The Administrative Council of the Western Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education program (Western SARE) is seeking applicants for qualified individuals as a Farmer/Rancher representative on our Administrative Council (AC). We accept rolling self-nominations or nominations of others, and review those nominations when there is a vacant seat. We may not always have a vacant seat available every year, but we will keep your application on file and review it when vacant seats do become available.
The AC sets
- program priorities,
- approves the budget, and
- makes proposal funding decisions for all grant programs.
The term of service is four years, but members can be re-appointed for a second four-year term.
Please note that members of the AC are not eligible to apply for SARE funding or join a proposal as a collaborator during their time on the AC and for three years after rotating off the AC.
AC members who are not salaried employees are offered a per-day stipend for their participation in semi-annual Administrative Council meetings and technical review panels (TRPs). Travel expenses also are paid/reimbursed per Host Institution travel policy.
Expectations
AC members are expected to
- travel to and attend AC meetings (currently in-person three days in March and three days in July throughout the region)
- review 5-10 grant proposals and other materials distributed between meetings
- travel to and attend one Technical Review Panel annually (in-person, typically 1.5-2 days)
- participate on Western SARE committees and occasional between-meeting conference calls
- hold a broad view of agriculture in the West and understand how their operation fits into the larger agriculture system
Qualifications
Council members must live and work in one of the 17 states or protectorates that comprise the Western SARE region. Those include Alaska, American Samoa, Arizona, California, Colorado, Guam, Hawaii, Idaho, Micronesia, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Northern Mariana Islands, Oregon, Utah, Washington, and Wyoming
Minimum qualifications: 1) have background knowledge and experience to advocate for sustainable agricultural practices and issues, 2) have background knowledge and experience to review submitted grant proposals, 3) be familiar with budgets and fiduciary oversight, 4) be available to serve on subcommittees and technical review panels, 5) be committed to meeting all expectations listed above, and 6) provide a vision/leadership in the creation of regionally important research and education targets.
Applicants must also have the capacity to work effectively as a team member in group decision-making processes.
A person qualifies as a producer (farmer/rancher) if they have a for-profit operation and:
--- Their primary occupation is farming or ranching and have a farm/ranch taxpayer identification number (TIN); or
---They are a part-time producer with at least $1,000 documented annual income from farming or ranching activities.
Application Process
TO APPLY: Applications may be submitted on our website. If you wish to recommend a nominee, please request that they fill out the form.
A successful candidate will also have served on one or more TRPs for Western SARE prior to appointment to the AC. If the applicant has not served on a TRP prior to submitting the application, they will be invited to a TRP held after submittal. Candidates will be interviewed by the AC Membership Committee as well.
Western SARE
SARE’s mission is to advance innovations that improve profitability, stewardship, and quality of life in American agriculture by investing in groundbreaking research and education.
Western SARE’s goals are to
- Promote good stewardship of the nation’s natural resources by providing site-specific, regional, and profitable sustainable farming and ranching methods that strengthen agricultural competitiveness; satisfy human food and fiber needs; maintain and enhance the
quality and productivity of soil; conserve soil, water, energy, natural resources, and fish and wildlife habitat; and maintain and improve the quality of surface and ground water. - Enhance the quality of life of farmers and ranchers and ensure the viability of rural communities, for example, by increasing income and employment, especially profitable self-employment and innovative marketing opportunities in agricultural and rural communities.
- Protect the health and safety of those involved in food and farm systems by reducing, where feasible and practical, the use of toxic materials in agricultural production, and by optimizing on-farm resources and integrating, where appropriate, biological cycles and controls.
- Promote crop, livestock, and enterprise diversification.
- Examine the regional, economic, social, and environmental implications of adopting
sustainable agriculture practices and systems.
Western SARE is part of the Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) Program administered by the USDA. Created in 1990 this program has a two-fold charge: fund innovative research on agricultural and natural resource sustainability and move that new knowledge directly into the farming/ranching sector.