Anyone know a way to secure land grants for sustainable agriculture?

Question

This would be for a family sized to small produce farm, in the US..

Answer 1

Grants are hard to find if you are not doing research with a Ph.d as most are either educational or for scientific research.

Check out SARE as they are the entity that gives out more sustainable ag grants than any other US gov entity http://www.sare.org.

Answer 2

Look up "Michigan Land Trust". It was formed for that very purpose in the late 1970s.

Answer 3

I think that what you have been reading about is grants to "Land Grant" Universities for sustainable agriculture.  They don't have any programs that give grants of land to individual farmers. They have a program that allows the universities that received the grants to use some of the money to help out farmers who are already practicing sustainable agriculture through the SARE program which you can read about below.  Check the references to see how to apply for the program.

Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program (SARE)  works to increase knowledge about - and help farmers and ranchers adopt - practices that are profitable, environmentally sound, and good to communities. Several types of competitive grants are awarded by four regional administrative councils. Research and education grants, generally ranging from $60,000 to $150,000, fund projects that usually involve scientists, producers and others in an interdisciplinary approach. Professional development grants, generally ranging from $20,000 to $90,000, offer educational opportunities for extension, NRCS, and other agricultural professionals. Producer grants, typically between $1,000 and $15,000, go to farmers and ranchers who test innovative ideas and share the results with their neighbors. Projects address crop and livestock production and marketing, stewardship of soil and other natural resources, economics and quality of life. .

http://www.texasep.org/html/lnd/lnd_2agr...

http://www.csrees.usda.gov/fo/sustainabl...

Answer 4

Yes, I do know how to secure the grants!  

You should be a African American disabled woman, of Native American heritage.  You should already have enough money that you don't need the grant.  You should also be rubbing socialite shoulders with the extremely wealthy people who fund many, many of these grants.

I'm quiet sure you now think I'm being a total racial jerk.  I'm not.  I'm a disabled white woman.  I've been SUCESSFULLY (that means making a very small profit) meat goats since 1999.  By the way, I also keep really good records of my goats/farm.

So being a disabled woman, with a proven track record of raising meat goats, you'd think I'd qualify for grants, right?  Not hardly...least none I've applied for.  I'd very much like to increase the size of my proven permaculture farm.  

In 1999 I started with just three goats.  I now have about 100 productive does.  I've grown my herd myself, and learned tons along the way.  

Hit your local library.  The books on grants will be in the resource section (books you cannot check out).  Plan on spending quiet a few hours at the library go through read grants that match what you are trying to do.  Take spare change with you, so you can have the librarian copy pages for you, and you do not end up writing everything down.

Then, if at all possible, do research on the places you are applying to for grants.  Very often they have information about people, places, farms, ect they gave grants to in the past.  Try to see what it was about those people, places, farms, ect that sparked their interest, and desire to give them the grant.

Try to tailor your grant to spark their interest.  Some grant places love photos, charts and diagrams.  Others hate it.  

Try to be personable in the way you write your grant, without being too personal, or needy.  Hard to explain, but you'll get the idea, once you start researching them, and actually writting them.

Best of luck to you (I honestly mean that)!  By the way...even if you don't get a grant, follow your dreams anway!  Remember I started with just three goats.  I continue to grow and expand each year, without the help of grants.  Following your passion is sure to make your life more interesting, and happy.

~Garnet

Homesteading/Farming over 20 years

Answer 5

there are a few subsidized programs for sustainable Ag, but nothing involving a "land grant".

the FSA (farm service agency, USDA) has a program called E.Q.I.P.

the program offers to pay farmers to manage their land in different ways to help conserve our natural resources. including : conservation tillage, maintaining grassed waterways, installing more efficient irrigation systems, etc........

not always, but sometimes (if there is enough in the budget) they have programs supporting organic farming. the last one that i heard of was a reimbursement of organic certification fees.  it wasn't much but its better than nothing.

my point is that if you farm organic you probably already qualify for many of the conservation programs.  

but nobody is going to give you land because you will farm it "sustainable" unless you've got a rich uncle or something.

my experience with ATTRA is that they are there to help you learn to farm sustainably and find markets for your product.  i could have overlooked something but i doubt it. the truth is that once you learn to grow organic crops you shouldn't need any assistance at all.  the profit margin for organic is high. a lot of hard work though.

Answer 6

previous responses generally pretty good. here are a couple more resources that you might find useful.

Sustainable Agriculture Research Funding Resources, AFSIC, March 2007

http://www.nal.usda.gov/afsic/agnic/susa...

Federal Resources for Sustainable Farming and Ranching

ATTRA - National Sustainable Agriculture Information Service, 2007

This publication offers an overview of the major federal conservation programs that provide resources for farmers and ranchers to enhance and maintain sustainable farming and ranching practices.

http://attra.ncat.org/attra-pub/PDF/fede...