WHAT IS SARE? 

Funded by the USDA, the national Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program supports and promotes sustainable farming and ranching. We offer competitive grants and educational opportunities for producers, scientists, educators, institutions, organizations and others exploring sustainable agriculture. Abstracts from national SARE projects are available in a comprehensive, searchable database.

NCR-SARE provides extensive information about our grant programs and timelines.

WHAT IS SARE Outreach? 

SARE Outreach is SARE's outreach arm, providing field-ready information in print and electronic formats.

The national SARE program is comprised of the Northeast, South, West and North Central regions. The North Central region includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.

Growing Growers for Greater Kansas City: Establishing a Permanent Program to Train Farmers in Sustainable, Local Food Production and Marketing

Growing Growers apprentices, host farmers and other participants following a workshop on the taste and nutrition of food held at the Kansas City Community Gardens, Kansas City, MO. Photo by Edward Carey.

The Growing Growers Training Program was initially funded by a NCR-SARE Research and Education grant from July 2003 through June 2005, to organize apprenticeships on local organic/sustainable farms, and to develop activities to improve the skills of existing farmers. In 2005, they submitted another proposal to NCR-SARE to develop their project into an ongoing training program to support regional growers during all
stages of their lives as farmers.

New farmer training under the program is based on apprenticeships, complemented by reading and monthly workshops during the growing season. Workshops cover a range of core competency areas essential for market farming success and typically include farm tours and instruction by growers and extension or other specialists.

Growing Growers believes the best way to learn about farming is from farmers. For more information about their project and to view information about becoming an apprentice or a host farmer, visit Growing Growers online.

Read more about the Growing Grower’s SARE projects online on the SARE project reporting website, LNC03-238 or LNC05-253, or contact the NCRSARE office for more information at ncrsare@umn.edu.