter as an Alternative Waste Management System for a
Sustainable Seasonal Management Intensive Grazing Dairy. Richard Crawford,
Jr., University of Missouri. (Co-funded by the Environmental Protection
Agency's [EPA] Agriculture in Concert with the Environment [ACE] program)

Opportunities for Families on Small Farms. John Ikerd and Dyremple Marsh,
University of Missouri and Lincoln University. 

Conversion of a Marginal Row-Crop and CRP Farm to a Seasonal Grass-Based
Dairy. Eric Bright, farmer.

Nebraska   $176,250
--------

Farmer-Designed Research on the Use of Legumes in Sustainable Dryland
Cropping Systems. David Baltensperger, University of Nebraska.

Improving Sustainability of Cow-Calf Operations with Natural Forage Systems.
Don Adams, University of Nebraska.

Kentucky Blue Grass Management and Variety Evaluation for Sustainable Seed
Production in Western Nebraska and Surrounding Area. Daniel Laursen, farmer.

North Dakota   $150,726
------------

Maximizing Forage and Minimizing Grain Intake in Bison Fed for Meat. Vern
Anderson, North Dakota State University.

Sustainable Agriculture Distance Learning. Tom Hanson, North Dakota State
University. (Two-state project: ND and SD)

Promotion of Crop Diversification and Research of Specialty Crop Markets for
Western North Dakota. Curt Trulson, farmer.

Grazing Yearlings on Annual Forage Pastures. Paul Klamm, farmer.

Ohio   $112,418
----

Use of Cover Crop Practices to Control Weeds in Integrated Lower-Chemical
Input Systems of Vegetable Production. Jeff Dickinson, Stratford Ecological
Center.

Professional Training in Soil Quality. Stephen Baertsche, Ohio State University.

Linking Sustainable Agriculture Production with Low-Income and Minority
Consumers. Eric Stewart, farmer.

South Dakota   $64,331
------------

Education for Permaculture as Native Science. Ann Krush, Center for
Permaculture as a Native Science.

Rotational Grazing in South Dakota/Dairy Cattle. Willard Maas, farmer.

Gardening and Gathering on the Rosebud Reservation. Ann Krush, Antelope
Community/Rosebud Reservation.

Livestock Production Re-establishing Native Bison on Native Lands. Rick
McLaughlin, rancher.

Wisconsin   $368,305
---------

Using Small Grain Cover Crop Alternatives to Diversify Crop Rotations. John
Hall and Joshua Posner, Michael Fields Agricultural Institute.

Training and Transitioning New Farmers: A Practical Experiment in Farmer
Self-Development and Institutional Re-invention. Richard Klemme, Center for
Integrated Agricultural Systems.

Evaluating Pasture-Based Poultry Systems: Potential Contribution to Farm
Diversification, Human Nutrition, and Marketing Alternatives. George
Stevenson, Center for Integrated Agricultural Systems.

Development of Sustainable Practices for Integrated Management of Apple
Diseases. Patricia McManus and John Andrews, University of Wisconsin.

Organic Vegetable Production Workshop. Gail Kajovic, Michael Fields
Agricultural Institute.

Grazing Education for Educators and Bankers. Paul Daigle, Marathon County
Land Conservation Department.

Composting for Disease Suppression. Richard DeWilde, farmer.

Cooperative Marketing of Sheep Milk. Jeff Foster, farmer.

Replacing Chemical Weed Control with Mulch in Commercial Blueberries. John
Cuddy, farmer.

###
                                     



*************************
Lisa M. Bauer
Communications Specialist
North Central Region SARE
13A Activities Bldg.
University of Nebraska
Lincoln, NE 68583-0840

402-472-0265
402-472-0280 (fax)
sare003@unlvm.unl.edu
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/ncrsare