Farmer Grant Question and Answers - 2025 Call for Proposals - Oct 16, 2024

The Call for 2025 Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Farmer Grants is now available. Approximately $850,000 has been allocated to fund projects. Awards of up to $30,000 are available and proposals are due no later than 5:00 p.m. EST on November 12, 2024.

Q&A Sessions are taking place alternating Tuesdays and Wednesdays in October. Register once to attend any of the sessions.

Sessions will take place on: Oct 8, 16, 22, 30. from 12 to 1 EST

Northeast SARE Farmer Grant Administrator Candice Huber will be available to answer any questions potential grantees have about their 2025 Farmer Grant proposals.

https://northeast.sare.org/news/2025-...

https://northeast.sare.org/mailinglist

Questions asked this session:

What is the range of grants for length of time and budget annually?

Can we purchase equipment for processing the variety that we are researching?

For tree crops research , I might need more than 3 years of funding. Can I get successive grants?

NRCS designed a plan to irrigate our pastures that would ultimately help us significantly reduce to eliminate hay purchases. This would require us to spend money on a well and a traveling irrigation gun. Are these costs this grant could help with?

Is paying farmhands to care for a new species of fruit trees for us and to help record data considered an eligible cost?

Do you fund all or nothing of the total requested or do you sometimes do partial funding?
If we are at the end of a 3 year project right now, can we be recouped for previous costs plus the costs associated with the conclusion of the experiment?

Can I charge for my time on the research project as well as pay others?

How do you submit payment for reimbursement for labor? Does it have to be through a payroll company?

I'm not sure if the farm I'm working for is eligible. The landowners just took over the farm this year, but the farmer that was there for the past 30 years was selling hay and beef. We are not currently selling anything, but are using cover crops and have traded grain/hay with local farmers.

To be eligible, it just needs to be $1,000's WORTH of food, even if we donated it all to the food bank, rather than sold it?

Are farmers working for a non-profit on a non-profit farm eligible to apply?

I work for a nonprofit farm. We are changing locations in the next year, but staying within the same community. We intend to continue producing throughout the move, but what might happen if we did not have enough production to meet the definition of a farm after have been awarded a grant?

Are there any proof of concept grants opportunities before next summer?

In the past for folks that have created video content as part of their project, is there a preference as to where the content is hosted, e.g. YouTube vs independent website?

What is the scope for projects that focus on education, specifically creating educational video content around specific agroecology?

I am a technical advisor. My farmer wants to apply to try out a new potential species for production. Is that appropriate for this grant?

Are there specific educational gaps amongst farmers in the Northeast that we might want to tackle via educational resources?

Do you have info on existing needs assessments that have been done recently?

What usually makes submissions stand out?

We have several farmers that are interested to work with us as a technical advisor to understand the comparative soil health and emissions analysis of their operations. Does this fit for the Farmer Grant program, and how would multiple producers be involved?

What are some tips to help folk focus the scope of their projects?

is there an approved commodities list?

What are the qualifications of a technical advisor?

Can a child be the technical provider for the parents who are the farm owner?

Is the technical advisor paid? How is that compensation determined?

Any suggestions as far as organizations that focus on education and outreach to small farmers?

Where can I identify a technical advisor?