Showing 61-80 of 137 results

Kentucky Livestock Farmers Testing Bale Grazing for Winter Feeding Cattle
LEXINGTON, Kentucky – Livestock farmers in Kentucky are changing the way they feed hay to cattle during the winter to prevent nutrient loss, regenerate pastures and keep animals healthy. Generally, hay is fed to livestock on a feeding pad or sacrifice area, or is unrolled in a pasture. In the case of a feeding pad, […]

SSARE Seeking Nominations for the 2023 Sustainable Agriculture Leadership Program
GRIFFIN, Georgia -- The Southern region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SSARE) program is seeking nominations for its Sustainable Agriculture Leadership Program for summer 2023. The application deadline is January 9, 2023. Mentor farmers/ranchers, community groups, non-profits and non-governmental organizations strive to create ag community resiliency and vitality in the face of a myriad of […]

Studying the Impact of Conservation Plantings on Insect Pests and Their Predators
BATON ROUGE, Louisiana – Conservation plantings, through various stewardship programs, do well to provide a myriad of benefits. These range from controlling erosion, to improving water quality, to promoting healthy soils. However, the impacts of such strategies on cash crop pests and the natural enemies that target them is less known. Louisiana State University researchers, […]

Exploring Conservation Tillage Systems for Southern Pea, a Long-forgotten Staple Making a Comeback
MOUNT OLIVE, North Carolina – Rural farmers in eastern North Carolina are rediscovering the versatility, hardiness and protein-packed powerhouse of Southern pea – a long-forgotten household food staple. “What was once old is now new again,” said Jason Davis, assistant dean of the School of Agriculture and Biological Sciences at the University of Mount Olive. […]

Southern SARE On-Farm Research Grant Call for Proposals Released
GRIFFIN, Georgia -- The Call for Proposals for the 2023 On-Farm Research Grants, intended for agricultural professionals throughout the Southern region who regularly work with farmers/ranchers, has been released by the Southern Region Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SSARE) program. Proposal submission deadline is Friday, Dec. 2, 2022 at 12 p.m. (NOON) EST. Announcement of […]

Tom Trantham Blazed a Sustainable Ag Trail for Small Livestock Producers
GRIFFIN, Georgia – Tom Trantham once humbly emphasized that he was a dairy farmer, with the accent on farmer, and not a grazier. But to livestock producers, he was a rock star. The well-known South Carolina farmer, who recently passed away, began his operation over four decades ago the conventional way – a confined feeding […]

Southern SARE Producer Grant Call for Proposals Released
GRIFFIN, Georgia – The Call for Proposals for the 2023 Producer Grant Program, intended for farmers/ranchers and farmer/rancher organizations throughout the Southern region, is now available from the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SSARE) program. Proposal submission deadline isNovember 11, 2022 at 12 p.m. (NOON) EST. Announcement of funded proposals will take place in […]

Farmers Testing Elderberry Varieties for Florida Cultivation
CHIEFLAND, Florida – Elderberry, internationally utilized and popular for centuries for its perceived medicinal and health benefits, may have potential as an alternative crop in Florida. Farmers Heather Martin and David Jarnagin of Hyldemoer + Co. in north central Florida have been testing elderberry (Sambucus spp.) varieties for the past several years for commercial production. […]

Graduate Student Sustainable Agriculture Projects for FY2022 Announced
GRIFFIN, Georgia – The Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SSARE) program has announced the funded projects for the 2022 Graduate Student Grants program. The SSARE Administrative Council recently funded 20 projects totaling $316,024. The Graduate Student Grants program is one of the few sustainable agriculture research funding opportunities open to Master’s and PhD students […]

Diversifying Small Farms with Cereal Grains
FOREST, Virginia – Virginia farmer Michael Grantz is testing what it takes to incorporate cereal grains into a small-scale, diversified vegetable and cut flower farm for soil health as a cover crop and a value-added product for local markets. Grantz has managed a quarter acre plot of wheat and rye on he and his wife’s […]

Professional Development Program Grants Now Being Accepted
GRIFFIN, Georgia – The Call for Pre-proposals for the Southern SARE Professional Development Program (PDP) Grant is now open. The Professional Development Program is a “train the trainer” program, providing funding to agricultural professionals to train Cooperative Extension agents, USDA field personnel, and other ag professionals and educators in areas of sustainable agriculture production practices. […]

Mississippi Farmer Optimizing Animal/Crop Production in a Unique Integrated System
KILN, Mississippi – The damage brought about by Hurricane Ida in 2021 was a light bulb moment for Mississippi farmer Stephen Wyatt, who was looking for ways to maximize production of his two high-demand cash crops: strawberries and rabbits. With the storm came massive flooding, disease and predators. In less than one season, most of […]

Louisiana Farmer Using Drone Technology to Maximize Nitrogen Efficiency in Row Crops
LAKE PROVIDENCE, Louisiana – Corn and cotton crop producer Nolan Parker is taking to the skies to decrease nitrogen runoff from commodity farms along the Mississippi River. The young farmer, who is a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) certified remote pilot and works routinely with unmanned aerial systems (UAS), combined drone technology with variable rate nitrogen […]

Exploring Warm Season Grasses for Parasite Control and Performance in Sheep
HIDDENITE, North Carolina – A North Carolina livestock producer is exploring the use of native warm season grasses as forage for Katahdin Hair sheep as a way quickly bring the animals to market weight, and for better parasite control. Lee Holcomb of LeeDer Farm, situated in a rural area just north of Charlotte, is establishing […]

Southern SARE Releases 2023 Education Grant Call for Proposals
GRIFFIN, Georgia -- The Southern region of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program has released its Call for Proposals for the 2023 Education Grants program. Southern SARE’s Education Grant, falling under the Research & Education Grant Program, is a broader education and outreach effort. Education Grants are open to organizations, institutions, and individuals […]

Adding Livestock Farm Diversification with Yaks
MOREHEAD, Kentucky – On a frigid January morning at Morehead State University, Kentucky farmer Greg Dike keeps his fingers crossed for good news as MSU veterinary technology professor Philip Prater completes the pregnancy tests of four yak heifers from Dike’s farm. Yes, you read that right…yaks. Dike has been championing yaks since 2013 as an […]

Southern SARE Releases 2023 Research & Education Grant Call for Pre-Proposals
GRIFFIN, Georgia -- The Southern region of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program has released its Call for Pre-proposals for the 2023 Research & Education Grants program. The deadline for submitting pre-proposals is June 3, 2022 at 12 p.m. (noon). Note that this CFP is for the Research portion of the Research and Education Grant Program only. The Education Grant will […]

USVI Cooperatives Development towards Sustainable Agriculture
Getting ‘back to the basics' is a common phrase heard throughout the community. The basics or pillars of sustainable agriculture based on the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program are quality of life, stewardship, and profitability. In 2021, Louis E. Petersen, Jr. state coordinator at the University of the Virgin Islands School of Agriculture was […]

Southern SARE Graduate Student Grant Call for Proposals Now Open
Graduate Student Grants are one of the few programs providing young researchers the opportunity to study sustainable agriculture techniques.

Farmer Studies the Effects of a Biostimulant on Tomato Vigor and Yields
JOHNS ISLAND, South Carolina – Applying a green microalga, in combination with compost, to tomato plants appears to improve plant vigor and increase crop yields, according to the results of a one-year Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SSARE) Producer Grant. Farm managers Dale Snyder, Jennifer Wicker and George Taylor of Sweetgrass Garden were interested […]