Author: Sean McGovern

The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program is pleased to announce that Dr. Kristy Borrelli has been hired to serve as its new associate director. Borrelli will lead SARE’s National Reporting, Coordination and Communications Office at the University of Maryland effective November 1, 2021.

As SARE’s associate director, Borrelli will manage communication with regional SARE offices, assist with grant administration and reporting, and facilitate interaction with other programs. The associate director also leads SARE’s national communication team and coordinates the evaluation and communication of SARE’s national impact. She succeeds Dr. Kim Kroll, who is retiring after serving as SARE’s associate director since 1996.

Borrelli, a Penn State University Extension educator specializing in agronomy, currently serves as SARE’s Pennsylvania coordinator and previously served on the Northeast SARE Administrative Council. Prior to her time in Pennsylvania, she was an Extension specialist at the University of Idaho, where she collaborated with a multi-state, NIFA-funded project that examined approaches to climate change in the Pacific Northwest.

Borrelli grew up on a family farm in Upstate New York, received her bachelor’s in environmental biology from SUNY ESF, and her master’s and doctorate in soil science from Washington State University. Her main research and extension focus has been on soil organic matter dynamics in grain-based cropping systems, especially for specialty market crops. She has received multiple SARE grants examining the maintenance of agroecosystem functions, farmer engagement in sustainable agriculture research and service provider networking.

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 best consideration date of 05/14/2021.

The Associate Director for the NRCCO works directly with the SARE National Director to manage many aspects of SARE program coordination and communication. The Associate Director works with the regional offices to ensure project reports are completed and project information is publicly available. The NRCCO also works with national staff to aggregate, evaluate and communicate project results and programmatic impact for the national SARE program. Job responsibilities include communication with regional offices, assisting with grant administration, producing reports, representing SARE at local and national meetings, and facilitating interaction with other programs relevant to sustainable agriculture. The Associate Director also provides leadership for an experienced staff (content coordinator, outreach and promotions coordinator, IT coordinator, multimedia coordinator and a business manager). 

This is a 12-month, full-time professional staff position with a full benefits package provided by the University of Maryland with funding from the USDA. Questions regarding this position should be directed to kkroll@sare.org.

SARE is funded and administered at the national level by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), headquartered in Kansas City, MO. NIFA works cooperatively with four universities that serve as competitively selected regional host institutions. These host institutions fund competitively selected sustainable agriculture research, education, and extension programs in their respective regions. NIFA also funds the competitively selected NRCCO through a cooperative agreement with the NRCCO’s host institution. This office serves a core role to help administer the SARE program, support research and educational functions, and perform program outreach. 

The University of Maryland, College Park, an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer, complies with all applicable federal and state laws and regulations regarding nondiscrimination and affirmative action; all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment. The University is committed to a policy of equal opportunity for all persons and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, physical or mental disability, protected veteran status, age, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, creed, marital status, political affiliation, personal appearance, or on the basis of rights secured by the First Amendment, in all aspects of employment, educational programs and activities, and admissions.

It can be difficult for farmers and ranchers to navigate the wide range of USDA resources and stay up to date with program changes after each Farm Bill. Thanks to the newly updated Building Sustainable Farms, Ranches and Communities, producers, researchers, nonprofits and landowners can easily find USDA programs that can help them achieve their goals. 

Download Building Sustainable Farms, Ranches and Communities

The 101-page guide covers 62 government programs and has been updated to include program updates from the 2018 Farm Bill. Each program listing provides a description of the program’s available resources, information on how to apply, and in some cases, examples of how the funding has been used. The guide also includes basic information on how to design sound projects, find appropriate programs and write grant applications.

“Farmers are hungry for resources to help them get started or answer specific questions. Building Sustainable Farms, Ranches and Communities provides a comprehensive, one-stop-shop to many helpful programs,” says Kerri Ebert, coordinator of the Kansas Center for Sustainable Agriculture and Alternative Crops. 

Building Sustainable Farms, Ranches and Communities is now available as a free download. Free print copies are also available from the National Center for Appropriate Technology’s ATTRA program. To order, email pubs@ncat.org with your request. Don’t forget to include your shipping address. Building Sustainable Farms, Ranches, and Communities was produced through the collaboration of SARE, the Michael Fields Agricultural Institute (MFAI), the National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT), and the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC). Funding was provided by SARE, the Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS) and the McKnight Foundation.

"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 the Field shares how the Brownlees and other SARE grantees are shaping the future of agriculture.

Download SARE's 2019/2020 Report from the Field now.

In 2013, the Brownlees moved back to the family property and started Nightfall Farm, where they graze hogs, turkeys, chickens and sheep for sale through a 50-share CSA, farmers’ markets and local chefs. Recently, the Brownlees identified access to quality meat processing as a barrier to meeting their goals.

So they teamed up with Indiana University specialists and another farmer to obtain a SARE Farmer/Rancher grant to conduct a study on the feasibility of creating a butcher shop to improve direct sales. “We’re trying to be useful to our community here in Indiana,” says Brownlee, who plans to share the business planning documents from their study with other farmers.

Other stories in Report from the Field that demonstrate how SARE grantees are improving the sustainability of U.S. agriculture include:

• Oregon Farmers Grow Winter Squash to Expand Off-Season Sales
• Grazing Cattle and Seeding Perennials to Restore Degraded Rangelands
• Equipping Farmers with Tools to Manage Herbicide-Resistant Weeds
• Urban Farmers Adopt More Efficient Soil Management Practices
• North Dakota Farmers Pursue Soil Stewardship Through Cover Crops
• Field Peas: A New Crop to Replace Fallow and Diversify the Farm
• Using Locally Sourced Wood Chips for Effective Weed Management
• North Carolina Graduate Student Tackles On-Farm Food Waste
• Promoting the Adoption of Interseeding for Increased Sustainability
• Strengthening Interpersonal Relationships On and Off the Farm
• Driving Birds Away from Corn Fields with a Laser Scarecrow
• Balancing Farm Viability with Serving Local Low-Income Families

Download or order your free print copy of 2019/2020 Report from the Field at https://www.sare.org/Report-from-the-Field or by calling (301) 779-1007. 2019/2020 Report from the Field is available in quantity for free to educators for use in educational workshops, classes or tours.