PINE BLUFF, Arkansas — Farmers and ranchers have until Dec. 5, 2025, to apply for the Producer Grant Program, according to Dr. Henry English, director of the Small Farm Program at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.
The initiative is part of the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SSARE) program.
Dr. English said Producer Grants are used to conduct sustainable agriculture research projects that address timely agricultural production challenges. Information gained from the funded projects will help other farmers and ranchers understand what works and what does not work when facing similar problems.
“This project allows a farmer to test a practice addressing a production or marketing problem on a small scale,” he said. “When the project is complete, results are evaluated – if the project successfully and sustainably addresses the problem at hand, the information can be shared on a larger scale to benefit other farmers.”
The maximum funding amount for a Producer Grant is $20,000 for individual farmers and ranchers and $25,000 for farmer/rancher organizations, paid to a grantee as a reimbursement once invoices and receipts are submitted for allowable project expenses.
Producers can apply for the program at https://southern.sare.org. Announcement of funded proposals will take place in late Feb. 2026. In case of questions, applicants can contact the UAPB Small Farm Program at (870) 575-7225.
Dr. English said applicants should remember that Producer Grants are not designed to pay a farmer to farm, purchase livestock, equipment or land, make permanent farm improvements or support private enterprises through capital investments. Rather, they are competitive research grants, designed to take some of the financial risk away from trying a solution to an agricultural production issue.
Proposed projects must focus on Southern SARE’s program objectives in developing sustainable agriculture systems or moving existing farming systems toward sustainability as defined by Congress in the 1990 Farm Bill. Applicants specifically should be aware of this definition, as proposals will be reviewed with this legal definition in mind.
Southern SARE is one of four regional SARE programs, hosted by the University of Georgia, Fort Valley State University and the Kerr Center for Sustainable Agriculture. Southern SARE accepts proposals from applicants in the Southern region: Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
Pursuant to 7 CFR Section 15.3, the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff and the School of Agriculture, Fisheries and Human Sciences, 1890 Research and Extension Programs, offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy, or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
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