GRIFFIN, Georgia – The Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SSARE) program has awarded its 2020 On-Farm Research Grants to university Extension specialists and other ag professionals working with farmers to further research in sustainable agriculture production and marketing across the region.
Funded projects, totaling $147,117, include:
OS20-132 Fertilizer Mismanagement Impacts on Pasture Health, $19,828, University of Florida, Cheryl Mackowiak, echo13@ufl.edu
OS20-133 The Potential of Inter-seeded Cover Crops for Enhancing Soil Health and Soil Moisture Content in a Row Crop Production System, $20,000, Clemson University, Sruthi Narayanan, skutty@clemson.edu
OS20-134 Case Study for Heritage American Guinea Hogs in Puerto Rico, $12,549, University of Puerto Rico – Mayaguez, PI TBA
OS20-135 On-farm Evaluation of an Innovative Anaerobic Soil Disinfestation Practice for Improving Organic Carrot Production in North Florida, $19,995, University of Florida, Xin Zhao, zxin@ufl.edu
OS20-136 Validation of a Spotted Wing Drosophila Growing Degree Day Model for the Southeast for Sustainable Blueberry Production, $16,581, Auburn University and Alabama Cooperative Extension System, Edgar Vinson, III, vinsoed@auburn.edu
OS20-137 Combining Non-crop Habitat and Semiochemical Lures to Increase Natural Enemy Recruitment and Retention in Florida Vegetable Crops, $18,164, University of Florida, Xavier Martini, xmartini@ufl.edu
OS20-138 Strategic Management of Legume Cover-forage Crops to Optimize Utility in a Challenging Environment, $20,000, Texas A&M AgriLife Extension, Reagan Noland, reagan.noland@ag.tamu.edu
OS20-139 Incorporating Native Plants in Insectary Strips to Promote Insect Diversity and Below Ground Beneficial Microbes, $20,000, University of Texas – Rio Grande Valley, Pushpa Soti, pushpa.soti@utrgv.edu
Southern SARE On-Farm Research Grants are intended for Cooperative Extension specialists, NGOs, government agency researchers and other ag professionals who work directly with farmers in areas of agriculture production and marketing. Projects must be conducted on farm. Funding maximum is $20,000 for up to a two-year project.
Calls for Proposals are released each September with funding announced February the following year. For more information on On-Farm Research Grants, visit https://southern.sare.org.
Published by the Southern Region of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. Funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Southern SARE operates under cooperative agreements with the University of Georgia, Fort Valley State University, and the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture to offer competitive grants to advance sustainable agriculture in America's Southern region. This material is based upon work that is supported by the National Institute of Food and Agriculture, U.S. Department of Agriculture, through Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education. USDA is an equal opportunity employer and service provider. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture.