News

In Pennsylvania, switchgrass has emerged as a promising new crop for family farms. This perennial grass thrives on rocky, untillable land, requires minimal maintenance and reduces soil erosion. But a key challenge to expanding production has been the lack of stable markets and cost-effective methods of processing switchgrass for high-value applications like poultry bedding. In […]

For the Western family, farming is more than a livelihood—it’s a legacy of perseverance, stewardship, and deep-rooted pride. As one of Iowa’s pioneering Black farm families, the Westerns are featured in a new episode of America’s Heartland, produced in partnership with SARE, for their commitment to sustainable agriculture and generational resilience. Brothers Todd, Christopher, and […]

At Southern Valley Fruit and Vegetable Farm, Kent Hamilton and his daughter Courtney Hamilton Griffin are doing more than growing produce—they’re creating a legacy of sustainability and innovation. In a new episode of America’s Heartland, produced in partnership with SARE, the Hamilton family shares how their Georgia farm is evolving to meet the growing challenges […]

Guam’s farmers often rely on hand weeding or gas trimmers to control fast-growing weeds in citrus, papaya and pepper crops. These methods can be expensive and time consuming, so one innovative farmer is instead trying sheet mulching as a cost-effective method to control weeds. Sheet mulching involves layering various sources of organic waste materials on […]

Farmers are often reluctant to risk investments of time or money to adopt research-based conservation practices on their farms. In southern Wisconsin, a creative approach to fostering informal, farmer-led learning opportunities has been key to encouraging farmers to adopt cost-cutting grazing and cover cropping practices that successfully decrease soil erosion and waterway contamination. Dane County […]

Southern New England’s climate offers ideal conditions for producing bay scallops—a sustainable seafood option that also diversifies aquaculture enterprises. However, an important challenge in bay scallop farming is access to nursery systems that can efficiently raise scallops to maturity before transferring them to grow-out environments. With support from a Northeast SARE Farmer grant, Dr. Daniel […]

Without access to processing facilities, Midwestern specialty crop farmers often miss out on the opportunity to transform their surplus harvests into shelf-stable, value-added products that bring in revenue year round. Jeanine Seabrook, founder and owner of Glass Rooster Cannery in central Ohio, received two North Central SARE Farmer Rancher grants to partner with local farmers […]