Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (SARE)

Sustainable agriculture — farming that uses fewer chemical inputs, builds long-term soil health, reduces environmental impact, and remains economically viable for farm families — has its own federal research and education program. For complementary research on organic farming practices, see national organic program. For conservation programs that provide financial incentives for sustainable farming, see farm conservation programs. The Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, established under 7 U.S.C. §§ 5801–5832, provides $40,000,000 per year (fiscal years 2013–2023) for research, demonstration projects, and technical training on low-input and sustainable farming systems. At least two-thirds of each year's funds must go to the core research and extension work (§§ 5811 and 5813).

SARE is one of the most farmer-directed federal research programs: farmer-led research projects, on-farm demonstration trials, and cooperative work between farmers and university researchers are all explicitly encouraged. The program recognizes that some of the best knowledge about sustainable farming lives with the farmers who practice it, not in academic journals.

Current Law (2026)

Legal Authority

• 7 U.S.C. § 5801 — Purpose and definitions (protect and improve soil; conserve soil, water, energy, and wildlife habitat; maintain surface and ground water quality; promote profitable farming for long-term farm viability)
• 7 U.S.C. § 5811 — Research and extension projects (Secretary runs data-gathering, testing, and education projects on low-input, sustainable farming; targets to reduce chemical pesticide and fertilizer use while maintaining production efficiency)
• 7 U.S.C. § 5812 — Program administration (administered through NIFA, ARS, and other appropriate agencies; competitive and cooperative research and extension activities)
• 7 U.S.C. § 5813 — Federal-State matching grant program (Secretary establishes matching grants to states for sustainable agriculture research, extension, and education; grantees must provide matching funds)
• 7 U.S.C. § 5814 — Authorization ($40M/year FY2013–2023; at least two-thirds for §§ 5811+5813)
• 7 U.S.C. § 5821 — Integrated management systems (Secretary creates research and education program on integrated resource and crop management; goals include reducing fossil fuel dependency, improving economic viability, building resilience)
• 7 U.S.C. § 5831 — Technical guides and handbooks (Secretary must publish handbooks explaining sustainable farming systems within two years of November 28, 1990)
• 7 U.S.C. § 5832 — National Training Program (national training program to teach extension agents and other professionals how to explain and extend sustainable agriculture practices)

How It Works

What "Sustainable Agriculture" Means in the Statute

Section 5801 defines sustainable agriculture through its purposes: farming systems that protect and improve soil; conserve soil, water, energy, and wildlife habitat; maintain surface and ground water quality through careful management of chemical inputs; and remain economically viable for farm families over the long term. This isn't a certification standard like USDA Organic — it's a research and education framework focused on farming practices that reduce environmental impact while maintaining profitability.

The research specifically targets reducing reliance on chemical pesticides and synthetic fertilizers — not eliminating them, but finding what levels are actually necessary for profitable production versus what's applied out of habit or as insurance. Research has repeatedly found that targeted, reduced-input approaches often match or exceed conventional management economically while significantly reducing environmental risk.

The SARE Regional Structure

SARE operates through four regional programs — North Central, Northeast, Southern, and Western — each with its own administrative council that includes farmers, researchers, and agribusiness representatives. This regional structure ensures research priorities reflect the specific agricultural systems and environmental conditions of each region: cover cropping in the Midwest, integrated pest management in fruit orchards in the Northeast, dryland grain production in the High Plains, specialty crop sustainability in California.

Each regional program makes its own grant awards within USDA's national guidelines, creating a decentralized system that responds to local farmer needs rather than one-size-fits-all national priorities.

The Federal-State Matching Grant Program

Section 5813 requires USDA to establish a matching grant program for states to develop or improve their own sustainable agriculture research, extension, and education programs. Grantee states must provide matching funds — typically from state agricultural research or extension budgets. This mechanism spreads federal investment further while building sustained state-level capacity for sustainable agriculture programs that don't depend entirely on federal funding.

Farmer-Led Research

A distinctive feature of SARE compared to most USDA research programs is its emphasis on farmer-led and farmer-cooperative research. Producer grants under SARE allow individual farmers to conduct their own on-farm research trials — testing new cover crop mixes, different tillage systems, biological pest control approaches — with small USDA grants ($1,000 to $15,000) to cover expenses. Farmers who participate become local resources for other farmers in their communities, spreading sustainable practices through peer-to-peer networks that extension services can't always reach.

Larger research grants require university partners, but even these projects emphasize on-farm demonstration on working commercial farms rather than controlled research station conditions. Research that works on a working farm is far more likely to be adopted than research that only works in a controlled environment.

Integrated Management Systems

The integrated resource and crop management program under § 5821 addresses farming systems as whole systems rather than individual practices. Integrated management looks at the entire farm operation — crops, livestock, soil, water, energy — and seeks to optimize the whole system rather than maximize any single component. This systems approach is foundational to practices like cover cropping, crop rotation, integrated pest management (IPM), and agroforestry that SARE has helped develop and disseminate.

National Training Program for Extension Agents

Section 5832 requires a National Training Program to teach cooperative extension service agents how to explain and share sustainable farming ideas with farmers and ranchers. Extension agents are the frontline of agricultural knowledge transfer — but many were trained in conventional high-input systems and needed education in sustainable alternatives. The training program builds extension capacity across the 50-state network so that farmers asking about cover crops, IPM, or no-till have access to extension professionals who can provide credible guidance.

How It Affects You

If you're a farmer looking to reduce input costs — fertilizer, pesticide, fuel: SARE's research network is one of the best sources of practical, farm-tested information on what actually works at commercial scale. Fertilizer prices spiked 200-300% in 2021-2022; SARE had already published decades of data on reducing nitrogen applications through cover crops, precision application, and manure integration. The SARE website at sare.org publishes free, downloadable publications on cover cropping, integrated pest management, organic transition, pasture management, and soil health — based on actual results from SARE-funded projects on working farms, not controlled research stations.

What SARE research has specifically documented:

• Cover crops: Winter rye, hairy vetch, and legume mixes can reduce synthetic nitrogen requirements by 30-80 lbs/acre in subsequent corn crops. SARE's North Central region has extensive data from Corn Belt farms.
• Integrated pest management (IPM): Scouting-based decisions instead of calendar-based pesticide applications reduce pesticide costs 20-40% in many row crop and vegetable systems with comparable or better yields.
• No-till and reduced tillage: SARE data from working farms shows no-till systems typically save $15-$40/acre in annual fuel and labor — with soil health benefits that compound over years.

Find publications organized by topic and farming system at sare.org/resources/publications/.

If you want to apply for a SARE producer grant: Producer grants are open to any commercial farmer or rancher in the U.S. with a workable on-farm research question. These are small grants — $1,000 to $15,000 — designed to fund a specific on-farm experiment and document what happens. Past producer grant projects have tested: specific cover crop mixes for weed suppression; livestock integration into crop rotations; reduced-tillage vegetable production; direct marketing strategies; and precision irrigation management.

How to apply: SARE operates through four regional programs (North Central, Northeast, Southern, Western), each with its own application deadlines and priorities. Start at sare.org/grants/producer-grants/ for your region's current request for proposals and deadline. Applications are shorter and more accessible than most USDA grant programs — designed for farmers, not grant writers. Your state cooperative extension office or local SARE coordinator can help.

Larger research grants: Farmer-Rancher Grants (up to $30,000) and Research and Education Grants (up to $250,000 over 3 years, requiring university partners) fund more comprehensive projects. If you're interested in partnering with a university researcher on a sustainable practice question, your land-grant university's extension office is the starting point.

If you're transitioning to organic or exploring reduced-chemical systems: SARE has funded organic transition research since the 1990s. Its publications on transitioning to organic — covering the 3-year certification waiting period, weed management without herbicides, nitrogen management without synthetic fertilizers, and pest management — are among the most practical available. Download them at sare.org or request them from your state extension office at no cost.

If you're wondering how SARE research connects to USDA conservation payment programs: SARE's cover crop and soil health research has directly influenced the practices that USDA's Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) and Conservation Stewardship Program (CSP) pay farmers to adopt. The evidence SARE generated about cover crop economics and agronomic performance gave USDA's Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) the scientific justification to include cover crops as cost-shared practices. If you're receiving EQIP payments for cover crops, no-till, or IPM — SARE research helped build the case for those payments. Contact your local NRCS service center at nrcs.usda.gov/contact to learn what conservation practices are cost-shared in your county.

If you're an extension agent or agricultural educator: The National Training Program under § 5832 funds training for cooperative extension agents in sustainable farming systems. SARE's professional development programs are available through your state's cooperative extension system and directly through regional SARE administrative councils — covering cover crop integration, IPM, pasture management, and business planning for sustainable operations. Check sare.org/professional-development for scheduled training and online resources.

If you work in agricultural policy or conservation: SARE has generated some of the strongest economic evidence for sustainable farming practices — evidence that has moved into USDA program design. The 2022 USDA Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program ($3 billion for climate-smart farming) relied heavily on SARE-funded research to define which practices reduce greenhouse gas emissions while maintaining profitability. SARE's farmer-led research model — where results come from commercial farms rather than research stations — makes findings more credible to skeptical producers and policymakers. Annual SARE progress reports are available through USDA NIFA at nifa.usda.gov.

State Variations

SARE operates through four regional programs, each tailored to regional agricultural conditions. State programs funded through the § 5813 matching grant program add another layer of state-specific sustainable agriculture research and education. Some states (California, Wisconsin, Minnesota) have strong state-funded sustainable agriculture programs that complement SARE; others rely more heavily on the federal program.

Pending Legislation

The 2025 Farm Bill (pending as of April 2026) is expected to reauthorize SARE (authorization ran through FY2023) and may increase funding given significant farmer interest in sustainable practices driven by both economics (input cost reduction) and new USDA climate-smart agriculture programs that incentivize reduced-emission farming.

Recent Developments

Fertilizer price spikes in 2021–2022 following global supply chain disruptions generated intense farmer interest in reducing fertilizer inputs — exactly the kind of cost-reduction research SARE has always funded. Cover cropping adoption increased significantly across the Corn Belt as farmers sought ways to maintain yields with lower synthetic nitrogen inputs. USDA's 2022 Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities program provided $3 billion to support climate-smart farming practices including many that SARE has researched for decades, creating significant new demand for SARE's practical information resources.

• Trump administration froze IRA Climate-Smart Commodities funding in 2025: the $3B in Biden-era Partnerships for Climate-Smart Commodities grants — which often cited SARE research as their evidence base — were paused for review; USDA rescinded some awards, and grantees who had begun implementation faced contract cancellations, disrupting farmer adoption networks SARE had spent decades building.
• SARE budget under OBBBA scrutiny: the reconciliation bill proposes restructuring USDA research and extension programs, and SARE's competitive grant model — distributing funds through regional host universities — was flagged for potential consolidation into block grant frameworks with less targeted sustainability focus.
• Cover crop and soil health research remains high-value: despite political headwinds on climate labeling, farmer demand for SARE's practical cover crop and integrated pest management research remains strong; SARE reported record extension publication downloads in 2024-2025, indicating sustained practitioner interest independent of federal climate funding priorities.