The On-Farm Research Grants provide opportunities for agriculture professionals working directly with farmers and ranchers on sustainable agriculture efforts.
Donor Name: Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE)
State: Selected States
County: All Counties
Type of Grant: Grant | Reimbursement
Deadline: 11/22/2024
Size of the Grant: $10,000 to $100,000
Grant Duration: 2 Years
Details:
Funding Information
- On-Farm Research Grant Calls for Proposals open September and grants are awarded in February the following calendar year. On-Farm Research Grant project maximums are $30,000 for two-year projects. It is difficult to extrapolate useable, replicable, practicable data from one-year research.
- On-Farm Research Grants are paid by reimbursement of allowable project expenses.
Allowable Expenses
On-Farm Research Grant funds may be used for the following purposes:
- Costs of sampling and sample analysis. This can include in-field data collection or lab data analysis.
- Renting equipment needed for the project. The rental must not extend beyond the project’s timetable.
- Temporary irrigation and electric fences.
- Materials and supplies needed for the project. The materials and supplies must remain within the scope of the project and be a reasonable request relative to the research being conducted. An example would be the amount of seed needed relative to the size of the research plots.
- Travel needed for the project, which can include lodging, mileage and meals. The travel must relate to the project’s goals/activities.
- Salary of the PI conducting the project. The amount requested must remain within the scope of the project and be a reasonable salary request.
- Hiring labor needed to effectively conduct and complete the project within the proposed timetable. This can include hiring farmer/rancher labor beyond normal farming duties. Hired labor must remain within the scope of the project and be a reasonable salary request.
- Expenses related to the project’s outreach plan. This can include holding a field day, workshop, farm tour or demonstration program; the printing of educational materials, such as fact sheets, manuals or curriculum; or the development of other resources such as apps, webinars or videos. The educational materials developed for the outreach plan must remain within the scope of the work and be a reasonable request. An example would be the amount requested for the printing of educational materials relative to the size of the audience the resource is intended to reach during the life of the project.
- Refreshments at educational events, such as workshops or field days.
Grant Requirements
On-Farm Research Grant proposals must meet the following basic requirements in order to be considered for funding:
- The proposed project focuses on sustainable agriculture practices and techniques to address a particular on-farm issue.
- Applicants must work directly with farmers/ranchers in their profession.
- Applicants must identify at least one farmer/rancher cooperator in the proposed project, and the work must be conducted on farm (either on the cooperator’s farm, or on a research farm with the cooperator’s involvement).
- The farmer/rancher cooperator’s primary occupation must be farming or ranching or they are a part-time producer. They run their own farm alone or with family or partners and have at $1,000 of documented annual income from their operation, as defined by USDA. SSARE also considers proposals with indigenous farmer cooperators who produce for community food systems. These enterprises may be an eligible farmer cooperator where the production activity has an annual value of at least $1,000, even if products are not sold due to cultural factors.
- The proposed project satisfies the requirements of allowable expenses.
- An outreach component is identified in the proposal.
Who Can Apply?
- Agricultural professionals who currently and regularly work with farmers and ranchers are eligible to apply for On-Farm Research Grants. These can be extension specialists; university researchers; government agencies, such as NRCS; NGOs; community organizations; or other groups or individuals, such as ag consultants. An applicant may only submit one proposal per grant cycle.
- On-Farm Research Grants are not open to farmers.
For more information, visit Southern SARE.
