Explore sustainable farming funding opportunities in free SARE webinar

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. - Are you trying to find a source of funds to use on your farm to compare the sustainability of one production or marketing practice to another? Would some additional funds facilitate your efforts to teach youth about sustainable practices?

North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NCR-SARE) grants can be one source of funds for these and related purposes.

Purdue Extension-Hancock County and Indiana SARE will offer a free webinar for those interested in applying for a SARE grant. The webinar takes places Oct. 20 from 10 a.m. to noon EDT. Even those who have never applied for a grant before are encouraged to participate.

The webinar, Funding Opportunities for Farmers and Others, will provide an introduction to current grants, applicant eligibility and how to apply for funding.

The goal of the webinar is to help potential Indiana applicants learn more about these funding sources, how to apply and perhaps increase their chances of success.

NCR-SARE has several open calls for proposals related to the broad topic of sustainable agriculture.

Current grants include:

* 2018 Farmer Rancher Grant program: Proposals are due Dec. 7.

* 2018 Youth Educator Grant Program: Proposals are due Nov. 2.

* 2018 Partnership Grant Program: Proposals are due Oct. 26.

Each of these grants can provide thousands of dollars to successful applicants for advancing research and/or educational outreach or efforts to educate youth about some aspect of sustainable agriculture.

To participate in the webinar, log on to the WebEx meeting room at https://purdue.webex.com/meet/rballard on Oct. 20. There is no need to register in advance.

Participants viewing from home or office should log on to the site ahead of time to assess their connection and to make sure they have downloaded any necessary software.

If you don’t have computer access, call ahead and organizers will provide a phone number to call in.

If you have questions about how to take part in the webinar, contact Roy Ballard, Purdue Extension-Hancock County educator and Indiana SARE state coordinator, at 317-462-1113 or by email at rballard@purdue.edu.

The session will be recorded and made available for later use via a web connection.

NCR-SARE will host a separate webinar on applying for a Farmer Rancher Grant on Oct. 17 from 6-7:30 p.m. Joan Benjamin, associate regional coordinator, will host the webinar. To participate, go to https://bit.ly/2g8frFs.

More information about NCR-SARE grants can be found at https://bit.ly/2xdzWpW.

An updated tutorial and PowerPoint on applying for the 2018 Farmer Rancher Grants can be found at: https://bit.ly/2yGAHcf.

There have been several changes to the farmer rancher grant application so potential applicants are encouraged to tune into one or both of these presentations.

Updates on these SARE grants and other educational efforts associated with Sustainable agriculture can be obtained by liking and following the new Indiana SARE Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/IndianaSARE/. 

Writer: Darrin Pack, 765-494-8415, dpack@purdue.edu 

Source: Roy Ballard, 317-462-1113, rballard@purdue.edu

Agricultural Communications: (765) 494-8415;
Shari Finnell, Manager/Media Relations and Public Information, sfinnell@purdue.edu  
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