Find out about the latest publications and sustainable agriculture news.
New Video: Building a Local Food Movement
When Congress ended its tobacco support programs in 2000, thousands of tobacco growers in western North Carolina who depended on them were left without a viable way to make a living. “There wasn’t a real future for the farms in our region if we didn’t come up with something new,” says Charlie Jackson, the executive […]
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 […]
Our Farms, Our Future Podcast: Nourishing Communities
Sustainable agriculture is a way of life for rancher Jim Freeburn and farmer Hannah Smith-Brubaker. On this episode of SARE’s Our Farms, Our Future podcast they talk about what sustainable agriculture means to them and the impact it has on local communities and economies. Listen to or download the episode now Freeburn, who ranches in Wyoming, stresses […]
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 […]
Our Farms, Our Future Podcast: The Fight for Equal Rights in Agriculture
Barbara Norman and Savi Horne The latest episode of SARE’s Our Farms, Our Future podcast features Savi Horne, the executive director of the Land Loss Prevention Project in North Carolina in conversation with third-generation Michigan blueberry farmer Barbara Norman on breaking down barriers of entry for farmers of color as they fight for access to […]
Our Farms, Our Future Podcast: Serving Our Land
David Paulk and Margo Hale For some veterans, farming provides an opportunity to work outside, be their own boss, and heal while making a connection with the land. In the latest episode of SARE’s Our Farms, Our Future podcast, veteran David Paulk shares some of the uncertainties and lack of resources he faced when starting Sassafrass […]
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 Podcast: Production on Pasture
Greg Brann and Robin Way The latest episode of SARE’S Our Farms, Our Future podcast series features two master livestock grazers who discuss the advantages and disadvantages of marketing and raising animals sustainably. Greg Brann runs grass-fed cattle and sheep on his 220-acre farm in southern Kentucky. Brann discusses his experiences raising animals with Robin Way, who […]
Our Farms Our Future Podcast: Making a Difference–Teaching Sustainability
Xiaochi (Max) Ma and Krista Jacobsen This week’s episode of SARE’s Our Farms, Our Future podcast series features University of Kentucky professor and agroecologist Krista Jacobsen and Xiaochi (Max) Ma, a Washington State University graduate student, who share techniques for teaching undergraduates about emerging sustainable practices and their critical environmental impact. Listen to or download the […]
SARE, NACAA Announce 2018 Sustainable Agriculture Fellow Candidates
SARE and NACAA are proud to announce the induction of four leading Extension educators into the ranks of the SARE/NACAA Sustainable Agriculture Fellows Program. Announced in July at the 2018 National Association of County Agricultural Agents (NACAA) Annual Meeting and Professional Improvement Conference in Chattanooga, Tenn., the new Fellow Candidates are: Jessica A. Kelton, Alabama Cooperative […]
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 […]
Reflections of a SARE Fellow
The 2014-2016 cadre of SARE Fellows visited numerous farms in Arkansas, Nebraska, Idaho, and West Virginia to study sustainable agricultural practices. The Fellows themselves were from Florida, Maine, Missouri, and Washington; they overlapped with eight other Fellows who were either starting or ending their two-year study period. The various locations visited, diverse enterprises studied, and range […]
New: Improve Resilience and Stability With Farmers’ Guide to Business Structures
Selecting the right business entity for your farm is like building the foundation of a house. Without the right foundation, the house will falter. Choosing an appropriate business structure encourages you to follow good business practices in accounting and decision-making, and it protects your personal assets should your farm get into financial trouble. SARE’s newest […]
SARE Fellows Visit Oregon
Every year since 2007, USDA’s Sustainable Agriculture Research and Extension program (SARE) and the National Association of County Agriculture Agents (NACAA) has offered a national Fellows program. The program is designed for Extension faculty who are interested in learning more about sustainable agriculture in different parts of the country. Eight Fellows, two from each of […]
Our Farms Our Future Podcast: Quality of Life In Farming Communities
Beth Nelson and Doug Constance The next episode of our podcast series, Our Farms, Our Future, centers on quality of life in farming communities. Listen to or download the episode now. As the quality-of-life representative for Southern SARE’s administrative council and as a professor of sociology, Doug Constance is constantly thinking about how current policies, cultural […]
Using Flowering Insectary Borders to Boost Natural Enemies
Beneficial insects play an important role in managing insect pests and pollinating crops, but they struggle to thrive in and around farms that have low plant diversity and rely mainly on tillage. Routine soil disturbances and low plant diversity can mean fewer prey, shelter and plant-based resources available to support natural enemies, especially early in […]
Cultivating Partnerships: Building Farm-Research Networks for Improved Physical Weed Control
Managing and controlling weeds can be a challenge and a frustration for farmers, no matter the farm size or crop. Associate professor of horticulture at Michigan State University, Daniel Brainard, knows that weed management represents a major barrier to sustainable production of both field and vegetable crops. Brainard has been researching new tools and techniques […]
Cover Crops and Water Quality Resources Available
Barges carrying agricultural products aren’t the only traffic on the Mississippi River. Nutrients and sediment from across the Mississippi River Basin travel down the river until reaching the Gulf, where they linger and create low oxygen "dead zones" in which many fish cannot survive. Find out how cover crops can help! Monitoring of the Gulf […]
SARE Communications Director Andy Clark is Retiring
Please join us in thanking SARE Communications Director Andy Clark for 23 years of service and leadership to SARE and sustainable agriculture as he retires on June 29. Thank you! Andy joined SARE in June 1995 to coordinate the newly formed SARE Outreach office, known in those days as the Sustainable Agriculture Network (SAN). Under […]