Since 1988, SARE has funded over 10,000 farmer-focused grants to improve the sustainability of U.S. agriculture. In the last five years alone, SARE grantees report that thousands of farmers and ranchers have participated in research funded by Southern SARE.
This producer leadership means every SARE grant focuses on innovations that help farmers and ranchers better manage production and market volatility while improving the resilience of American agriculture as a whole.
One of those farmers, Diana Padilla, produces vegetables and lamb in the Rio Grande Valley of Texas, where persistent drought and inflationary pressures have made it challenging to find cost-effective supplemental livestock feed. Hoping to stabilize her bottom line, Padilla secured a Producer Grant from Southern SARE to investigate whether farm-grown moringa oleifera, a rapidly growing, drought resistant tree native to India, could serve as a practical and sustainable feed substitute.
Padilla compared the cost of bringing lambs to market on a diet of pasture and alfalfa pellets with a diet of pasture supplemented with a range of alfalfa/moringa replacement rates. An examination of the costs of production revealed that the moringa supplements:
- Required additional labor to produce and pelletize
- Resulted in a comparable weight gain for lambs
- Showed a slight cost advantage over the alfalfa pellets
Padilla’s initial experiments showed promising results and she plans to continue refining her approach to contribute to the long-term sustainability of her farm. “This study highlights moringa as a feasible, cost-effective alternative to alfalfa for lamb feed,” said Padilla. “If we had to purchase hay, it would be beneficial to grow the moringa because it saves at least one third of the cost of feed [with] no change in weight.” Taste testings were planned to share both the product and project results with potential customers and other producers.
Visit Using an Alternative Feed to Bring Stability in the Face of Drought and Rising Costs for more information on this project.
Using an Alternative Feed to Bring Stability in the Face of Drought and Rising Costs 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.