August 18, 1999
EDITORS AND COLLEAGUES:
This news release was distributed by mail in July 1999. Please further
distribute this information electronically or in print.
A state-by-state table of Western SARE awards follows the news release. If
the formatting of the table does not translate well into your e-mail
software, refer to the attached document in MS Word format for the same
information.
Thank you for your help in distributing this.
--Kristen Kelleher, Western SARE Communications
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News FOR RELEASE: July 1999
Contact:
Kristen Kelleher, communications specialist
(530) 752-5987; kkelleher@ucdavis.edu
SUSTAINABLE AGRICULTURE GRANT AWARDS IN EVERY WESTERN STATE IN 1999
All Western states in the region receive SARE grants.
Significant work funded in the Pacific Islands
Logan, UT - Capping more than a decade of history and looking toward
the new century, competitive grant awards for 1999 have been announced by
the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Western Sustainable Agriculture
Research and Education (Western SARE) program. The multi-million dollar
effort will support new research, education and professional development
projects in every Western state and nearly every Pacific Island
Protectorate.
Among $1.9 million in grants region-wide, a total of more than
$500,000 was awarded to Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa and Micronesia to
attack agricultural and environmental challenges in the Pacific Islands.
"The outstanding work proposed by scientists, educators and
producers in the Pacific Islands was selected after rigorous technical
review and was ranked against excellent projects from throughout the
region," said Phil Rasmussen, regional coordinator of Western SARE and a
soil scientist at Utah State University.
"Without a doubt, this is a clear return on the program's outreach
investment to include these people and experts in Western U.S. sustainable
agriculture efforts," Rasmussen said.
The number and caliber of proposals from Native American communities
is also steadily growing.
After final contract negotiations and USDA approval, awards will be
disbursed to universities, farmers and ranchers and organizations to further
knowledge and adoption of agricultural practices that are profitable,
environmentally sound and supportive of rural communities.
Among selected grants, a fifth of the projects investigate or
educate professionals about sustainable practices for cattle ranching, goat
and sheep production. There are also a range of community development and
farmland preservation activities in Colorado, Idaho, Micronesia and Nevada.
The rest of the projects expand knowledge of soil quality and cover
cropping, disease and pest control, specialized crops for new enterprises or
to diversify operations, dairy waste management, organic production
practices in California and Washington, and marketing strategies in the
tropics, among other topics.
Specifically, more than $1.2 million was awarded to sustainable
agriculture research and education projects; about $340,000 was allocated to
professional education efforts for extension and other agricultural
personnel; and just over $144,000 was split among 35 farmer- and rancher-led
projects in the Western U.S.
In addition, another $170,000 will be split among state Cooperative
Extension programs in the West to further state-level activities for
sustainable agriculture professional development.
Grant applicants submitted proposals that were ranked on their merit
and potential for achievement. Reviewers included scientists, extension
professionals, producers, and public and private sector representatives from
all areas of the Western region. At least half of the review panels for the
farmer/rancher grants were producers.
Since 1988 through federal fiscal 1999, the U.S. Congress has
allocated more than $103.3 million to the SARE effort; Western SARE has
received $23.2 million in funds.
The SARE program, which was authorized by Congress in the 1990 and
1996 Farm Bills, is managed in the West by an Administrative Council. The
committee of scientists, producers and administrators represent a variety of
interests and provide local leadership to research and training efforts. It
operates in cooperation with the USDA SARE office and the Cooperative State
Research, Education and Extension Service.
Utah State University is host to the SARE program in the Western
region, which includes Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho,
Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Oregon, Utah, Washington, Wyoming and the
Island Protectorates of American Samoa, Guam, Micronesia and the Northern
Mariana Islands.
The next competitive grants cycle (which concludes in 2000) recently
began in early July 1999. Potential grant applicants should contact the host
office at (435) 797-2257 or wsare@mendel.usu.edu to get calls for proposals,
or go to http://wsare.usu.edu/ to down-load the application documents.
###
Western SARE 1999 Grant Awards
By Western State or Island
State Grant Recipient Award Subject
Alaska Bob Boyd, producer $6,078 Late Blight Forecasting
Total Funding for Alaska $6,078
American Naotala Toli, producer $1,400 Canco
Hill Screen House
Samoa Ioelu Seve, producer $3,225 Tilapia Farm
Mark Kneubuhl, producer $1,500 Leone Greenhouse
Matautu Tagoilelagi, producer$2,463 Fruit Trees
Juan Chan, producer $4,500 Self-sustaining Swine
Roseline Liu, producer $1,600 Banana Scab Moth
Total Funding for American Samoa $14,688
ArizonaWoodie Jodie, producer $5,000 Flour Corn Farming
Total Funding for Arizona $5,000
California Steve Temple,
University of California, Davis $153,962 Transition to
Organic
Krishna Subbarao,
University of California, Davis $145,750 Broccoli
Rotations
Charmaine Harris, producer $4,300 Reusing Dairy Waste
Dana Merrill, producer $10,000 Central Coast
Vineyards
Total Funding for California $314,012
Colorado Abdel Berrada,
Colorado State University $142,380 Dryland Cropping
Lonnie Jackson, producer $2,733 Hydraulic Windmill
Pump
Steve Keller, producer $3,550 Sustainable
Sheep
Jeff Jones,
American Farmland Trust* $66,195 Land Use and Protection*
Total Funding for Colorado $214,858
Guam Robert Schlub,
University of Guam $16,000 Sustainability
Education
Mari Manitani,
University of Guam $132,100 Nitrogen Fixing
David Nelson, producer $3,950 Tropical Mushrooms
Loella Armstrong, producer $6,000 Improving Goat Manag.
Total Funding for Guam $158,050
Hawaii Janice Uchida,
Office of Research Services $148,700 Agronomic Research
Clyde Fukuyana,
Hawaii Ag Research Center $85,134 Natural Vegetable Prod.
Michael Strong, producer $5,000 Disinfecting Lychee
Liloa Willard, producer $2,100 Flower Induction
David Rotstein, producer $5,000 Palm Sprouts System
Total Funding for Hawaii $245,934
Idaho George Davis, producer $3,890 Water Diversion Gate
Richard Nathanson, producer $4,200 Predatory Mites
Mir Seyedbagheri,
Elmore County Extension* $10,000 Community Approach, Ag*
Total Funding for Idaho $18,090
MontanaJess Alger, producer $4,578 No-till Wheat
Jack McCuin, producer$10,000 Range Monitoring
Helen Atthowe,
Missoula Co Ext Service* $22,483 Master Gardener Program*
Marcy Mahr,
Alternative Energy Res Org* $65,000 Ranch & Farm
Improvement*
Total Funding for Montana $102,061
Nevada Tom Filbin, producer $3,000 Alfalfa for Grazing
Susan Donaldson,
University of Nevada Coop Ext* $80,400 Teaching
Small Acreage Owners*
Total Funding for Nevada $83,400
New
Mexico Cathy Hope, producer $5,000 Solar Greenhouses
James Dangler, producer $4,000 Bat Predation
Fatou Gueye, producer$1,760 Strawberries as Wind Barrier
Total Funding for New Mexico $10,760
Oregon John Luna,
Oregon State University $83,929 Insectary Plantings
Daniel McGrath,
Oregon State University $49,997 Soil Assessment
Rob Heater, producer $7,786 Strip-till Systems
Paul Atkinson, producer $3,101 Pasture and Livestock
Total Funding for Oregon $144,813
Palau Kesewaol Bishop, producer $3,500 Rehabilitation of
Savannah
Lolita Ragus,
College of Micronesia$27,564 Marketing Strategy
Robert Bishop,
Palau Comm. Action Agency* $50,762 Learning through
Practice*
Manuel Duguies,
University of Guam* $47,540 Improving Growth for
Swine*
Total Funding for Palau $129,366
Utah David Vagnoni,
Utah State University$108,755 Lactating Dairy Cows
Mary Tso, producer $4,000 Hovenweep Reseeding
Mike Shepherd, producer $4,992 Poultry Wastes
Total Funding for Utah $117,747
Wash. David Horton,
USDA Ag Research Service $110,497 Pears, Mating
Disruption
Mike Miller, producer$3,817 Asparagus Cover Crops
Terry Swagerty, producer $1,732 Grasshoppers in Trees
Rebecca Thistlethwaite, producer $1,750 Solar
Greenhouses
Del Wisdom, producer $3,000 Burdock, Organic Prod.
Total Funding for Washington $120,796
WyomingRick March, producer $3,500 Alfalfa for Ranches
Total Funding for Wyoming $3,500
* These projects have a specific goal to provide professional development
opportunities for Extension and
Natural Resources Conservation Service personnel, and other agricultural
professionals.
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