ST. PAUL, Minn. - Three area farmers were recommended to receive grants from the North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program.
Lisa Kivirist with Inn Serendipity Farm and B&B in Browntown received a $22,333 grant for the project "Increasing Value-added Product Sales through Cottage Food Bakery Products Produced in Home Kitchens." The project offers help to farmers who want to increase sales of baked goods made in home kitchens by improving the packaging and marketing of those products, according to a news release.
Jeff Endres with Endres Berryridge Farms LLC in Brooklyn received a $22,500 grant for the project "Expanding the Understanding and Adoption of Composting Bedded Pack Manure to Reduce Manure Applications on Frozen and Snow-Covered Fields around the Yahara Watershed." Yahara Pride Farms will increase outreach and education efforts that impact the use of composted bedded pack manure and evaluate the reductions in phosphorus loss and the economic cost and benefits of the practice.
Christopher McGuire with Two Onion Farm in Belmont received a $6,979 grant for the project "Organic Methods to Promote Branching in Nursery Apple Trees." The grant will allow McGuire to evaluate manual leaf removal and natural plant growth regulators as methods for promoting branching in organic apple trees raised in on-farm nurseries.
These grants were awarded as part of NCR-SARE's Farmer Rancher Grant Program, which is a competitive grants program for farmers and ranchers who want to explore sustainable solutions to problems through on-farm research, demonstration and education projects.
The focus for each of the NCR-SARE grant programs is on research and education. Funding considerations are based on how well the applicant presents the problem being addressed, the project's relevance to sustainable agriculture in the 12-state North Central region, and how well it aligns with NCR-SARE's goals, among other factors specific to each grant program.
NCR-SARE's Administrative Council members decide which projects will receive SARE funds. The AC includes a diverse mix of agricultural stakeholders in the region. Council members hail from regional farms and ranches, the Cooperative Extension Service, universities, federal agencies and nonprofits.
Since 1988, the SARE program has helped advance farming systems through a nationwide research and education grants program. The program, part of USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, funds projects and conducts outreach designed to improve agricultural systems.
Lisa Kivirist with Inn Serendipity Farm and B&B in Browntown received a $22,333 grant for the project "Increasing Value-added Product Sales through Cottage Food Bakery Products Produced in Home Kitchens." The project offers help to farmers who want to increase sales of baked goods made in home kitchens by improving the packaging and marketing of those products, according to a news release.
Jeff Endres with Endres Berryridge Farms LLC in Brooklyn received a $22,500 grant for the project "Expanding the Understanding and Adoption of Composting Bedded Pack Manure to Reduce Manure Applications on Frozen and Snow-Covered Fields around the Yahara Watershed." Yahara Pride Farms will increase outreach and education efforts that impact the use of composted bedded pack manure and evaluate the reductions in phosphorus loss and the economic cost and benefits of the practice.
Christopher McGuire with Two Onion Farm in Belmont received a $6,979 grant for the project "Organic Methods to Promote Branching in Nursery Apple Trees." The grant will allow McGuire to evaluate manual leaf removal and natural plant growth regulators as methods for promoting branching in organic apple trees raised in on-farm nurseries.
These grants were awarded as part of NCR-SARE's Farmer Rancher Grant Program, which is a competitive grants program for farmers and ranchers who want to explore sustainable solutions to problems through on-farm research, demonstration and education projects.
The focus for each of the NCR-SARE grant programs is on research and education. Funding considerations are based on how well the applicant presents the problem being addressed, the project's relevance to sustainable agriculture in the 12-state North Central region, and how well it aligns with NCR-SARE's goals, among other factors specific to each grant program.
NCR-SARE's Administrative Council members decide which projects will receive SARE funds. The AC includes a diverse mix of agricultural stakeholders in the region. Council members hail from regional farms and ranches, the Cooperative Extension Service, universities, federal agencies and nonprofits.
Since 1988, the SARE program has helped advance farming systems through a nationwide research and education grants program. The program, part of USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, funds projects and conducts outreach designed to improve agricultural systems.
