The results are
in from our hot topic survey. You ranked small farm survival as
the most crucial issue to address in future SARE research and
eduction. Marketing was voted second.
Of 1700 surveys mailed in Common Ground and distributed at the
SSAWG conference and the PDP workshop in January, 247 were returned.
From the list of 20 topic areas the top rankings were:
* Small farm survival (133)
* Marketing (121)
* Environmentally sound practices (105)
* Organic farming (93)
* Agricultural ecosystems (89)
* Limited-resource farming (70)
* Water quality/quantity (63)
* Land loss prevention (62)
Southern Region SARE program director Jeff Jordan presented the
survey results at the Administrative Council’s March meeting
in Atlanta.
“Small farm survival outranked the other topics by such a
wide margin, that the Council decided not to list it as a specific
priority area in the call for proposals, but instead, consider
it a necessary component to be addressed by all future SSARE Research
and Education projects,” he said. “Between now and June
1 when the Research and Education call is released, it will be
rewritten to include new priority areas.”
The survey results reinforced the directions in which SSARE was
already moving as evidenced by the recent crop of grant awards.
Of 43 new research, education and professional development projects
in 12 Southern states, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands,
more than 25% of them concentrate on marketing and all of them
address problems that affect small farms.
“By encouraging research, education and training in these
two areas, SSARE is responding to what farmers and extension agents
report as their greatest information need,” said Jordan.
“It’s easy to see how the two topics are related. Previous
SSARE research has proved that farmers can reduce off-farm inputs
and grow abundant crops. Now, the remaining key to their survival
is selling those crops at a profit.”
Marketing partnership
A boost to the marketing thrust came from USDA’s Agricultural
Marketing Service in the form of a partnership through SARE’s
Producer Grant program.
“We received 50 marketing proposals, along with 59 non-marketing
proposals,” says John Mayne, producer grants coordinator.
“The AMS funds allowed us to award six more marketing projects
than we would have for a total of 11 marketing projects and 12
non-marketing projects.”
“An urgent need exists for farmers to identify and pursue
alternative marketing strategies that can improve farm profitability,”
says Kathleen Merrigan, administrator of the Agricultural Marketing
Service. “This new partnership with SARE will enable small
farmers to explore creative marketing ventures.”
Professional Development
The next PDP Annual Workshop, scheduled for Chattanooga in January,
2001, will focus on another hot topic—organics. The workshop
will build on Southern SARE projects from all three grant programs,
which address issues of organic growing or marketing. Invited
speakers will make presentations during morning sessions. Afternoon
breakout sessions will be designed around information sharing.
There will also be a session to highlight success stories.
Alex Hitt and
Jerry Pennick are rotating off the SSARE Administrative Council,
leaving vacancies for a farmer and a representative of a non-governmental
agency (NGO). The new members will begin three-years of service
at the spring meeting in 2001, with the option of serving a second
term. Only 12 of the 25 seats on the Council are elected. The
others are appointed by government agencies such as NRCS, USDA,
the land-grant institutions and EPA.
“Those elected members are crucial to the AC, because they
represent the end-users of SARE research,” said SSARE program
director Jeff Jordan. “As progress is made toward accurately
representing that audience, we set higher goals for diversity.
Years ago, when recruiting farmer members, we had to aggressively
seek African American and women farmers willing to serve. Now,
we are also seeking tribal and Hispanic farmer members.
One of the first farmers to serve on the Council, Alex Hitt has
been crucial to the evolution of SSARE. He was also the first
chair of the Producer Grants Committee, an important voice on
the Project Review Committee, and ultimately, vice chair and chair
of the Council.”
“Alex’s broad understanding of sustainable agriculture
from a local to global level and his wealth of experience as a
farmer made him a real resource to the SARE program,” said
John C. Mayne, coordinator of the Producer Grant Program.
According to Hitt, SARE has also been a resource for him.
“Being on the AC has been a great experience and extremely
educational in all areas of sustainability,” he said. “Betsy
and I have changed the way that we look at our farm because of
the many things that we have been exposed to through the SARE
program.”
Hitt has advice for farmers considering whether they would like
to serve.
“A good farmer member of the AC needs to be willing to commit
the time not only to the twice yearly meetings but also to preparing
for those meetings,” he cautions. “To get the most out
of the SARE experience you need to be focused on the many subjects
that come before the Council and do the homework necessary to
understand them. The only way we can move sustainable ag forward
is to have everybody at the table and have them all participating
at the same level of understanding.”
Representatives from the non-governmental agencies are as important
as farmers in the SSARE decision-making process, according to
Jeff Jordan.
“As for the three NGO seats, currently we have representatives
from the Kerr Center and the American Livestock Breeds Conservancy”,
he said. “ It would be beneficial to have another voice for
limited-resource and/or minority farmers to replace Jerry Pennick.”
Pennick served on the Communications Committee and PDP Leadership
Committee. He was instrumental in establishing the Limited Resource
Farmer/Minority Outreach Committee and served as its first chair.
In 1999, he helped produce SARE’s first Limited Resource
Farmer Workshop in conjunction with the Federation of Southern
Cooperatives.
“To serve a satisfying and productive term on the Administrative
Council, a person must have an open mind and be willing to embrace
diversity in America's agricultural system while encouraging sustainability,”
says Pennick. “I think representatives from the Arkansas
Land & Farm Development Corporation or some of the cooperatives
in the southeast would be an asset to the Council.”
People can nominate themselves or someone else. Nominations should
be mailed to Jeff Jordan at the SSARE office. Include name, contact
information, a short statement about experience in sustainable
agriculture and any personal skills or experience that would qualify
the nominee to help plan policy and procedures for SSARE. If people
nominate anyone other than themselves, they should include a written
statement of willingness to serve from the nominee.
SARE administers four separate grant programs, each with its
own priorities and audiences. The
process begins with the release of calls for proposals for each
of the programs. If you need help
determining which program is most appropriate for your research
proposal, call Southern Region SARE at (770) 412-4787.
Research and Education Projects generally are conducted by interdisciplinary, multi-institutional, and often, multi-state research teams coordinated by a principal investigator from a non-governmental organization, university or governmental agency. These projects include farmers as participants. For more information call Jeff Jordan at (770) 412-4788.
| LS00-109 Increasing Growers’ Quality of Life through Direct Marketing: the Rule of Farmers’ Markets and Consumer Supported Agriculture, Susan Andreatta, Univ. of North Carolina @ Greensboro, $45,516 |
| LS00-110 The Impact of Agricultural Systems on Soil Quality on Sustainability, Mary Barbercheck, NC State University, $191,263 |
| LS00-111 Structures of Sustainability: A Regenerative Model for Community Agriculture Development, Vivian Carro-Figueroa, Univ. of Puerto Rico, $19,678 |
| LS00-112 Greenwater Tank Culture of Tilapia with the Effluent Used as a Source of Water and Nutrients for Terrestrial Crops, John M. Martin, Univ. of Virgin Islands, $133,316 |
| LS00-113 Whole Farm Planning for Production of Grassfed Beef, Ron Morrow, NCAT/ATTRA, $214,069 |
| LS00-114 Investigation of Sustainability of Dairy Goat Industry by Innovative Method of Product Development, Young W. Park, Fort Valley State Univ. $225,470 |
| LS00-115 Establishing Sustainable Production and Information Exchange Systems for Limited-Resource Vegetable Farmers in Louisiana, Andrew W. Smiley, Baton Rouge Economic And Development Authority, Louisiana State Univ., $167,526 |
| LS00-116, Developing Plans for Sustainable Beef Marketing Strategies, Michelle Stephens, Kerr Center, OK, $19,700 |
| LS00-117 System for Value-Added Export of Manure Nitrogen and Phosphorus through Turfgrass Sod, Donald M. Veitor, Texas A&M University, $149,726 |
| LS00-118 Management of Small Rural Holdings as Economic and Ecological Unit, David Zimet, Univ. of Florida/NFREC, $21,406 |
|
2001 |
| June 1 Call for preproposals released | January 19 Full proposals due |
| August 31 Preproposals due | March Full proposals reviewed |
| November 1 Full proposals invited. | April Administrative Council announces all grant awards |
| GS00-001 Pathogen- and Insect-induced Plant Volatile Emission: Effect on Host Searching Behavior by Insect Herbivores and their Parasitoids, James H. Tumlinson III/Yasmin Judith Cordoza, USDA-ARS/CMAVE, $10,000 |
| GS00-002 Control of Soilborne Plant Pathogens of Tomatoes with Incorporation of Indian Mustard, Carl E. Sams/Stephanie Gail Harvey, University of Tennessee, $10,000 |
| GS00-003 Resilience of Nitrogen Availability and Retention in Soils of Kentucky Certified Organic Farms, Mark S. Coyne/Victoria Mundy, University of Kentucky, $6,590 |
| GS00-004 Interactions Between Predators and Insect-Parasitic Nematodes in Soil, Mary E. Barbercheck/C/Marie Newman, North Carolina State Univ., $10,000 |
| GS00-005 Improving the Impact of Trichogramma Against the Diamondback Moth Through the Use of Field Experiments and Farming Systems Analysis in Puerto Rico, Gary Leibee/Richard Pluke, University of Florida, $10,000 |
| GS00-006 Evaluation of Cover Crops and Conservation Tillage for Conventional and Organic Sweet-potato Production in North Carolina, Nancy G. Creamer/Danielle D. Treadwell, North Carolina State Univ., $9,927 |
|
2001 |
| May 15 Call for proposal released | March Full proposals reviewed |
| December 8 Proposals due | April Administrative Council announces all grant awards |
Producer Grant Projects are developed, coordinated and conducted by producers or producer organizations. These projects are generally located in one state, often on one farm. There is a $10,000 limit for funding proposals submitted by an individual producer and a $15,000 limit on proposals submitted by producer organizations. For more information about Producer Grants call John C. Mayne at (770) 229-3350.
| FS00-106 Cover Crops for Christmas Trees and Other Orchard Crops, Thomas H. Aiken, GA, $6,327 |
| FS00-107 Use of Winter Cover Crops and Summer Soil Solarization in Sustainable Vegetable Production systems, Owusu Bandele, LA, $9,981 |
| FS00-108 Community Supported Agriculture Marketing Program, Bayview Citizens for Social Justice, Inc. (Alice Coles), VA, $14,975 |
| FS00-109 Marketing Timber After Adding Value Through the use of One-Person Sawmills and Solar Kilns, Michael Best, KY, $10,000 |
| FS00-110 Impact of Louisiana Native Coastal Prairie Habitat on Beneficial Insect Populations, Terry Bordelon, LA , $9,288 |
| FS00-111 Using On-Farm Produced Compost to Reduce Production Costs, Disease and Fertilizer Input in Bell Pepper, Bill Brim, GA, $9,536 |
| FS00-112 Practical Evaluation of Vermicompost on Horticultural Crops, Cynthia L. Connolly, FL, $9,820 |
| FS00-113 Developing IPM Practices for Sweet Potatoes in Mississippi, Allen Crosthwait, MS, $10,000 |
| FS00-114 Creating a Tailgate Farmers Market, Fairview Tailgate Market Organization (Annie Louise Perkinson), NC $4,380 |
| FS00-115 Agricultural Entrepreneur Course, Farmers Market Assoc (Sharon Keith), VA, $14,500 |
| FS00-116 A Community Supported Agriculture Model for Limited-Resource Farmers, Willie Head, GA, $10,000 |
| FS00-117 Building a Successful Small-Farmer Marketing Group When Customers are Geographically Dispersed, Highlands Bioproduce, Inc. (Ned Johnson), VA, $14,800 |
| FS00-118 Developing Marketing Strategies for Culinary and Medicinal Herbs, Indian Springs Farmers Association (Ben Burkett), MS, $15,000 |
| FS00-119 Developing a Producers’ Cooperative and Market for Free-Range Poultry, Andy Lee, VA, $9,672 |
| FS00-120 Cut Flowers: Tilapia Aquaponics Study, Bert McLaughlin, VA, $5,111 |
| FS00-121 Marketing to the Department of Defense Food Service by a Limited Resource Farmer Cooperative, New North Florida Coop (Glyen Holmes), FL, $15,000 |
| FS00-122 Using Caged Filter-Feeding Fish to Increase Production and Profits from Fertile Catfish Ponds, William R. Odom, Jr., AL, $3,282 |
| FS00-123 Cooperative Marketing of Organic Produce and Animal Products Direct to Consumer, Organic Growers Assoc., (Margaret Carey), AR, $15,000 |
| FS00-124 Marketing Open-Pollinated Garden Seed as an Alternative Crop, Brian Rakita, VA, $4,486 |
| FS00-125 Does Compost Use Affect Post-Harvest Quality of Vegetables?, Nancy Roe, FL, $9,960 |
| FS00-126 Locally Produced Chicks for Use in Pastured Poultry System, Laura Rogers, KY, $9,869 |
| FS00-127 Alternative Production Methods for Increasing Sustainability of North Florida Strawberry Producers, South Georgia Farmers Coop (Larry Gillard), FL, $9,964 |
| FS00-128 Direct Marketing Opportunities to Improve Economic Outlook, Andy Youngblood, NC, $9,050 |
|
2001 |
| Septembr 1 Call for proposals released | January 26 Proposals due |
| March Proposals reviewed | |
| April Administrative Council announces all grant awards | |
Professional Development Program Projects train agricultural information providers in sustainable agriculture techniques and concepts. The Southern Region Training Consortium consists of North Carolina State University, North Carolina A&T University and ATTRA. For more information about the Professional Development Program contact Roger Crickenberger at (919) 515-3252.
| ES00-47 Training in Alternative Research Strategies for Sustainable Farming Systems, Keith Baldwin, North Carolina State University, $101,838 |
| ES00-48 Training in Size-Appropriate Technology for Hill Farmers, Betty King, University of Kentucky, $85,712 |
| ES00-49 Planting Seeds for Tomorrow (Sembrando Semillas para Manana), Kay Peck, The Promised Land Network, TX, $91,719 |
| ES00-50 We Can Do Something About Fire Ants—Training Professionals and Developing Teaching Materials in Sustainable Fire Ant Management, Kathy Flanders, Auburn University, AL, $40,155 |
|
2001 |
| June 1 Call for preproposals released | February Full proposals due |
| August 31 Preproposals due | March Full proposals reviewed |
| November 1 Full proposals invited. | April Administrative Council announces all grant awards |