GRIFFIN, Georgia -- Interested in sustainable agriculture and are looking to have an impact on sustainable agriculture practices in your community? The Southern SARE program gives producers the opportunity to serve on the Administrative Council and provide a “voice” for the direction of sustainability across the Southern region.
Southern SARE is seeking a producer to fill a vacant seat on the Administrative Council. The term would begin in February 2021. Producers serve on the AC for a three-year term with opportunities for a second renewal term.
Southern SARE’s Administrative Council is the governing body for the SARE program in the Southern region. Made up of 23 members, the Administrative Council, or simply AC, guides the vision of the SARE program, setting goals related to sustainable agriculture, overseeing the review of grant Calls for Proposals, evaluating projects, and being ambassadors for the program.
While most of our AC members are appointed by our partner agencies, other members are selected by the AC through an open nomination process. Southern SARE invites producers to serve on the AC through this process. Seven producers serve on the AC.
Producer Members
Producer members are directly involved in setting the goals of the Southern SARE program. Producer nominations from all 13 states in the southern region, Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands will be considered.
All AC members are members of standing committees, which may meet or communicate through conference calls to decide policy issues related to SSARE. The Administrative Council depends on outstanding nominees that you and your colleagues from across the region may put forward. We strongly encourage you to invest the effort required to advance good nominees.
Duties of the AC include attending AC meetings twice a year in February and August. These meetings have been held virtually due to COVID-19 restrictions, but are generally held in person and last two days. Duties also include a commitment of time for reviewing grant proposals during the winter months ahead of the February AC meetings. Learn more about our Regional Leadership.
Criteria for Administrative Council appointment include the following:
- Run your own farm, regardless of size; alone or with family or partners.
- Proven experience in sustainable agriculture;
- Demonstrated ability and willingness to help address sustainable agriculture needs and methods; and
- Ability to work effectively as a member of a team dealing with contemporary issues facing agriculture.
Council membership will be balanced with respect to geographic location, gender, race and farm type.
If you are interested in applying for or nominating someone for one of the Producer seats on the SSARE AC, please contact Candace Pollock-Moore at cpollock@uga.edu with your/their name, postal address, phone number, and email address. Nomination deadline is Dec. 31, 2020. We will send you/them the invitation link to the online application system to apply for the position. Only applications received on the SSARE Online AC Application System will be considered.
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.