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NCR-SARE Announces 2026 Call for Farmer Rancher Grant Proposals |
The 2026 North Central Region - Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (NCR-SARE) Farmer Rancher Grant “Call for Proposals” is now available with information about how to apply for this funding.
Farmers and ranchers in the North Central region are invited to submit grant proposals to explore sustainable agriculture solutions to problems on the farm or ranch. Sustainable Agriculture is farming and ranching that is ecologically sound, economically viable, and focused on farmer-rancher and community wellbeing. This grant program helps farmers and ranchers explore innovative ideas and share what they learn with others. Farmers and ranchers can explore regenerative solutions to problems through on-farm research or demonstration/education projects. These grants are meant to fuel innovation for the whole farming and ranching community, and so grantees report on what worked, what didn’t, and what you would recommend for other farmers and ranchers pursuing similar solutions.
There are two options available for Farmer Rancher grants:
- Individual grants ($15,000 maximum)
- Team grants for two or more separate and distinct farm/ranch operations who are collaborating ($30,000 maximum)
NCR-SARE expects to fund about 40 projects in the twelve-state North Central Region with this call. A total of approximately $720,000 is available for this program.
NCR-SARE is accepting online submissions for the Farmer Rancher Grant Program. More information about the online submission system can be found in the call for proposals.
Interested applicants can find the call for proposals online as well as useful information for completing a proposal at https://northcentral.sare.org/grants/apply-for-a-grant/farmer-rancher-grant/. You can find more information about sustainable agriculture at http://www.sare.org/.
Deadline
Proposals must be received online or in the NCR-SARE office by mail or e-mail by December 4, 2025 at 4pm Central.
Farmer Rancher Grant Zoom Session
A webinar on applying for a Farmer Rancher Grant will be held at on Tuesday, October 14, 2025 at 12pm Central. We will cover details about the grant. NCR-SARE plans to record the zoom session and post it online here.
Register for the webinar online at: https://umn.zoom.us/webinar/register/WN_iCPncvivSQa-4GPVLtOqlw
Online Office Hours
In addition to hosting the webinar that goes over how the grant works and how to apply, we are also offering online "Office Hours." This is a small group setting where anyone is invited to ask questions of NCR-SARE grant staff. No registration required.
Opportunities for Youth Educators
NCR-SARE’s Youth Educator Grant Program will open for proposals in mid-January 2026. Sign up to be notified when program details become available.
Questions
Applicants with questions can contact Liz Brownlee, Farmer Rancher Grant Program Coordinator, at brow...@umn.edu or (812) 405-5681. Applicants should also contact Liz Brownlee if they need a hard copy or an email version of the call for proposals. We revise our calls for proposals each year, so be sure to use the most recent call.
Each state in SARE's North Central region has one or more Sustainable Agriculture Coordinator who can provide information and assistance to grant applicants. Interested applicants can find their State Sustainable Agriculture Coordinator online at https://northcentral.sare.org/state-programs/state-coordinators/.
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Ready to apply for an NCR-SARE Grant but don't know where to start? Check out our "NCR-SARE Grant How-To Series." This video series is designed to help you feel fully equipped and confident throughout the application process.
The first episode breaks down the basics and covers everything you need to know about SARE grants.
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