SARE recieves $4.15 million for research
Utah State University’s Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Center (SARE) has received $4.15 million to assist in the research done by farmers and ranchers in 13 states, including Utah.
The money will be dispersed to certain farmers and ranchers for individual research projects, said Phil Rasmussen, director of Western SARE. In the past, research has included renewable energy, pest and weed management, pastured livestock and rotational grazing, nutrient management and agroforestry.
Rasmussen said proposals will be reviewed and dispersion decisions will be decided later in the year by a board of directors comprised of representatives from universities, government, agribusiness and nonprofit organizations.
“Since 1988, the SARE grants and education program has advanced agricultural innovation that promotes profitability, stewardship of the land, air and water, and quality of life for farmers, ranchers and their communities,” Rasmussen said.
The national four-region SARE organization is a decentralized competitive grants and education program. Each region is guided by a volunteer administrative council that writes grants and sets regional priorities to review project proposals. Technical reviewers, also volunteers, help by lending their professional and practical experience to evaluate project proposals, according to the Western SARE website.
64 percent of producers said their SARE project helped them achieve higher sales, according to the website.
“For a small office we have a tremendous impact, handling millions of dollars to benefit the agricultural community in the entire Western region, from Guam to Last Chance, Colo.,” said Rasmussen. “The program covers roughly half the landmass of the U.S. in climates ranging from tropical to arctic.”
From the time the SARE program was founded, it has funded more than 5,000 projects throughout its regions, including research and education grants, professional development grants and producer grants.
Rasmussen has administered over the region for the last 16 years. He manages SARE research programs in all 13 Western States, and has traveled to the U.S. territory of Guam and the Pacific Island protectorates to manage and direct research programs and to instruct scientists and agricultural professions concerning sustainable agriculture systems.
In the time he’s worked with the university, USU has received more than $70 million including the $4.15 million awarded this summer.
This year’s grant will support farmers and ranchers from California to sheep herders in Colorado, according to Bob Newman, Deputy Western SARE Coordinator.
“This is more than just a grant – we fund competitive projects,” he said.
In addition to the benefits of bringing millions of dollars through the university, Teryl Roper, head of USU’s Department of Plants, Soils and Climate, said students involved in studying sustainable agriculture have a more expansive view of different farming processes.
“USU undergraduate and graduate students involved in studying sustainable agriculture gain a broader perspective of the country’s agricultural landscape,” he said. “Their education at Utah State is truly multidimensional thanks to their exposure to and involvement with the wide diversity of production systems found in these grants.”
– leannfox@aggiemail.usu.edu