2025-256 SOUTHERN SARE NCA&T MODEL STATE PROGRAM

Commodities

Practices

NC SARE is a collaborative effort between NC State University and NC A&T State University. NC SARE promotes sustainable agriculture in NC and supports agriculture professionals, extension agents, farmers, and other educators for sustainable agriculture training and events. From NCA&T we offer sustainable agriculture training primarily through travel scholarships, mini sustainable grants, Innovation Small Farm Bus Tour, and NCA&T organized field days (e.g., Cover Crop and Soil Health Field Day, Small Farm Field Day, etc.), especially for small-scale, limited resources and underserved farmers. The travel scholarships covering registration, hotel, and other expenses are available to extension agents, mentor farmers, NGOs, and other educators supporting the agriculture community defined by Southern SARE. Applications for educational training and workshops in any area that impacts or advances the knowledge and skills to better service the sustainable agriculture community may be submitted. Possible training opportunities might be, but not limited to, Small Farm Field Day, Small Farm Weeks by Cooperative Extension at NCA&T, SE Fruit & Vegetable Expo, NCA&T and CEFS Cover Crop Demo, Sustainable Agriculture Conference, Bee Conference, ASAP - Business of Farming Conference, Agrotourism Conference, etc. Southern SARE from NCA&T will partially provide funding to arrange and organize an Innovation Small Farm Bus Tour in eastern NC for underserved and small farmers to showcase sustainable agriculture. Guided by the single Advisory Committee for both NCA&T and NCSU, we have training opportunities for agriculture professionals and model farmers. NCA&T and NCSU work closely together to promote and support NC Sustainable Agriculture.

• Two mini-PDP grants funded demonstration projects to two
  extension agents based on sustainable agriculture (cover crops,
  no-tillage, biochar, ). Extension agents showcase these
  demonstration projects as model projects to the nearby counties and
  farming communities. The fund can be used to conduct field
  demonstrations, and educational materials and publish
  factsheets.
• Our funding partially supports an Innovative Small Farm Bus
  Tour to visit sustainable small farms on the Eastern Shore of North
  Carolina, Virginia, and Maryland, utilizing innovative and
  sustainable We may make this tour as a part of NE North Carolina
  Ag. Niche Conference The bus tour will be during the first week of
  September 2024 as a part of the NE North Carolina Ag Niche
  Conference. Up to 40 small, beginning, or limited resource farmers
  will travel by tour bus for two days, and one night to visit 8 to
  10 small farms to see and learn from these innovative farmers.
  There will be small and sustainable farmer networking,
  idea-sharing, and relationship-building opportunities. Funds are
  being requested to lower the cost of the entire tour for ~10
  farmers participants (@$500) while providing equal and accessible
  educational opportunities for underserved farmers.
• We provide expert speaker fees to farmers to participate and
  provide hands-on training to promote sustainable
  agriculture-related Requesting for a total of 4 farmers @$600. The
  conferences may include but are not limited to North Carolina
  A&T Small Farm Educational Forum, Carolina Farm Stewards
  Association (CFSA) Sustainable Agriculture Conference (SAC), Women
  in Ag. Conference etc.
• We provide travel funding so that extension agents and other
  sustainable agriculture professionals can attend training relevant
  to their subject area to better serve their Also, farmers,
  especially from minority, underserved, and small-scale settings
  receive Travel Scholarships including registration scholarships,
  hotel scholarships, or other travel-associated scholarships (open
  throughout the year) to attend sustainable farming-related
  conferences. This year our board members discussed new areas of
  conferences and training programs available to broaden outreach and
  educational support to ag. Communities. We will include but not be
  limited to the Aquaculture, Bee Conference, Agrotourism Conference,
  ASAP Business of Farming Conference, SE Fruits, and Vegetable
  Conference, etc.
• Printing and educational materials (factsheets, fliers,
  brochures, postcards, etc.) for NCA&T-organized events such as
  NCA&T Cover Crop and Soil Health Field Day, Small Farm Field
  Day, etc. Funding for a total of 2 such events @$1,200.