Previous Story
Agriculture research grants available
|
Posted on May 14 2004
More than $2.5 million in grant dollars targeting research into sustainable agriculture will be disbursed in the latest round of funding from the Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program, or Western SARE.
In addition, the size of grants available directly to farmers and ranchers has been increased to $10,000 from $7,500 for individual producers and to $20,000 from $15,000 for groups of three or more producers.
The $2.5 million is nearly four times the $700,000 in annual grants made when Utah State University began hosting the Western SARE program 10 years ago.
“This continual funding increase reflects the acceptance and growth of the concepts of sustainable agriculture in government and among agricultural researchers and procedures,” said Phil Rasmussen, Western SARE coordinator and a USU soil scientist. “The fruits of sustainable research can be found on farms and ranches across the West.”
Western SARE, one of four SARE regions, encompasses 13 Western states and four U.S. territories in the Pacific, including the CNMI.
Its goals are to support research that helps agriculture be more profitable and environmentally responsible and that sustains the quality of life for producers and their communities.
Since the program began in 1988, Western SARE has fund more than 700 projects worth $30.5 million.
Western SARE Farmer-Rancher grant proposals are due Oct. 1, Research and Education pre-proposals are due June 7 and Professional Development Program proposals are due Oct. 15.
For more information or to obtain a copy of the call for proposals in each grant category, visit the Western SARE Web site at http://wsare.usu.edu or call (435) 797-2257.
