Agricultural professionals such as Cooperative Extension; NRCS; Farm Service Agency, or other USDA agency staff; ag consultants; non-governmental organizations; mentor farmers; and other ag professionals are eligible to apply for a Professional Development Program Grant.Professional Development Program Grant proposals must meet the following basic requirements in order to be considered for funding:<ul><li>Project outcomes must focus on developing sustainable agriculture systems or moving existing systems toward sustainability.</li><li>A project’s central purpose must be to provide or enable training to one or all of the following: Cooperative Extension Service agents; USDA field personnel from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Farm Service Agency, or other USDA agencies; ag professionals and educators, include mentor farmers who serve as trainers. Research projects and farmer-outreach or education projects do not qualify for this funding.</li></ul>

Southern SARE Professional Development Program Guide

Professional Development Program Grants, known as train-the-trainer grants, are available to help further education and outreach strategies for ag professionals and ag educators who work directly with farmers and ranchers.

The grant funds training activities that educate ag professionals in up-to-date strategies and technologies to help farmers and ranchers increase profits and lessen environmental impacts. PDP grants support such activities as producing workshops, creating educational manuals and videos, or conducting on-farm tours and demonstrations.

Eligibility

Agricultural professionals such as Cooperative Extension; NRCS; Farm Service Agency, or other USDA agency staff; ag consultants; non-governmental organizations; mentor farmers; and other ag professionals are eligible to apply for a Professional Development Program Grant.

Professional Development Program Grant proposals must meet the following basic requirements in order to be considered for funding:

Project outcomes must focus on developing sustainable agriculture systems or moving existing systems toward sustainability.
A project’s central purpose must be to provide or enable training to one or all of the following: Cooperative Extension Service agents; USDA field personnel from the Natural Resources Conservation Service, the Farm Service Agency, or other USDA agencies; ag professionals and educators, include mentor farmers who serve as trainers. Research projects and farmer-outreach or education projects do not qualify for this funding.

Terms

There is no funding cap for projects. To fund a broad portfolio of projects, priority is given to those less than $80,000. Projects can either be for one year or two years.

The application process for Professional Development Program Grants requires a pre-proposal, followed by a full proposal for those applicants invited to submit one by the regional review committees. Applications are accepted the current calendar year for funding for the following year.