Warner Grants for Sustainable Agriculture

The Ohio State University College of Food, Agricultural and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) Sustainable Agriculture Team and Agroecosystems Management Program (AMP) are offering interdisciplinary grants to promote on-farm research in sustainable agriculture. This program is made available through the Paul C. and Edna H. Warner Endowment Fund established specifically for on-farm research in sustainable agriculture related to crop (agronomic and horticultural) and animal production systems that are intended for human consumption.

Sustainable agriculture is characterized by a state of balance between:

• Practices and values that promote environmental stewardship and conservation of resources

• Long-term economic viability of farms and rural communities

• Preservation of the quality of life for farm families and support for rural communities.

Research is intended to identify and publicize sustainable agricultural practices and systems that are profitable, socially responsible, energy efficient and improve water quality and other environmental concerns relevant to Ohio farmers. 

Proposals must come from OSU CFAES faculty and extension personnel as principal investigators. Interested farmers, graduate students, and members of agricultural or environmental organizations are strongly encouraged to contact OSU faculty and extension agents in their communities to suggest or initiate collaborative research projects. A mandatory criterion is collaboration with farmers who are identified in the proposal.

Farmers and others can receive help in connecting with an appropriate principal investigator, and OSU faculty can connect with producer organizations listed to find farmers with a specified area of interest through the contacts

Grants may be made only to applicants residing or located in the state. An applicant is eligible to receive only one grant at a time. Grantees must have completed projects and submitted reports to be eligible for future awards.

The program objectives are to research the profitability, energy efficiency, social consequences and environmental soundness of sustainable agriculture practices and production systems. Also, the program aims to help farmers solve problems on their own farms, possibly applying those principles to other farms as well.

Grants may include, but are not limited to the following areas:

• Enterprise diversification using traditional and non-traditional crops and livestock

• Cover crops and crop rotations to improve nutrient efficiency and conservation

• Conservation tillage and weed management, especially in the context of sustainable farming systems

• Integrated pest management systems for insects, weeds and diseases

• Livestock production and manure management systems

• Nutrient, pesticide and sediment management systems that reserve water quality

• Growing for and accessing greater marketing opportunities including season extension, direct marketing, adding value and on-farm storage handling of products

Grant awards are available to maximum of $5,000 to fund supplies, transport costs, services and labor. Recent awards have been in the $2,000 - $4,000 range. Funding is distributed through the OSU principal investigator, and is transferred to the OSU investigator’s chosen account as a reimbursement for documented project expenses. Grants are for a single year, with a final report expected by the end of December in the year the grant is awarded. Eligibility for future funding is dependent upon submission of a final report for any previous grant. Proposals for ongoing research on the same topic will be considered with no special status over other proposals, and the team should clearly describe progress on previous work and how the new proposal is for a new and independent set of objectives.

Warner Grants may provide seed funding for multiyear research proposals to state, federal or other programs, and assistance from AMP will be available for development of such proposals if they are built on Warner Grant projects and results.

Funding may not be used for capital expenditures (e.g. buildings) or livestock purchases. However, fuel, seed, production inputs, and normal maintenance costs may be covered with the awarded funds. Stipends for graduate students and labor costs for farmers or undergraduate students may also be funded. Funding for participation in professional association meetings or for travel to such meetings will not be provided. However, travel for research purposes will be supported.

To apply, fill out the RFP in its entirety and save as a single PDF file. then email the entire proposal to:

Cheryl Fischnich

AMP Office Associate

fischnich.1@osu.edu

An electronic signature will be accepted, or the signed cover page can be faxed to 330-263-3686.

• 2023 Request for Proposals