NCR Grant Program

North Central Region SARE administers several grant programs, each with specific priorities, audiences and timelines. The focus for all of NCR-SARE grant programs is on research and education.  Funding considerations are based on how well the applicant presents the problem being addressed, it's relevance to sustainable agriculture in the 12-state North Central region, and how well it aligns with NCR-SARE's goals.

NCR-SARE's Grant Programs:

• Farmer Rancher 
• Research and Education 
• Professional Development Program 
• Graduate Student 
• Youth Educator 
• Partnership

 Click here to learn when the Call for Proposals will be out for the other two grants programs. 

NCR SARE Grants in Iowa

The following Iowa grant projects were awarded in the past 12 months:

2016 Professional Development grant:
Craig Chase and Alice Topaloff of Iowa State University Extension and Outreach were awarded $74,742 for the project “Building Capacity of Agricultural Educators to Grow Sustainable Food Systems in Iowa.” 

Ajay Nair of Iowa State University was awarded $69,924 for the project “Training Agricultural Professionals and Extension Educators to Manage Crop Environment and Soil Quality in High Tunnel Vegetable Production.” 

Sally Worley of Practical Farmers of Iowa was awarded $73,447 for the project “Increasing Conservation Investment, Cover Crops and Third Crops in Iowa through Farmer-Led Educational Programs.” 

2016 Graduate Student grant:
Guang Han of Iowa State University along with Nancy Grudens-Schuck was awarded $12,000 for the project, “Factors Driving Grain Producers to Convert to Organic Farming Systems.”

Chelsea Harbach of Iowa State University along with Greg Tylka was awarded $11,976 for the project “Determining Whether Cover Crops Affect Soybean Cyst Nematode Population Densities and can be used for Integrated Pest Management.”

2016 Research and Education grant:
Nicholas Wuertz of Lutheran Services in Iowa (LSI) was awarded $200,000 for the project “Growing Profitable, Sustainable Farming Businesses with Beginning Refugee Farmers in Central Iowa.”

2016 Farmer Rancher grant:
Carla Wosoba was awarded $6,372 for the project "Developing effective alternative pest and disease management strategies for sustainable hop production."

2016 Partnership grant:
Jason Grimm of Iowa Valley Resource Conservation and Development was awarded $30,000 for the project "Collaborative Food Supply Chains for Iowa's Farmers."

The Portfolio Summary  includes one project highlight, a breakdown of funding by SARE project type, and the total funding for the state since 1988.
Iowa Competitive Grant Portfolio Summary

 The Grants List describes each of the previous NCR SARE grant funded in the Iowa by title, project leader and funding level. Competitive Grants List

Publications and resources developed through NCR SARE grants in Iowa and mini-grants:

Commercial Melon Production by Dr. Ajay Nair, Assistant Professor and Vegetable Extension Specialist, Iowa State University (July 2016)

Cover Crops in Vegetable Production Systems. by Dr. Ajay Nair, Assistant Professor and Vegetable Extension Specialist, Iowa State University (June 2015)

Rainwater Catchment from a High Tunnel for Irrigation Use (video) by Shawn Shouse, Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. 10-minute video describes the installation of a rainwater catchment system on a high tunnel. (2012 mini-grant)

Crop Advantage Series Crop Advantage | 2016 Series Proceedings. These proceedings feature summaries from workshops presented as part of the 2016 statewide Crop Advantage Series. Authors provide key points of their presentation, references for print and Internet materials, and illustrations to explain crop production and protection.The publication also includes a list of Extension field agronomists and other resources offered to growers by Iowa State University Extension and Outreach. (2016 mini-grant)