NCR-SARE's 2022 Farmer Rancher Grants

The North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NCR-SARE) Program is pleased to announce the 42 Farmer Rancher Grant projects recommended for funding for 2022. More than $745,000 was awarded through this competitive grants program for farmers and ranchers who want to explore sustainable solutions to problems through on-farm research, demonstration, and education projects.

Those selected to receive funding included (in order alphabetically, by state):

Bob Recker of Cedar Valley Innovation in Waterloo, IA, was awarded $28,870 for the project, “Wide Row Cover Crop Demonstrations for Soil and Water Quality Improvement.”
Ana Timmer of The Cornucopia in Sioux Center, IA, was awarded $11,743 for the project, “Cover Crop Prescribed Burning and Nutrient Profile.”
Alexis Weintraub of Zumwalt Acres in Sheldon, IL, was awarded $15,000 for the project, “Cultivating Mushrooms and Producing Soil Amendments using Underutilized Waste Materials to Increase Profitability in an Agroforestry System.”
Stephanie Duncan of Duncan's Worm Farm in Evansville, IN, was awarded $10,370 for the project, “Utilization of Worm Tea on Field Scale Trials for Soil Remediation.”
Mimi Kokoska of Koko Earth Farms in Zionsville, IN, was awarded $15,000 for the project, “Truffle-Hardwood Orchard Development: A New Agro-Forestry Product for Indiana.”
Lindsey Krantz of Catalpa Tree in Evansville, IN, was awarded $15,000 for the project, “Inspirational Three Sisters Mounds Sunshine Experiment with Sunflowers and Community Seed Distribution in Evansville, Indiana.”
Brad Dilts of Serenity Farm in Sedgwick, KS, was awarded $15,000 for the project, “Happy Seedlings, Happy Fish, Happy Family? Achieving All Three through Function Stacking in an Integrated Seed Starting/Heating/Aquaponics System.”
Brandon Kaufman of Moundridge, KS, was awarded $29,980 for the project, “Exploring the Production Costs, Utility, and Value of By-products in Kernza® Perennial Grain Production.”
Miles Mentzer of Mentzer Family Farm in Colony, KS, was awarded $14,175 for the project, “Evaluation of Weed Suppression Between Paper Mulch, Straw Mulch, and Terminated Winter Cover Crop on Pumpkins and Winter Squash.”
Kevin Prather of Mellowfields Farm in Lawrence, KS, was awarded $7,704 for the project, “Low-cost Farm-made Indigenous Soil Microbial Inoculant: Yield Impact on High Tunnel Grown Tomatoes.”
Girard Sagmiller of The Gifted Learning Project in Spring Hill, KS, was awarded $29,997 for the project, “Everybody Grows.”
Abby Johnson of Ox Heights in Rogers City, MI, was awarded $7,539 for the project, “Promoting Farm Sustainability with Complementary Intercropping of English Walnut, Peaches, and Sheep Pastureland.”
Maddy Bartsch of Salt of the North Dyes in Minneapolis, MN, was awarded $26,919 for the project, “Building the Foundation for a Dye Plant Growing Cooperative in USDA Plant Hardiness Zone 4.”
Angela Dawson of Forty Acre Cooperative in Rutledge, MN, was awarded $29,982 for the project, “Feasibility of Hoop House Technology for Specialty Crops.”
Peggy DeSanto of Northwinds BeeCo in Minneapolis, MN, was awarded $29,460 for the project, “Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Science-based, Innovative Winterization System on the Health and Mortality of Honey Bees.”
Craig Fischer of Sleepy Bison Acres in Sleepy Eye, MN, was awarded $9,716 for the project, “Evaluate the Efficiency of Raising Pastured Egg Layers in a Compost Heated Hoophouse Over Winter and Their Influence on Compost Quality.”
Delanie Harrmann of So Below Apothecary in Nerstrand, MN, was awarded $15,000 for the project, “Scaling up Organic Botanical Production in the Upper Midwest.”
Zachary Knutson of Knutson Shorthorns in Pine Island, MN, was awarded $15,000 for the project, “Comparing Fall- and Spring-Planted Row Crop to Pasture Conversion after Multiple Years of Grazed Diverse Continuous Cover Crops.” Knutson was also awarded $8,245 for the project, “Growing Specialty Crops in 'Sacrifice Paddock' after Winter Bale-Grazing.”
Verna Kragnes of Prairie Rose Agricultural Institute for Research, Innovation, and Education in Moorhead, MN, was awarded $29,611 for the project, “Expanding Production of African Eggplant in the Red River Valley.”
Kerri Meyer of Good Courage Farm in Hutchinson, MN, was awarded $13,114 for the project, “Ducks in an Upper Midwestern Vineyard: Managing Pests, Weeds, and Grass while Improving Soil Fertility.”
Bailey Scott of Sun Sprout Farm in Dunnell, MN, was awarded $14,725 for the project, “Establish a System of Composting to Produce Local Sustainable Agricultural Inputs.”
Jonathan Stensgard of Pine Creek Farms in Plainview, MN, was awarded $15,000 for the project, “This Project will Test the Efficacy of Using Compost, as a Mulch and Weed Suppressor, in Small-scale No-till Vegetable Production.”
Beth Neff of MARSH Cooperative in Saint Louis, MO, was awarded $29,120 for the project, “A Workers Cooperative Food System Approach to Climate Resilience.”
Anjulette Smith of North Kansas City YMCA in North Kansas City, MO, was awarded $3,790 for the project, “Feeding Families by Farming.”
Ryan Tenney of Sankara Farm in Kansas City, MO, was awarded $29,619 for the project, “A Citizen Science Approach to Building Multiple Johnson-Su Bioreactors to Increase Soil Health, Vegetable Nutrient Density, and Urban Food Sovereignty.”
William Alward of Little Mountain Ranch and Garden in Ft. Calhoun, NE, was awarded $14,307 for the project, “Incorporating a Fodder System on a Small-scale Livestock Farm to Test the Economic Viability of Reducing Winter Feed Costs for Hogs and Cattle.”
Alex Peterson of RJPage in Haigler, NE, was awarded $29,586 for the project, “Microalgae Application as a Soil Amendment to Improve Soil Health, Crop Production, and Water Management.”
Jeff Steffen in Crofton, NE, was awarded $29,864 for the project, “Accelerating Soil Health and Farm Profitability using Biological Amendments.”
Donnetta Boykin of Endigo's Herbals and Organics in Dayton, OH, was awarded $8,099 for the project, “Effectiveness of Using Milk and Korean Natural Farming Fungicide Techniques vs. Traditional Organic Fungicides on Powdery Mildew.”
Aaron Hopkins of ICANDO Community Development in Columbus, OH, was awarded $28,760 for the “South Side Family Farms Black Farmer/Heritage Project.”
Ava Johnson of SE Gardens and Farm in Columbus, OH, was awarded $13,279 for the project, “Mitigating and Eliminating the Impact of Aphids and White Moth Butterflies on Cabbages, Okra and Collards Using Sustainable Agricultural Practices.”
Weston Lombard of Solid Ground Farm in Millfield, OH, was awarded $14,970 for the project, “Participatory, Community-Driven Agriculture: A New Model for Small Farms that Actively Engages Customers in the Cultivation of Food and Culture.” Lombard was also awarded $19,437 for the project, “Red Mulberry Search and Rescue: Preserving Genetic Diversity for the Future of Sustainable Agroforestry.”
Tom Phillips of StarkFresh in Canton, OH, was awarded $15,000 for the project, “Small-scale Microgreen Farming as a Pathway out of Poverty.”
Erin Gaugler of Gaugler Farm and Ranch in Lemmon, SD, was awarded $15,861 for the project, “Improving Carbon Sequestration through Bale Grazing and Keyline Cultivation.”
Eliza Loughlin of Plainsong Farm and Fiber in Bison, SD, was awarded $3,905 for the project, “Create Artisan-in-Residence Program to Further Education in Value-added Agricultural Products Specific to our Remote Ranching Community.”
Andrew DeVries of Rose 23 Cattle Co in Rosendale, WI, was awarded $29,626 for the project, “60" Corn.”
Maks Kopish of Maks' Mushrooms in La Farge, WI, was awarded $3,059 for the project, “Mushroom Farming without Single-use Plastic: A simple, Low-tech Method for Family Farmers.”
Christopher McGuire of Two Onion Farm in Belmont, WI, was awarded $14,756 for the project, “Managing Cropload with the Pollen Tube Growth Model In Organic Apple Orchards.”
Scarlett Salamone of Loveland Acres Farm in Elkhorn, WI, was awarded $16,186 for the project, “Community Gardening with Chickens and Littles.”
Annie Schmitz of The Farmory in Green Bay, WI, was awarded $18,651 for the project, “Developing Standardized Procedures to Increase Production of Saleable Yellow Perch Fingerlings Year-Round.”

Read descriptions of these projects online at projects.sare.org.

The focus for each of the NCR-SARE grant programs is on research and education. Funding considerations are based on how well the applicant presents the problem being addressed, the project's relevance to sustainable agriculture in the 12-state North Central region, and how well it aligns with NCR-SARE's goals, among other factors specific to each grant program.

NCR-SARE’s Administrative Council (AC) members decide which projects will receive SARE funds. The AC includes a diverse mix of agricultural stakeholders in the region. Council members hail from regional farms and ranches, the Cooperative Extension Service, universities, federal agencies, and nonprofits.

Since 1988, the SARE program has helped advance farming systems that are economically viable, environmentally sound, and socially responsible through a nationwide research and education grants program. The program, part of USDA's National Institute of Food and Agriculture, funds projects and conducts outreach designed to bring sustainable innovations to agricultural systems.