Southern SARE Releases Grant Call for Proposals on Sustainable Meat Goat Production and Marketing

April 7, 2020

GRIFFIN, Georgia – The Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SSARE) program is soliciting grant Calls for Proposals for sustainable meat goat production and marketing across the Southern region.

The 2020 Large Systems Research Grant Program on Sustainable Meat Goat Production and Marketing in the Southeast United States must include both components of production and marketing research activities in the goat industry. The grant is intended for research teams who have established multi-state, multi-disciplinary regional projects, but need support to accomplish more long-term research goals, specifically related to small ruminants.

Project funding for the Large Systems Research Grant is $200,000 per year for three years with the opportunity for additional three-year renewals, for a maximum of nine years. Proposal deadline is June 5, 2020 at 5 p.m. EST. Project awards will be announced in August 2020.

Current demand for goat meat in the U.S. outpaces domestic supply, which presents an enormous opportunity for those interested in small ruminant production and marketing. At the same time, consistent larger scale production, along with the marketing aspects of goat meat are hampered by a myriad of limiting factors, including, but not limited to, land availability, reproduction successes, proper forage management, health and disease management, marketing challenges, and lack of processing facilities.

Long-term systems research in small ruminants is needed to further elucidate those factors impacting sustained production and marketing in the region. The 2020 Large Systems Research Grant Program on Sustainable Meat Goat Production and Marketing in the Southeast United States allows teams of researchers to explore those variables on a larger, long-term scale rather than a near-term result to a specific research question.

Southern SARE does not issue Large Systems Grants every year. Large Systems Grants previously awarded include integrated crop and livestock agroecosystems research in the Texas Panhandle, local and regional food systems development, and long-term soil health strategies, including cover crops, in North Carolina.

For more information on Southern SARE, 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.

Topics: Goats
Related Locations: South