NCR-SARE announces 2013 Farmer Rancher and Youth Educator Grant recipients

North Central Region – Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NCR-SARE) has announced the projects that have been recommended for funding for the 2013 Farmer Rancher and the 2103 Youth Educator competitive grant programs. More than 50 projects were awarded a total of more than $.5 million through these two NCR-SARE grant programs, which offer competitive grants for producers, educators, organizations, and others who are exploring sustainable agriculture in America’s Midwest.

For the 2013 Farmer Rancher Grant Program, NCR-SARE awarded more than $495,000 to 45 projects ranging from $2,219 to $22,500. The Farmer Rancher Grant Program 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.

Area 2013 Farmer Rancher Grant recipients include:

· Rob Faux of Tripoli, IA was awarded $7,500.00 for the project, “Pest Control in Cucurbits Using Paper Mulch and Intercropping.”

· Jason Foley of Des Moines, IA was awarded $22,419.00 for the project, “Demonstrating Russian Queen Bees Resistance to Mites to Benefit Midwest Beekeepers.”

· Kristine Jepsen of Dorchester, IA was awarded $22,260.00 for the project, “Grass-Fed Beef Nutritional Analysis for Consumer Education and Labeling.”

· Jan Libbey of Kanawha, IA was awarded $22,487.00 for the project, “Exploring Collaboration Strategies in North Central Iowa.”

· Cherry Flowers of Saint Paul, MN was awarded $7,499.00 for the project, “Water Capture From High Tunnel Diversion into Irrigation System Using Renewable Energy.”

· Winona LaDuke of Callaway, MN was awarded $7,500.00 for the project, “White Earth Land Recovery Project Fish Fertilizer Project.”

· Christopher Patton of Minneapolis, MN was awarded $14,980.00 for the project, “Developing Commercial Elderberry Production in Minnesota.”

· Donnie Feiring of Beach, ND was awarded $6,904.86 for the project, “Utilizing Cover Crops to Increase Productivity, Health, and Vigor On Tame Grass Pasture.”

· Jason Kesselring of Fargo, ND was awarded $7,500.00 for the project, “Kesselring-Kindred ND Native Wild Grape Vineyard: Establishing Wild Grapes in A Vineyard Setting.”

· Anne Ongstad of Robinson, ND was awarded $18,881.00 for the project, “New Buckwheat Varieties for Greater Sustainability.”

· Rick Schmidt of Center, ND was awarded $18,250.00 for the project, “New Method to Eliminate Ovine Progressive Pneumonia in Sheep Flocks in North Dakota.”

· Gregory Fripp of Papillion, NE was awarded $2,915.04 for the project, “The Viability Of Small Scale Aquaponics in Urban and Rural Underserved Communities.”

· Wesley Trout of Waverly, NE was awarded $4,226.00 for the project, “Creating A Triple-Value Oil-Seed Production System, From Grain to Food-Grade Oil to Bio-Diesel: A Feasibility Study.”

For the 2013 Youth Educator Grant Program, NCR-SARE awarded almost $20,000 to 10 projects ranging from $1,957 to $2,000. The Youth Educator Grant Program supports educators who seek to provide programming on sustainable agriculture for youth.

Area 2013 Youth Educator Grant recipients include:

· Sue Isbell of Fort Yates, ND was awarded $2,000.00 for the project, “Squash in Sustainable Food Production.”

· Jennie Sutton of Lincoln, NE was awarded $1,957.50 for the project, “Community CROPS Young Urban Farmers.”