ADVANCING THE FRONTIER
            “Since 1988, the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program has been the go-to USDA grants and outreach program for farmers, ranchers, researchers, and educators who want to develop innovations that improve farm profitability, protect water and land, and revitalize communities.” www.sare.org.
            Illinois has received $1,588, 406 to support 70 projects including 41 producer-led projects. The list of Illinois’ projects from 1888-2008 can be found at http://web.extension.uiuc.edu/smallfarm/sare/.
            The best part of the SARE program is that funded projects have an impact nationwide. Projects provide information on using new production techniques and improving soil quality, share innovations through educators, and help producers achieve higher sales.
            Farmers and ranchers in the North Central Region are invited to submit 2009 grant proposals for projects to explore sustainable agriculture solutions to problems on the farm that emphasize research or education/demonstration. Grants range from $6,000 for individual farmers up to $18,000 for groups of 3 or more farmers. SARE expects to fund about 50 projects in the twelve states of North Central Region.
            The deadline for proposals is Thursday, December 3, 2009 at 4:30 PM. For more information, contact Joan Benjamin, Program Coordinator, at jbenjamin2@uni.edu, 402-472-0809 or contact Deborah Cavanaugh-Grant, Illinois SARE Coordinator, at cvnghgm@illinois.edu, 217-968-5512.
            Just for country folks? Not necessarily. One interesting project highlighted on the SARE website was used in Chicago.” This grant was used by a nonprofit in a Chicago neighborhood that converts vacant lots into community farms. Their project involved building low-tunnel structures that extend the growing season deep into the winter. This group, The Resources Center City Farm, produces a variety of organic vegetables, with roughly half sold at a premium to area restaurants. The other half can then be sold at a discount to low-income families.
Since the tunnels were built in 2004, City Farm workers have been able to raise and sell $3,000 worth of produce each year in the traditionally off-season of November to February. The tunnels are short, long structures made of PVC piping and thick plastic sheets.
Since its inception City Farm has served as an educational site for local, national and international visitors. There were over 400 K-12 age school children from public and private institutions including on-going seminars. Over one hundred college age students visited from a range of disciplines, including local non-profits participating in agricultural programs such as Growing Home and Neighborspace. Also, participating chefs visited to see how products from the low tunnels grow and gave workers feedback on harvesting and preferences for their kitchens. More information can be found at www.sare.org/projects using project number FNC04-518 and ‘full text’.
            New ideas to solve old problems must start somewhere. When you have an idea, look for help and advance the frontier by making your idea into a project to test it out.

Della Moen, Earth Team Volunteer, NRCS/Stephenson Soil and Water Conservation District, an equal opportunity provider and employer, 09/16/09 for publication on 09/26/09 in the Journal Standard, Freeport, Illinois) Della can be reached at info@stephensonswcd.org