Published Feb 17, 2011

Farm Partners Sought

By Sarah Carlson

On-Farm Research and Demonstration Grant Program materials

2011 ISU On-Farm Research and Demonstration Grant Program RFP [PDF]
Budget instructions [PDF]
Excel spreadsheet for submitting budget [this is an Excel file]
Additional certification that must be signed [PDF]
FARM PARTNERS SOUGHT FOR ISU ON-FARM RESEARCH

AMES, Iowa — Iowa State University seeks ideas and proposals for a unique program pairing farmers with Iowa State University researchers to work on topics related to conservation and sustainability. Proposals are due on February 23, 2011 for the ISU On-Farm Research and Demonstration Grant Program. All ISU faculty, staff and students are eligible to apply.

The program is a partnership of the College of Agriculture and Life Sciences, Leopold Center and Practical Farmers of Iowa. Its goals are to address the opportunities and challenges facing agriculture through collaborative, on-farm research. A total of $25,000 will be awarded in 2011. Annual, one-time grants up to $5,000 maximum will be awarded. Awards to three or more producers proposing to work together may be up to $7,000 each. Work may be completed over 24 months maximum.

Research topic areas, submission instructions and other information are available on the Leopold Center website: http://www.leopold.iastate.edu. For questions about this call for proposals, please contact Malcolm Robertson, Leopold Center program coordinator, (515) 294-1166 or malcolmr@iastate.edu. Questions about on-farm design and implementation, or if you need help finding a farmer or researcher to work with, please contact Sarah Carlson, Practical Farmers of Iowa, (515) 232-5661, sarah@practicalfarmers.org.

Practical Farmers of Iowa includes a diverse group of farmers and friends of farmers. Corn, soybeans, beef cattle and hay are the top enterprises for PFI farmers, although many have a variety of other operations, including fruits and vegetables. PFI’s programming stresses farmer-to-farmer networking through research and demonstration, field days, conferences and more. For more information, call (515) 232.5661 or visit practicalfarmers.org.

Through its research and education programs, the Leopold Center supports the development of profitable farming systems that conserve natural resources..

For more information, contact:

Sarah Carlson, Practical Farmers of Iowa, (515) 232-5661, sarah@practicalfarmers.org
Malcolm Robertson, Leopold Center, (515) 294-1166, malcolmr@iastate.edu, or
Laura Miller, Leopold Center Communications, (515) 294-5272, lwmiller@iastate.edu