Funded by the USDA, the national Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program supports and promoted sustainable farming and ranching.  SARE offers competitive grants and educational opportunities for producers, scientist, educators, institutions, organizations and others exploring sustainable agriculture.

In 1997 and 1998, Diana Endicott, Rainbow Organic Farms, received two small SARE grants that jump started the Good Natured Family Farms concept of bring local farm fresh food to the mainstream supermarket. Abstracts from national SARE projects are available in a comprehensive, searchable database.  

Kansas and Missouri is in the north central region of the national SARE program. 

Diana Endicott, Good Natured Family Farms, farm to market coordinator served on the north central SARE board for four years.

USDA CSREES SBIR Small Business Innovation Research Program

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) progam in the U.S. Department of Agriculute (USDA) makes competitively awarded grants that are to qualified small businesses to support high quality advanced concepts research related to important scientific problems and opportunities in agriculture that could lead to significant public benefit if successful. 

Rainbow Organic Farms, Diana Endicott, has completed two SBIR research initiatives on the subject of ‘Quality Verification Program for Family Farms’. For an overview of this project visit our success story at:

www.csrees.usda.gov/funding/sbir/sbir_success.html 

The USDA Rural Development is committed to helping improve the economy and quality of life in all of rural America.  Through their programs they touch rural America in many ways.  Rural Development achieves its mission by helping rural individuals, communities, and businesses obtain financial and technical assistance needed to address their diverse and unique needs. 

The USDA value-added producer grant program makes competitively awarded grants to independent producers, farmer and rancher cooperatives, agricultural producer groups, and majority controlled producer based business ventures for planning activities and working capital for marketing value-added agriculture products and for farm-based renewable energy. 

Rainbow Organic Farms received a VAPG award for the Good Natured Family Farms’ farm to market initiative.  

United States Department of Agriculture

Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)

Since 1935, the Natural Resource Conservation Service (originally the Soil Conservation Service) has provided leadership in a partnership effort to help America’s private land owners and managers conserve their soil, water, and other natural resources.  NRCS’s natural resources conservation programs help people reduce soil erosion, enhance water supplies, improve water quality, increase wildlife habitat, and reduce damages caused by floods and other natural disasters.  Public benefits include enhanced natural resources that help sustain agricultural productivity and environmental quality while supporting continued economic development, recreation, and scenic beauty.

NRCS Environmental Improvement Programs

Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQUIP)

The Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQUIP) was reauthorized in the Farm Security and Rural Investment Act of 2002 (Farm Bill) to provide a voluntary conservation program for farmers and ranchers that promotes agricultural production and environmental quality as compatible national goals.  EQUIP offers financial and technical help to assist eligible participants install or implement structural and management practices on eligible agricultural land. 

 Rainbow Organic Farms and several farmer members of the Good Natured Family Farms Alliance are working with EQUIP to establish such on farm environmental initiatives as watering systems for rotational grazing of their cattle, establishment of native prairie grass pastures, top soil erosion control, and other on sustainable farm environmental management practices.

NRCS Environmental Improvement Programs

Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP)

The Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program (WHIP) is a voluntary program for people who want to develop and improve wildlife habitat primarily on private land.  Through WHIP USDA’s Natural Resource Conservation Service provides technical assistance and cost share assistance to establish and improve fish and wildlife habitat. Whip has proven to be a highly effective and widely accepted program across the country. 

Several of the Good Natured Family Farms Alliance members participate in the Wildlife Habitat Incentives Program with such initiatives as restoration and management of declining habitats, stream bank protection, well decommissioning, wildlife watering facility, and other planned conservation practices.