[vetsinag] Grants, Scholarships, Educational Opportunities

[Robyn Metzger]

Hi everyone,
I've been collecting information about different financial assistance and educational opportunities available, and I wanted to send them out to you all in case they could be helpful. Some of these are specifically for farmer-veterans, and some are open to any farmers/ranchers. I've posted some things on our NCAT Armed to Farm Facebook page, so if you're on social media you can follow that page for updates as well.

Please follow the links below for more information about these programs, since they are not affiliated with NCAT. However, if you have questions about NCAT's scholarships to the SSAWG conference, please do contact me (robynm at ncat.org<mailto:robynm at ncat.org>) or Margo (margoh at ncat.org).

I hope this information is helpful!
Best wishes to you all,
Robyn

Robyn Metzger
Program Specialist/Armed to Farm Coordinator
National Center for Appropriate Technology
479-442-9824
www.ncat.org<http://www.ncat.org/>

NCAT's mission: Helping people by championing small-scale, local and sustainable solutions
that reduce poverty, promote healthy communities, and protect natural resources.



Funding/Financial Assistance Opportunities
Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SSAWG) offers a limited number of fee reductions to assist limit-resource producers in the Southern U.S. to attend their conference in January 2020. Visit https://www.ssawg.org/fee-waivers for more information and to complete the application.

National Center for Appropriate Technology (NCAT) will offer a limited number of veteran scholarships to attend the SSAWG Conference. The University of Arkansas and NCAT are partnering to offer the veteran scholarships. Fifteen partial scholarships, which will cover the cost of general conference registration, will be awarded. Five full scholarships are also available, which will cover the cost of conference registration, short course and field trip attendance, and lodging at the conference hotel.
The deadline to apply for the scholarships is December 6, 2018. The application is available online at https://www.ncat.org/atf_AR_ssawg/. Applicants will be notified no later than December 13 about the status of their scholarship application.

FACT Scholarships for Livestock and Poultry Farmers
As funding allows, FACT will award scholarships of up to $400 for livestock and poultry farmers to attend conferences and training events to learn humane animal management practices. FACT is currently accepting applications for scholarships to the Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SSAWG) Conference (January 22-25, 2020 in Little Rock, AR). Applications will be accepted soon for: Vermont Grazing and Livestock Conference (January 2020 in Fairlee, VT) and Practical Farmers of Iowa Conference (January 16-18).
Other conferences - If you would like to attend a conference or event that is not listed above, please suggest it on your application. FACT staff members will review proposed conferences on a case by case basis and approve those deemed eligible. Events must include an animal management component to be eligible.
https://foodanimalconcernstrust.org/scholarships

FACT Fund-a-Farmer Grants for Livestock Producers
FACT awards competitive grants to working, independent family farmers located in the continental U.S. who raise beef cattle, broiler chickens, dairy cows, goats, laying hens, pigs, sheep and/or turkeys. This year we will offer three types of grants: Animal Welfare Certification Grant, Capacity Building Grant (funding for individual and joint projects), and Pasture Improvement Grant.
https://foodanimalconcernstrust.org/grants?fbclid=IwAR2dIBfLIggV7TgP5QLpsxr_9W7Wrdu3jFBAOv8r0e-At8ALXD7pY-iRUVE

NCR-SARE Farmer Rancher Grant Program
North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education (NCR-SARE) is accepting Farmer Rancher Grant proposals to explore sustainable agriculture solutions. Proposals should show how farmers and ranchers plan to use their own innovative ideas to explore sustainable agriculture options and how they will share project results. There are three types of competitive grants: individual grants ($9,000 maximum), team grants for two farmers/ranchers from separate operations ($18,000 maximum), and group grants for three or more farmers/ranchers from separate operations ($27,000 maximum).
NCR-SARE expects to fund about 40 projects in the 12-state North Central Region. A total of approximately $720,000 is available. The NC-SARE region includes Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Proposals are due on December 5, 2019.
More information: https://www.northcentralsare.org/Newsroom/Regional-News-and-Press-Releases/NCR-SARE-Announces-2020-Farmer-Rancher-Grant-Call-for-Proposals

Vermont Working Lands Enterprise Initiative Business Grants
Vermont's Working Lands Enterprise Board makes essential, catalytic investments in critical leverage points of the Vermont farm and forest economy and facilitates policy development to optimize the agricultural and forest use of Vermont lands. For the Fiscal Year 2020 grant cycle, the Working Lands Enterprise Board plans to award a total of $1.15 million to $1.2 million in Business Grants ranging from $5,000 to $150,000. The total includes $500,000 in legislatively mandated funds for dairy-focused projects. Vermont-based businesses and nonprofits are eligible to apply.
Pre-applications are due by November 3, 2019.
https://workinglands.vermont.gov/grant-opportunities

Four Corners Slow Money Makes First Micro-Loan for Agriculture
The new nonprofit organization Four Corners Slow Money has made its first $3,000 loan. Through a peer-to-peer lending system, Four Corners Slow Money offers zero-interest micro-loans to farmers, growers, and food enterprises in the Four Corners region (Southwest Colorado, Southeast Utah, Northern New Mexico & Northern Arizona). Loans are repaid over the course of a year, with the payments going into a revolving loan fund.
The next Loan Applications by Farmers & Food Entrepreneurs are due January 30th, 2020.  https://www.fourcornersslowmoney.org/

Educational Opportunities
Educate-2-Cultivate (E2C): Business Development and Assistive Technology Symposium for Military Veterans in Agriculture
Saturday, 26 October 2019; 0900-1500
Maine Army National Guard Armory, 179 Western Ave., Augusta, Maine
Cost: $20. Locally-sourced lunch included.
The E2C symposium is for military veterans and their partners involved in agriculture, or for those veterans who desire to learn more about safely and successfully running their own business in agriculture.
https://extension.umaine.edu/agrability/e2c/

Growing Growers one-day Value Added Food Production workshop
Sat, October 19, 2019
9:00 AM - 2:00 PM CDT
Holden, MO
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/value-added-food-production-tickets-65688079815?utm-medium=discovery&utm-campaign=social&utm-content=attendeeshare&aff=esfb&utm-source=fb&utm-term=listing&fbclid=IwAR1_fnJNBXUMa3q8IqAfap5iRv3XBatK4i7a8lxa6vNSUoid1DgDc1J7yCQ

Cornell Small Farms Program offers several six-week online courses that include weekly webinars. There is a sliding scale for payment and a payment plan available. Courses for November-December include Intro to Maple Syrup Production, Berry Production, Getting Started with Pastured Pigs, Vegetable Production I, and Poultry Production.
https://smallfarms.cornell.edu/online-courses/

Southern Sustainable Agriculture Working Group (SSAWG) will hold their annual conference in Little Rock, AR, January 22-25, 2020. Visit https://www.ssawg.org/january-2020-conference for more information. Register by Dec. 21 for early bird discounted registration fees.



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