Showing 241-260 of 260 results
New Video: Bringing Independent Farmers into the Marketplace
Access to profitable retail and wholesale markets is a challenge for small- to mid-scale family farmers. “The days of showing up with your cantaloupes in the back of the pickup are no longer a way to make a living,” says Diana Endicott of Kansas City, Mo. “So you have to be willing to make a […]
New Video: Improving Soil Through Cover Crops
Like many farmers, Jeff Frey sees the soil as his livelihood, so he does what he can to protect and improve this vital resource beneath his feet. "I remember one afternoon we had a thunderstorm that washed mud out into the road and I could actually see some of my freshly planted soybeans in with […]
New Video: How SARE Supports Farmer-Driven Sustainability
There is no universal vision for agricultural sustainability in the United States—every region, every farm may require a different approach to improving livelihoods, protecting the nation’s land and water resources, and strengthening communities. Since its inception in 1988, the SARE program has supported a broad range of innovations in sustainability through its grassroots, farmer-driven grants […]

Building Internal Capacity for the Blackfeet Tribe Agricultural Resource Management Plan
The Blackfeet Tribe, according to Loren BirdRattler, faces exciting and challenging times in terms of achieving food sovereignty through sustainable agriculture practices. An important undertaking in progress – the Blackfeet Agricultural Resource Management Plan (ARMP) – will change agricultural practices on the Blackfeet Reservation for many years to come, as well as the economic futures […]
NAC Index of SARE-Funded Agroforestry Projects Now Online
Photo credit: Shibu Jose, University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry Valuable SARE-funded agroforestry research is now even more accessible to producers and educators across the country thanks to a new online index created by the National Agroforestry Center (NAC) using data from the SARE project database. The NAC index allows users to search SARE-funded agroforestry […]
Our Farms, Our Future Conference Proceedings Now Available Online
“Thank you for organizing what turned out to be my favorite conference,” was one participant’s response to the Our Farms, Our Future Conference held by SARE and NCAT/ATTRA in April of this year. The three-day event featured over 35 different breakout sessions, bringing close to 110 speakers together to share their diverse ideas about the […]

Pueo are Much More than Pest-Management
If you can encourage a threatened native species, help control non-native pests, benefit the state’s farmers and preserve a culturally important icon, you’ve hit an ecological grand slam. That’s exactly what the University of Hawaii’s Melissa Price is trying to do with the islands’ pueo owls. The striking, dark birds are a species of short-eared, […]

New Release: Cultivating Climate Resilience
Texas ranchers Gary and Sue Price began noticing disruptive changes in the weather about 10 years ago, with dry periods getting drier and hot periods getting hotter. So they began making management decisions that would help their ranch adapt. As a result, when the crippling drought of 2011–2012 arrived, they were able to get by. […]

Students Breeds Beans for Organic Farming
Graduate students at the University of California, Davis, have begun field tests on very rare commodities: high-yield, disease-resistant bean varieties that can thrive on organic farms. “Most crops—about 95 percent—have been bred for conventional farming and can be difficult to grow in organic systems,” said Travis Parker, a Ph.D. student in plant biology who is […]
U of MN to Continue as NCR-SARE Host Institution
On February 9th, 2018, USDA-NIFA announced that U of MN will continue to serve as a host institution for NCR-SARE. The story was covered by the University of Minnesota's College of Food, Agricultural and Natural Resource Sciences (CFANS). ------------ U of M Continues as NCR-SARE Host Institution CFANS News, Feb. 13 The U.S. Department of […]

Reducing Medusahead and Preparing the Land for Restoration
"Ranchers are hurting." That one thought is why Kip Panter, Research Animal Scientist at the USDA-ARS in Utah, is passionate about the collaborative work he, other Utah-based researchers, extension professionals, and ranchers have led to restore degraded grasslands. The inspired project team, studying at three ranches, found a “really good economical way to reduce medusahead […]

Prototype Farm Machine Expands Applications in Organic Vegetable Crop Production
LEXINGTON, Kentucky – University of Kentucky researchers have designed, built and tested a low-cost, mechanized system for organic vegetable production to help small-scale growers reduce their labor costs, increase their scale of operations, reduce input costs and increase production compared to conventional organic production practices. In a Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SSARE) On-Farm […]

Fellows Program Gives Extension Agents Insight into Sustaining Iowa's Agriculture
This fall, eight Cooperative Extension agents from around the United States were given a unique training opportunity in Iowa that enhanced their understanding of sustainable agriculture and gave them in-depth exposure to agricultural innovation. The Sustainable Agriculture Fellows program provides Extension Agents from diverse backgrounds with hands-on experience in sustainable agriculture while offering meaningful networking […]
In Memory of Bill Wilcke
Bill Wilcke, image courtesy of the University of Minnesota On November 18, 2013, our dear SARE colleague and friend, Dr. William (Bill) Wilcke, passed away. Bill was born and raised on a small, diversified crop and livestock farm in northwest Iowa. As with many farming families in […]
NCR-SARE Establishes “NCR-SARE Hero Recognition,” Honors Bill Wilcke
Bill Wilcke, photo courtesy of the University of Minnesota NCR-SARE is pleased to announce that William F. Wilcke is the first person to receive the “NCR-SARE Hero Recognition.” Coordinated by the NCR-SARE Alumni Organization, this recognition recognizes the leadership, vision, contributions, and impact that these heroes have made […]
Beth Nelson Named Regional Coordinator and Director for NCR-SARE
Dr. Beth Nelson has been named the Regional Coordinator and Director of Research and Education Programs for the North Central Region of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program (NCR-SARE). Her appointment is effective Monday, July 16, 2012, when she replaced Interim Regional Coordinator Dr. Vance Morey, who was filling in for Dr. Bill Wilcke, […]
The Brilliance of a Scientist: George Washington Carver
NCR-SARE grant recipient and Administrative Council member, Edgar Hicks, and NCR-SARE Administrative Council member, Nancy Williams, recently contributed to a feature about George Washington Carver in Revive Omaha Magazine's Empowerment Edition. -------------------- The Brilliance of a Scientist Through the Carver Grange of Omaha (CarGO) Source: Revive Omaha Magazine, by By No More Empty Pots, Susan Whitfield […]
Vance Morey to Serve as Interim Coordinator for NCR-SARE
NCR-SARE would like to welcome Vance Morey to their staff. Morey has been hired as the Interim Regional Director for the program, replacing Bill Wilcke, who is on disability leave. In addition to serving as the key staff person to the Administrative Council as they develop program goals and make funding decisions, the Regional Director […]
NCR-SARE Hires Beth Nelson to Coordinate R&E and Graduate Student Grant Programs
Beth Nelson has been hired as the Associate Director for the NCR-SARE program, a new position at NCR-SARE. Housed at the University of Minnesota, Saint Paul campus, Nelson will support the NCR-SARE Research and Education and Graduate Student grant programs administratively, and provide leadership for SARE within the region. Prior to coming to her new […]
NCR-SARE Hires Rob Myers to Coordinate PDP Program
The NCR-SARE program would like to welcome Rob Myers to the NCR-SARE staff. Myers has been hired as the Professional Development Program (PDP) Coordinator for the program, replacing Interim PDP Coordinator Linda Kleinschmit and her predecessor, Paula Ford. The PDP coordinator provides leadership for the region’s professional development effort. Myers will work closely with Linda […]