The Call for Proposals for the 2023 Producer Grant Program, intended for farmers/ranchers and farmer/rancher organizations throughout the Southern region, is now available from the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SSARE) program.
Donor Name: Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE)
State: Selected States
County: All Counties
Territory: Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and U.S. Virgin Islands
Type of Grant: Grant
Deadline: 11/11/2022
Size of the Grant: $20,000
Grant Duration: 2 years
Details:
Producer Grants are used to conduct sustainable agriculture research projects that solve agricultural production challenges farmers face and to develop information on what works and what doesn’t so that other farmers and ranchers facing those same challenges can benefit from the results of the funded project.
Producer grants are not designed to pay a farmer to farm; buy livestock, equipment, or land; make permanent farm improvements, or support private enterprises through capital investments. Southern SARE Producer Grants are competitive research grants, designed to take some of the financial risk away from trying a solution to an agricultural production issue.
Projects must be developed, coordinated and conducted by farmers and/or ranchers or a farmer organization. Farmers must have at least $1,000 in documented annual income from the operation. There is no restriction on farm size or the length of time an individual has been farming. SSARE also considers proposals from indigenous agriculturists who produce for community food systems. These enterprises may be eligible to apply where the production activity has an annual value of at least $1,000, but products are not sold due to cultural factors.
Funding Information
- The maximum funding amount for a Producer Grant is $15,000 for individual farmers/ranchers and $20,000 for farmer/rancher organizations.
- Projects are funded for two years.
Who Can Apply?
Producer Grants are open to individual farmers/ranchers or farmer organizations. Only one proposal may be submitted per grant cycle. Primary occupation is farming or ranching or the applicant is a part-time producer. At least $1,000 of annual income from the operation must be documented. SSARE also considers proposals from indigenous agriculturists who produce for community food systems. These enterprises may be eligible to apply where the production activity has an annual value of at least $1,000, but products are not sold due to cultural factors. Farmer organizations should be comprised primarily of farmers/ranchers and must have a majority farmer representation on their governing board. There are no restrictions on farm size or the length of time an applicant has been farming. Producer Grants, however, are designed for farmers already established in their farming operation, and not for beginning farmers or ranchers.
Grant Requirements
Producer Grant proposals must meet the following basic requirements in order to be considered for funding:
- The proposal must be submitted from an individual farmer/rancher or farmer/rancher organization, such as a cooperative. Proposals from NGOs, other community groups or researchers are not accepted.
- Primary occupation is farming/ranching or part-time farming. Producers run their farm alone or with family or partners and have a least $1,000 of documented annual income from the operation, as defined by USDA. There is no restriction on farm size or the length of time an individual has been farming. SSARE also considers proposals from indigenous agriculturists who produce for community food systems. These enterprises may be eligible to apply where the production activity has an annual value of at least $1,000, but products are not sold due to cultural factors.
- The proposed project addresses production and marketing issues that promote sustainable agriculture.
- The proposal addresses a research project; Producer Grants are not designed to pay a farmer to “farm.”
- Projects must include at least one cooperator. They can be other farmers, researchers, extension agents, governmental or non-governmental organizations, or others who cooperate in project planning, data collection and outreach of results.
- The proposed project satisfies the requirements of allowable expenses.
- An outreach component is identified in the proposal. Outreach allows the farmer to share his/her project outcomes with the greater farming community.
For more information, visit SARE.
