Extension Funding Opportunities Through NC SARE

by Rick Koelsch

North Central Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NC SARE) runs multiple competitive grant programs that may be of interest to faculty with an applied research or extension interest. NC SARE emphasizes outreach/engagement and farmer involvement (both in proposed projects and review panels), two features that should give Extension faculty a unique advantage. Rick Rasby and his team utilized these advantages in a recently announced $198,000 grant award.

NC SARE funds three priorities: 1) profit for the long-term, 2) stewardship of natural resources, and 3) quality of life improvements in communities.  While many equate organic agriculture with sustainable agriculture, organic projects comprise only 10 to 15% of the funding portfolio.  NC SARE funds a array of topics including soil/water/nutrient stewardship, local foods and urban agriculture initiatives, clean energy, sustainable pest management, crop diversification, and forage and grassland management. .

The NC SARE program offers competitive funding opportunities in five areas.  A quick summary follows and more information is found at  http://www.northcentralsare.org/Grants/Our-Grant-Programs .

Professional Development Program (pre-proposals due in mid-May)

• Funds professional development for "agricultural educators" including extension, natural resource agency, and non-government organization staff. 
• Funds requests for up to $75,000.
• Tapan Pathak has recently been successful with a project addressing agriculture adapting to a changing climate.

Research and Education Program (Pre-proposals due on October 24, 2013)

• Funds requests for up to $200,000.
• All research projects must have an outreach emphasis.
• Rick Rasby's successful proposal targets Impacts of Grazing and Baling of Corn Residue.

Farmer and Rancher Program (Proposals due on November 14, 2013)

• Grants range for $7,500 to $22,500 are made directly to farmers and ranchers.
• Target farmer proposed sustainable solutions to problems through on-farm research and demonstration.
• Must include outreach component with Extension encouraged as a partner.
• A Nebraska  producer recently received funding to determine the feasibility of integrating oil seed production into the existing rotation, processing the oil seed into food-grade oil for local resturant use, and retrieving used oil for re-use as bio-diesel.

Youth Educator Program (Proposals due on November 1, 2013)

• Targets educators working with youth on sustainable agriculture concepts.
• Grants are for up to $2,000.
• An Urban Farmers Program in a Lincoln middle school was funded to connect children to the soil and the origins of their food. 

Graduate Student Grant Program (Proposals typically due in the spring)

• Grant awards can be up to $10,000.
• Encourages graduate student connections with  on-farm research experiences.
• Two East Campus graduate students received funding for projects addressing Management of CRP Lands and Agronomic Benefits of Cover Crop Mix Diversity.

NC SARE provides many unique funding opportunties for Extension. Many of the UNL Extension Signature Outcomes addressing water conservation, soil health, agricultural literacy, professional development for natural resource issues, on-farm measures of sustainability, on-farm research, and nutrient management are a potential fit with NC SARE funding opportunities.  Visit with Gary Lesoing, Nebraska's SARE contact person, or myself about your ideas for pursuing SARE funding.

What Is UNL Extension’s Role in “Sustainable” Agriculture?

by Rick Koelsch
 

The term “Sustainability” as it relates to agriculture is in a transition.  The term is taking on a new and broader meaning as the term is applied to both conventional and traditionally defined sustainable agricultural approaches. This blog will focus on a couple of trends related to “sustainable” agriculture and start a discussion about the role of UNL Extension in future education on this topic.

The term “sustainability” is increasingly being applied to all forms of agriculture.  The vast array of writings addressing the challenges of feeding a world with 9 billion people asks difficult questions about our ability to feed a world with a limited natural resource base. The Chicago Council on Global Affairs (co-chaired by Catherine Bertini, former executive director for the UN World Food Program, and Dan Glickman, former Secretary for USDA) discusses this challenge in “Advancing Global Food Security:  The Power of Science, Trade, and Business” (http://www.thechicagocouncil.org/files/About_Us/Press_Releases/FY13_Releases/2013_Symposium_Report_Global_Food_Security.aspx).  The report recommends the need to forge a new science targeting “Sustainable Intensification” of agriculture which would create agricultural systems that utilizes modern scientific strategies to produce foods measured by their ability to 1) improve nutritional qualities, 2) efficiently use land and other inputs, 3) improve human health, 4) adapt to climate change, 5) reduce environmental impact, and 6) reduce food waste.

The 2013 Commodity Classic gathering of the leadership for the major crop commodity associations focused on theme of Sustainability.  The presidents of Corn, Soybeans, Wheat and Grain Sorghum national associations all touted the importance of their industry engaging in a discussion of sustainability and defining systems and practices to improve sustainability. Since then the United Soybean Board has announced the “U.S. Soybean Sustainability Assurance Protocol” which establishes the processes and practices for the U.S. soy industry to ensure international customers of U. S. farmers’ sustainable soybean production (see http://www.unitedsoybean.org/media-center/releases/u-s-soy-organizations-demonstrate-commitment-to-sustainability-with-assurance-protocol/ for more information).

Field to Market (http://www.fieldtomarket.org/), a coalition of commodity groups, industry supply chain businesses, and environmental NGOs, has published a collaboratively developed tool to measure sustainability for major U.S. commodity crops.  The coalitions “Fieldprint Calculator” is designed to measure sustainability using six indicators (five shown in Figure below plus a new water quality indicator). Randy Pryor and a group of about 20 corn producers participated in a pilot of this tool 3 years ago.

 

For better copy of graphic, refer to page 11 of Summary Report in "Field to Market National Report" (http://www.fieldtomarket.org/news/2013/238/).

 

So what is UNL Extension’s role in this effort to apply “Sustainability” to commercial agriculture?  Here are a few thoughts to which I hope others will add their own:

• Should Extension faculty invest professional development time in understanding methods being used to define and measure sustainability of agricultural systems?  The Fieldprint Calculator might be one method worth gaining familiarity.

• Would Extension educators be willing to identify 10 of their top crop farmers to use the Fieldprint Calculator on one field and share that information among the group of 10.  What might be learned of 10 educators each with 10 crop producers gatherer this data in 2014?

• Should we engage these same industry leaders in some challenging discussions around topics such as 1) the value gained from this exercise; 2) what carrots will be needed to engage their peers; 3) how is this exercise viewed in relation to the future of their industry?

• As we discuss the issue of “Feeding a World with 9 Billion People”, is a key role for UNL Extension to introduce Nebraska agricultural producers to the concept of “sustainability intensification” of agricultural systems?

So how would you propose including sustainability in future UNL Extension programs targeting food systems?