Note to Editors:
Please do not post this announcement after February 15, giving applicants
at least one month to request applications and prepare grant proposals.
News FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 2000
Applicants, contact:
Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (Western SARE)
Utah State University
(435) 797-2257 or wsare@mendel.usu.edu
On-line applications at http://wsare.usu.edu
New Marketing Grants Will Support Farmers' and Ranchers'
Profit-making Strategies For Sustainable Enterprises
Call for Proposals Deadline: March 15, 2000
Logan, UT - A federal competitive grants effort is being launched
to encourage sustainable producers to try new marketing practices that will
increase farm and ranch incomes and contribute to thriving rural
communities.
U.S. Department of Agriculture partners, the Western Sustainable
Agriculture Research and Education (Western SARE) program and the
Agricultural Marketing Service, are offering a special call for proposals
to producers who reside in the Western U.S. for innovative marketing
projects that can benefit individuals and be applied to other agricultural
enterprises.
The producer marketing grant program is modeled after Western
SARE's highly successful Farmer/Rancher Research Grant effort in structure
and administration. The deadline for grant proposals is March 15, 2000.
"The timing for this could not be better. At the turn of this new
century, the marketplace is changing with lightening speed," said Larry
Thompson, an Oregon grower and chair of Western SARE's governing
Administrative Council.
"Direct marketing, international opportunities and challenges,
niche products, local food markets and other alternative business practices
are top of mind. Producers need to be bold and claim a healthy margin of
every food dollar spent by American consumers," Thompson said.
Individuals can apply for grants of up to $10,000; producer groups
(three or more farm/ranch operations working cooperatively) can apply for
up to $20,000. A total pool of $120,000 is available in the region for the
one or two-year grants. The starting date for marketing projects may vary
but all work must be completed by December 31, 2002. All funding will be
awarded competitively.
According to soil scientist Phil Rasmussen, regional coordinator of
Western SARE, grant reviewers will be looking for proposals that explore or
demonstrate ways to increase sustainable farm and ranch incomes by
expanding or refining more traditional market channels, or by attempting
new techniques, products or markets. The sponsoring partners hope to see a
variety of approaches from producers of diverse agricultural products.
Applicants can gather background information, ideas and potential
strategies for projects at the Agricultural Marketing Service's Farmer
Direct Marketing Internet site at www.ams.usda.gov/directmarketing . Also,
an on-line bulletin that highlights SARE-funded and other work in this
area, called "Reap New Profits: Marketing Strategies for Farmers and
Ranchers," is available at http://www.sare.org/market99/index.htm
Requesting Applications & the Review Process
To request application materials, contact the Western SARE
headquarters office at Utah State University at (435) 797-2257 or
wsare@mendel.usu.edu. To request by mail, write to Western SARE, Utah State
University, 4865 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT, 84322-4865. The call for
proposals is also be available on the Western SARE Web site at
http://wsare.usu.edu/
All proposals must be led by one or more producers, include a
professional agricultural technical advisor (an extension agent or
specialist, Natural Resources Conservation Service personnel or university
researcher, for example), and provide a plan for sharing gained information
with others in the community.
Grant proposals are first reviewed and evaluated in writing by a
diverse group of producers, researchers, educators and administrators who
are familiar with sustainable agriculture. Final selections are made by an
appointed panel, at least half of which are producers. All funding is
awarded competitively.
Any commercial producer or producer group in the Western region is
eligible to apply for a grant (see below for the list of states and Island
Protectorates).
About Western SARE
The national SARE effort, which was mandated by Congress in the
1990 and 1996 Farm Bills, is implemented by four regional councils in
cooperation with the USDA Cooperative State Research, Education and
Extension Service. Western SARE is coordinated by Utah State University
soil scientist V. Philip Rasmussen and led by an Administrative Council
that represents diverse agricultural and public interests.
The Western Region includes Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona,
California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Micronesia, Montana, Nevada, New
Mexico, N. Mariana Islands, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming.
###
Prepared by:
Kristen Kelleher, communications specialist
[Note: News media may contact Kelleher at (530) 752-5987 or
kkelleher@ucdavis.edu. Grant applicants should contact the Western SARE
headquarters office at Utah State University as noted at the start of the
news release.]
*******************************
Kristen Kelleher
Senior Public Information Rep/ Communications Specialist
Western SARE
Mail and contact information:
SARE
University of California
One Shields Avenue
Davis, CA 95616-8716
(530) 752-5987
(530) 754-8550
kkelleher@ucdavis.edu
FOR UPS, FED-X, or other priority mail:
SARE, University of California
DANR Bldg, Hopkins Rd.
Davis, CA 95616
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