NCR-SARE Announces 2022 Research and Education Awards

NCR-SARE is pleased to announce the projects selected for funding for the 2022 Research and Education competitive grant program. Seventeen (17) projects were awarded a total of more than $3.8 million through this NCR-SARE grant program for researchers and educators involved in projects that explore and promote environmentally sound, economically viable, and socially responsible food and/or fiber systems.

The following awarded projects are in order by state and then by last name:

Matthew O’Neal with Iowa State University in Ames, IA, was awarded $248,659 for the project, “Prairie Strips for Enhanced Honey Production: Can Conservation Improve Apiculture?”
Jill Kostel with The Wetlands Initiative in Chicago, IL, was awarded $143,480 for the project, “Collaborative Outreach and Demonstration of Farm-based Tile-Treatment Wetlands for Water Quality Improvement.”
Kathryn Orvis with Purdue University in West Lafayette, IN, was awarded $245,116 for the project, “Urban Farming Entrepreneurship Program: Providing Minority Youth Entrepreneurship Training to Increase Employment and Food Access.”
Jaymelynn Farney with Kansas State University in Parsons, KS, was awarded $ $249,932 for the project, “Evaluating Virtual Fences for Cattle in Regards to Water Resources, Forage Management, Invasive Weed Control, and Wildlife Systems.”
Krista Isaacs with Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI, was awarded $249,932 for the project, “Evaluating an Under-utilized Species for Climate Resilient Forage and Cover Crop Options in North Central Region Cropping Systems.”
Meghan Milbrath with Michigan State University in East Lansing, MI, was awarded $114,625 for the project, “Taking the Sting out of Honey Bee Medicine: Training and Tools for Veterinarians to Increase Access to Care for Beekeepers.”
Nicolas Jelinski with the University of Minnesota in Saint Paul, MN, was awarded $249,852 for the project, “Exploration of Shredded Cardboard as a Mulch and Compost Resource to Improve Soil Health and Water Management by Urban Growers in the Twin Cities.”
Robert Koch with the University of Minnesota in Saint Paul, MN, was awarded $239,682 for the project, “Biological Control for Sustainable Management of Soybean Gall Midge, a New Pest of Soybean in the North Central Region.”
Courtney Kowalczak with Fond du Lac Tribal and Community College in Cloquet, MN, was awarded $250,000 for the project, “Bimaaji’idiwin Gitigaaning Producer Training Program and Manoomin Hull Research.”
Lindsay Pease with the University of Minnesota in Crookston, MN, was awarded $249,839 for the project, “Planting Green in the Frozen North.”
Kyungsoo Yoo with the University of Minnesota in Saint Paul, MN, was awarded $249,939 for the project, “Optimizing Agricultural Use of Diverse Soil Landscapes: Small Organic Vegetable Farms in the Driftless Area.”
Ryan Tenney with Sankara Farm in Kansas City, MO, was awarded $249,352 for the project, “Black Emancipatory Agriculture Asset Map (BEAAM) and Returning Generation Black Farmer Mentorship Program.”
Amy Gerdes with Community Crops in Lincoln, NE, was awarded $72,446 for the project, “Marketing and Business Skills for Beginning, Refugee, and Immigrant Farmers in Lincoln, Nebraska.”
Rhoda Burrows with South Dakota State University in Rapid City, SD, was awarded $249,935 for the project, “Comparing Soil Tarping and Solarization for Early Season Weed Control in Vegetable Crop Systems - a Research and Demonstration Study.”
Luis Peña-Lévano with the University of Wisconsin in River Falls, WI, was awarded $249,945 for the project, “Financial Feasibility and Environmental Implications of Adopting Automatic Milking Systems by Dairy Farms in Wisconsin and Minnesota.”
Gregg Sanford with the University of Wisconsin in Madison, WI, was awarded $249,738 for the project, “The Soil Organic Carbon network (SOCnet): Farmers building soil assets to help mitigate and adapt to climate change in the North Central US.”
Kate Wersan with the Savanna Institute in Madison, WI, was awarded $249,597 for the project, “Novice-to-Producer Agroforestry Education: Linking Demonstration Farms to Online Learning, Apprenticeships, and Communities of Practice.”

You can view NCR-SARE’s 2022 funded projects along with their descriptions (scroll to bottom of page).

NCR-SARE’s Administrative Council (AC) members decide which projects will receive SARE funds. A collection of farm and non-farm citizens, the AC includes a diverse mix of regional agricultural stakeholders. Council members hail from regional farms and ranches, the Cooperative Extension Service, universities, federal agencies, and nonprofit organizations.