Northeast SARE's Administrative Council recently awarded 27 Partnership Grant proposals for the 2021 grant cycle, totaling $708,591. These projects are now underway with the goal of working in direct partnerships with farmers to encourage innovative solutions to current sustainability challenges related to production, marketing, and/or farmer and community well-being in Northeast farming and food systems. The projects are listed in alphabetical order by state of project leader.
Connecticut
- Erin Masur of Hoof & Hound in Bantam, CT was awarded $14,319 to conduct, “Assessment of a Composite Herbal Feed Additive on Reducing Haemonchus contortus in a Dual Purpose Sheep Operation”.
Delaware
(no awards)
Maine
- Damian Brady of the University of Maine in Walpole, MD was awarded $21,190 to conduct, “Biological and Economic Optimization of Shell Size and Timing for Sea Scallop (Placopecten magellanicus) Ear-hanging in the Northeast U.S.”.
- Marissa Mastors of Wolfe's Neck Center for Agriculture and the Environment in Freeport, ME was awarded $29,634 to conduct, “Maine Soil Health Network: Sharing Soil Health Data and Practices to Increase Farm Viability and Climate Resilience”.
Maryland
- Sarah Hirsh of the University of Maryland in Princess Anne, MD was awarded $25,801 to conduct, “Giant Miscanthus Production on Maryland Eastern Shore’s Marginal Land: Grassroots Efforts to Restore Profitable Agriculture”.
- Lila Karki at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore in Princess Anne, MD was awarded $29,957 to conduct, “Increasing Efficiency and Decision-Making Capability of Small, Socially Disadvantaged, and Minority Farmers”.
- Andrew Lazur of the University of Maryland Extension in Upper Marlboro, MD was awarded $29,830 to conduct, “Increasing Awareness of Well Drinking Water Quality of the Farming Community in Maryland”.
- Paul Sturm at Ridge to Reefs in Sykesville, MD was awarded $26,883 to conduct “Upcycling Local Waste Streams to Boost Urban Farm Productivity”.
Massachusetts
(no awards)
New Hampshire
- Jessica Newnan of the Merrimack County Conservation District in Somersworth, NH was awarded $11,339 to conduct, “Merrimack County New Hampshire Cover Crop Seed Production Feasibility Project”.
New Jersey
(no awards)
New York
- Elizabeth Lamb of Cornell University in Ithaca, NY was awarded $20,614 to conduct, “Greenhouse IPM Scout School: Grower Input to Create the Curriculum”.
- Crystal Stewart-Courtens of Cornell Cooperative Extension in Johnstown, NY was awarded $24,960 to conduct, “Fight the Mite! Post-harvest Control of Eriophyid Mites in Garlic”.
Pennsylvania
- Flor Acevedo of Pennsylvania State University in North East, PA was awarded $29,998 to conduct “Survey and Rearing of Grape Berry Moth Larval Parasitoids in Northwest Pennsylvania”.
- Angela Corcoran of Taproot Kitchen in State College, PA was awarded $11,980 to conduct "Multi-Farm Winter Produce Subscription: Leveraging Taproot Kitchen’s Processing Power to Develop a Market for Seconds in Centre County, PA”.
- Mary Deemer of PittMoss LLC in Ambridge, PA was awarded $27,825 to conduct, “Evaluation of the Influences of New Sustainable Bedding Materials with Stacked Litter Management on Factors that Benefit Turkey Health and Environment”.
Rhode Island
- Marta Gomez-Chiarri of the University of Rhode Island in Kingston, RI was awarded $29,880 to conduct, “From Pasture to Cheese: Effect of Farm Practices on Raw Milk and Cheese Microbial Communities”.
Vermont
- Diane Abruzzini of Rigorous LLC in Underhill, VT was awarded $29,944 to conduct, “High Tunnel Gantry System with Transport Cart and Automated Row Cover System to Assist Small Farm Production, Scalability and Profitability”.
- Heather Darby of the University of Vermont Extension in St. Albans, VT was awarded $28,797 to conduct, “Integrating Solar Corridors into Vermont Corn Silage Production Systems”.
- Meghan Giroux of Interlace Commons, Inc. in Bristol, VT was awarded $29,496 to conduct, “The Creation of Two Alley Cropping Demonstration Sites as Cases Studies on Massachusetts”.
- Josef Görres of the University of Vermont in Burlington, VT was awarded $29,994 to conduct, “Banks to Enhance Vegetable Yield and Reduce Water Quality Impairment by Mitigating Excessive Soil Phosphorus”.
- Abraham Noe-Hays of the Rich Earth Institute in Brattleboro, VT was awarded $29,939 to conduct, “Assessing the Feasibility of Bio-acidification to Reduce On-farm Ammonia Volatilization from Dairy Manure, Digestate and Urine”.
- Kirsten Workman of the University of Vermont Extension in Middlebury, VT was awarded $29,745 to conduct, “Organic No-Till Forage Crop Innovations”.
Washington, D.C.
(no awards)
West Virginia
- Candace DeLong of West Virginia University in Romney, WV was awarded $29,944 to conduct, “Evaluation of Pelletized Poultry Litter to Improve Specialty Crop Production in West Virginia”.
- Lewis Jett of West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV was awarded $29,700 to conduct, “Production and Value-Added Processing of Cultivated and Wild-Harvested Elderberries in West Virginia”.
- David McGill of West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV was awarded $29,876 to conduct, “Increasing the Product Supply of Ramps via Enhanced Plantings and Educational Farm Programming”.
- Spencer Moss of the West Virginia Food and Farm Coalition in Charleston, WV was awarded $29,999 to conduct, “Hopping on Hops: Technical Assistance and Peer-to-Peer Mentorship to Support West Virginia Hops Growers”.
- Mehmet Oztan of West Virginia University in Morgantown, WV was awarded $16,996 to conduct, “Training Small Farmers for Commercial Seed Production while Exploring Profitability of Annual Vegetable Seed Crops in West Virginia”.
- Michael Rechlin of Future Generations University in Franklin, WV was awarded $29,996 to conduct, “Sycamore Syrup: Generating Farm Income and Protecting Riparian Zones in West Virginia”.
- Alexandria Smith of West Virginia University Extension in Moorefield, WV was awarded $29,955 to conduct, “Is Copper Deficiency Killing Our Sheep? Micronutrient Availability and their Effects on Sheep Health and Production”.
Learn more about Northeast SARE's Partnership Grant program by visiting www.northeastsare.org/PartnershipGrant.