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The Value of Farming with Community
Shakera and Juan Raygoza talk about why their bonds with local consumers, families, schools, agricultural educators and other farmers are beneficial for both them and for the community where they live and farm. They operate Terra Preta Farm on 15 acres in Edinburg, Texas, where they grow organic radishes for wholesale markets and run a […]
Managing Stress
Farming and ranching is stressful business. One key metric of a production system's social sustainability is its capacity to provide farmers and ranchers with a quality of life that provides for one of their most basic human needs - good mental health. Sustaining the Human Spirit in Farm Country By Raylene Nickel A course in […]
SARE Fellows Examine Sustainable Range Management
After a two-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic, SARE Fellows recently reconvened to examine sustainable practices used in five crop and livestock production systems in Wyoming’s Bighorn Mountains.
Scaling Up Your Vegetable Farm for Wholesale Markets
For direct market farmers, expanding your operation to capture local and regional wholesale markets can represent an opportunity. But such a shift brings with it many changes to how you run your farm because the expectations that wholesale buyers have is much different than your direct market customers. Scaling Up Your Vegetable Farm for Wholesale […]
Farmer-Focused Innovations Funded by SARE
“Institutionalized food is the forgotten part of the food revolution,” says Ann Swanson, talking about the lack of fresh produce available from local institutions in her community of Champaign–Urbana, IL. Inspired, Swanson used a SARE Farmer/Rancher grant to create new opportunities for local farmers, launch a series of educational classes and expand institutional capacity to […]
Reaching Women in Agriculture: A Guide to Virtual Engagement
This guide brings together information, tips and tools to deliver effective and engaging online (and hybrid) education for farm and ranch women on topics related to farm viability, resilience and conservation. While COVID-19-related restrictions issued in 2020 that curbed in-person gatherings were the impetus for developing this resource, online offerings can help address barriers—travel time […]
Understanding and Measuring Social Sustainability
This SARE brief defines social sustainability and illustrates how it can be addressed more clearly in SARE projects. Sample projects and quality of life indicators are provided to help grant-seekers and reviewers think broadly about understanding, measuring and describing the social impacts of research and education projects.
2021–2022 Report from the Field
Report from the Field features 12 stories from around the country of recent SARE grantees who are finding new ways to improve the sustainability of U.S. agriculture. The report also summarizes our total investment in research and education projects since 1988.
SARE Video Dives into the Economics of Sustainable Agriculture
While most agricultural profit models focus on maximizing yields in the short term, sustainable strategies prioritize profitable returns over the long term. SARE’s "The Economics of Sustainable Agriculture" animation describes how practices such as crop rotation and reduced tillage can improve an operation's bottom line sustainably. The newest episode in SARE’s “What is Sustainable Agriculture?” series provides […]
New SARE Video Centers on Social Sustainability
SARE's new "Social Sustainability" animation addresses the importance of human resilience, success and fulfillment in sustainable agriculture. The fourth episode in SARE’s “What is Sustainable Agriculture?” series introduces key components of social sustainability in agriculture and illustrates strategies that can help farmers and ranchers succeed. Agriculture is a dangerous and demanding way of life, and […]
New "Conservation Tillage and Soil Health" Video from SARE
The newest episode of SARE’s “What is Sustainable Agriculture?” animation series illustrates how many producers are retiring conventional tillage equipment and turning to conservation tillage to improve soil health and productivity. “Conservation Tillage and Soil Health” provides a short, animated outline of the basic principles of conservation tillage that can be used to introduce or […]
New “Cover Crops and Soil Health” Video from SARE
The newest episode of SARE’s "What is Sustainable Agriculture" animation series illustrates how producers can use cover crops to improve productivity and sustainability. In just a few short minutes, “Cover Crops and Soil Health” outlines how cover crops can build soil structure, protect water quality, suppress pests and improve a farm's bottom line. Combining cover […]
What is Sustainable Agriculture?
Farmers and researchers are working together to develop and implement agricultural practices that increase profitability, quality of life and environmental stewardship. SARE's new series of short animated videos illustrate how producers can improve the success and health of their farms by implementing sustainable practices. The eight “What is Sustainable Agriculture?” videos are useful and engaging […]
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 […]
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 […]
30 Years of SARE: Our Farms, Our Future
30 Years of SARE: Our Farms, Our Future tells the story of thousands of men and women who have led SARE and received SARE grants. They have one objective in common: making American agriculture stronger, more sustainable and better equipped to face the challenges of today and tomorrow.
Bringing Independent Farmers into the Marketplace
Small- and mid-sized farms are increasingly turning to supermarkets as a means to earn more for their products and to participate in local economies. In this video, Diana Endicott discusses how she decided to take this route 15 years ago when it was less typical, and how her efforts have resulted in a 100-member co-op today that sells to 30 stores in the Kansas City area.
Building a Local Food Movement
Over the last few decades, agriculture in western North Carolina has transformed from a reliance on tobacco to a diversified, self-sustaining industry intertwined with local communities and economies. In this video, learn how one organization has worked alongside local farmers and communities to support this transformation.
Investing in the Future of Agriculture: How SARE Supports Farmer-Driven Sustainability
The most pressing challenges that face U.S. agriculture today require science-based solutions developed by partnerships of farmers, ranchers, researchers and educators. Discover how the SARE program enables such partnerships to flourish and meet the needs of agricultural communities across the country.
Our Farms, Our Future Podcast Series
The Our Farms, Our Future podcast series brings together the sustainable agriculture community for thought-provoking conversations about the state of agriculture, how we got here, and where we're headed.