North Central

Showing 41-60 of 285 results

What is Sustainable Agriculture Animation Episode 4

New SARE Video Centers on Social Sustainability

SARE's new "Social Sustainability" animation addresses the importance of human resilience, success and fulfillment in sustainable agriculture. The fourth episode in SARE’s “What is Sustainable Agriculture?” series introduces key components of social sustainability in agriculture and illustrates strategies that can help farmers and ranchers succeed. Agriculture is a dangerous and demanding way of life, and […]

SARE logo featuring a yellow setting sun and two green hills with contour lines

SARE Seeks Applications for Associate Director Position

The University of Maryland seeks an Associate Director for the National Reporting, Coordination and Communications Office (NRCCO) of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program.  This Associate Director position is appropriate for both experienced and early career professionals. See https://ejobs.umd.edu/postings/82240 for a full job description, responsibilities, qualifications and application guidelines. Submit applications by the […]

Building Soils for Better Crops Cover

Building Soils for Better Crops

The fourth edition of Building Soils for Better Crops—enhanced and expanded—explains how to use ecological principles to build soil health and boost fertility, yields and overall sustainability.

What is Sustainable Agriculture Animation Episode 3

New "Conservation Tillage and Soil Health" Video from SARE

The newest episode of SARE’s “What is Sustainable Agriculture?” animation series illustrates how many producers are retiring conventional tillage equipment and turning to conservation tillage to improve soil health and productivity. “Conservation Tillage and Soil Health” provides a short, animated outline of the basic principles of conservation tillage that can be used to introduce or […]

What is Sustainable Agriculture Animation Episode 2

New “Cover Crops and Soil Health” Video from SARE

The newest episode of SARE’s "What is Sustainable Agriculture" animation series illustrates how producers can use cover crops to improve productivity and sustainability. In just a few short minutes, “Cover Crops and Soil Health” outlines how cover crops can build soil structure, protect water quality, suppress pests and improve a farm's bottom line. Combining cover […]

What is Sustainable Agriculture Episode 1

What is Sustainable Agriculture?

Farmers and researchers are working together to develop and implement agricultural practices that increase profitability, quality of life and environmental stewardship. SARE's new series of short animated videos illustrate how producers can improve the success and health of their farms by implementing sustainable practices. The eight “What is Sustainable Agriculture?” videos are useful and engaging […]

Cover page of Smart Water Use bulletin

Smart Water Use on Your Farm or Ranch

As producers throughout the nation grow increasingly concerned about water scarcity, farmers, ranchers and agricultural educators are beginning to explore new, conservation-oriented approaches to water use.

Image of the cover of A Whole Farm Approach to Managing Pests

New SARE Bulletin Addresses Ecological Approach to Managing Pests

A flock of sheep is vital to the success of one particular vineyard in Winters, California. While many operations struggle to manage weeds, this vineyard used a SARE-funded grant to test grazing sheep as a pest management practice, and they are seeing many whole-farm benefits. The sheep were trained to avoid the grape crop’s leaves […]

Climate Change and Sustainable Agriculture: Curriculum and Handbook

To help educate farmers and agricultural professionals on climate change and agriculture topics, Julie Doll and a team of researchers at the Kellogg Biological Station have developed a handbook and a curriculum as products of a NCR-SARE Professional Development Program grant.

Agroforestry Practices, Planning, and Design

Developed by the The Center for Agroforestry at the University of Missouri in 2013, the Training Manual for Applied Agroforestry Practices and the Handbook for Agroforestry Planning and Design are companion pieces that provide easy-to-use information about agroforestry.

Videos from the Field

SARE, in partnership with Cooking Up A Story, has produced a series of how-to videos showcasing production and marketing practices used by some of the nation’s most successful sustainable farmers and ranchers.

cover image of book

Conservation Tillage Systems in the Southeast: Production, Profitability and Stewardship

“What could be more important to a farmer than soil erosion and soil quality? High-quality soil is a business asset,” says Bob Rawlins, a Georgia farmer who has been using no-till farming for 40 years. SARE’s newest book, Conservation Tillage Systems in the Southeast, explores the importance of conservation tillage and provides in-depth management guidance […]

SARE Funding in Your State

Since 1988, the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program has helped farmers, ranchers, researchers and educators develop cutting edge innovations that improve farm profitability, protect water and land, and revitalize communities. Funded by the United States Department of Agriculture's National Institute for Food and Agriculture, SARE has awarded nearly $300 million to more than 7,300 […]

Cover of Report from the Field 2019-2020

The Future of Agriculture Depends on New Faces and New Ideas

"I grew up on this farm and had no desire to become a farmer,” says Liz Brownlee, talking about a 250-family property near Crothersville, Ind. But eventually, Brownlee and her husband Nate came to see farming as the ideal way to combine a passion for food with an ethic of environmental stewardship. SARE’s 2019/2020 Report from […]

SARE Fellows Tour Sustainability in North Carolina

SARE Fellows Tour Sustainability in North Carolina RALEIGH, North Carolina – Organic sweet potatoes are in high demand in North Carolina, but growers face two major hurdles: weeds and wireworms. North Carolina State University researchers think cover crops might be a solution, and that would make third generation farmer Kelvin Bass a happy man. “I’m tremendously […]

Cover Crop Facts Cover Image

Free Fact Sheets Identify Broad Benefits of Cover Crops

Along with cutting costs and increasing crop productivity, cover crops provide various ecosystem services that benefit the environment both on and off the farm. For instance, adding cover crops to a rotation can significantly increase the portion of the year when living roots are present for soil organisms to feed on, which can have a […]