Founded in 1988, SARE recently celebrated the milestone of funding 10,000 farmer-focused grants to improve the sustainability of U.S. agriculture. Since 2021, over 98,600 producers have gained new knowledge and skills as a result of participating in a SARE grant. And over 29,400 producers have changed a production or marketing practice.
The key to SARE’s success is simple: Every SARE grant requires engagement from local farmers and ranchers to ensure that it helps American producers solve their most pressing problems.
In the arid Southwest, degraded soil quality and irregular rainfall make it increasingly difficult for many ranchers to provide their herds with adequate and reliable supplies of forage. Zachary Withers, co-owner of Polk’s Folly Farm in Cedar Crest N.M., used a Western SARE Farmer/Rancher grant to examine whether applying compost could help his soil retain more rainfall, reduce erosion and improve forage production. Withers partnered with fellow rancher Emily Cornell of Sol Ranch and a team of technical advisors to compare the impact of different compost application rates on soil health and forage quality over the course of two years.
"I think the most consistent and positive results we got were in water infiltration,” Withers said. “The ability of the soil to absorb water dramatically increased." The SARE grant also enabled Withers to share his project findings with others. As part of his project, he hosted a field day which informed 32 other local ranchers and service providers about soil moisture management strategies.
Visit Ranchers Turn to Compost to Improve Soils and Boost Forage Production for more information on this project.
Ranchers Turn to Compost to Improve Soils and Boost Forage Production is just one of 12 stories featured in SARE’s 2025/2026 Report from the Field. Download or order your free print copy at https://sare.org/report or by calling (301) 779–1007. 2025/2026 Report from the Field is available in quantity for free to educators for use in educational workshops, classes or tours.
For information on grants and resources available from SARE, visit www.sare.org.