Northeast SARE Farmer Grants – Apply Now

Northeast SARE Farmer Grants are intended for farm business owners and managers who would like to explore new sustainable production and marketing practices, often through an experiment, trial or on-farm demonstration. Reviewers look for innovation, potential for improved sustainability and results that will be useful to other farmers.

 

Northeast SARE will host a Farmer Grant webinar on Oct. 10 from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m. Carol Delaney, grant program coordinator, will provide information on program eligibility, how to apply, types of projects SARE funds, allowable expenses and more. The webinar is free. To register, visit https://go.uvm.edu/farmergrant19. To request a disability-related accommodation to participate, contact Debra Heleba at (802) 651-8335, ext. 552, by Oct. 3.

 

Farmer Grant projects must be conducted in Connecticut, Delaware, Massachusetts, Maryland, Maine, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont, West Virginia or Washington, D.C. Awards are capped at $15,000 and projects may address the wide range of issues that affect farming in the Northeast. To search topics that SARE has previously funded, please access the national database of projects at projects.sare.org/search-projects.

 

Applicants must work with a technical advisor—typically a Cooperative Extension educator, Natural Resources Conservation Service staff, nonprofit organization employee, private crop consultant, veterinarian or other service provider—who provides support and advice to the farmer applicant. 

 

Northeast SARE, which is funded by the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture, offers competitive grants and sustainable agriculture education. 

Hear About it Straight from a Farmer

Leah Penniman of Soul Fire Farm, located in Grafton, NY, was interviewed upon completion of the project. She and her team were able to use a previous $15,000 NESARE Farmer Grant to explore barriers facing the ability for famers to sell to low-income consumers without sacrificing profit. The results of the surveys, interviews, and listening sessions can be found in this resource: Sowing the Seeds of Justice Food Manual.

 

Submit your application by November 27 at the NESARE Website. Contact northeastsare@uvm.edu or Violet Stone, NYS NESARE coordinator, at vws7@cornell.eduor 607-255-9227 with any questions.