The 2010 North Central Region - Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (NCR-SARE) Farmer Rancher Grant call for proposals is now available.

Farmers and ranchers in Kansas 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 plan to share project results. Sustainable agriculture focuses on practices that are profitable, protect land and water resources, and enrich the quality of life for farmers, ranchers, their communities and society.

Projects should emphasize research or education/demonstration. Grants can range from $6,000 for individual farmers up to $18,000 for groups of 3 or more farmers. NCR-SARE expects to fund about 50 projects in the twelve-state North Central Region, which includes Kansas, with this call.

Interested producers can find the call for proposals, as well as useful information for completing a proposal, online at http://www.sare.org/NCRSARE/cfp.htm.

Proposals are due by Thursday, Dec. 2, 2010 at 4:30 p.m. at the NCR-SARE office in Jefferson City, Missouri. A complete mailing address is available from the web site.

Potential applicants with questions can contact Joan Benjamin, associate regional coordinator and farmer rancher grant program coordinator, at [email protected] or 573-681-5545 or 800-529-1342. A hard copy or an emailed copy of the call for proposals is also available by contacting Benjamin. Each year slight revisions are made to the call for proposals, which means it is crucial to use the most recent call for proposals.

The Kansas SARE Program is administered by K-State Research and Extension’s Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops. The Kansas SARE coordinator is Kerri Ebert, who can be reached at [email protected] or 785-532-2976. NCR-SARE has funded more than 700 farmer rancher grants worth more than $4.3 million since the inception of this program.

For more information contact: North Central Region - Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (NCR-SARE) at 612-626-3113 or www.sare.org/ncrsare; or email [email protected].