North Central Region SARE

Sustainable Agriculture Grantsnorthcentral.sare.org

USDA-funded regional grant program (since 1988) administered by the University of Minnesota, operating six competitive grants programs that fund sustainable agriculture research, education, and on-farm innovation across 12 North Central US states.

Company typePrivate
Founded1988
HeadquartersSt. Paul, United States
Headcount1–10
GTM typeB2B
OfferingServices

What North Central Region SARE does

North Central Region SARE (NCR-SARE) is one of four regional offices administering the federally chartered Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program, funded by the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) under cooperative agreement (most recently award no. 2024-38640-42986). Established in 1988 and hosted by the University of Minnesota, NCR-SARE operates across 12 upper-Midwest states (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin), with the Professional Development Program hosted by the University of Missouri.

NCR-SARE's core products are six competitive grant programs: the Farmer Rancher Grant Program (individual grants up to $15,000; team grants up to $30,000), the Research and Education Grant Program, the Partnership Grant Program (up to $50,000), the Youth Educator Grant Program, the Professional Development Grant Program (up to $120,000 over up to three years), and the Graduate Student Grant Program (up to $20,000 over up to 36 months). Supporting products include the Field Notes newsletter, the Grant How-To Video Series, the Farming Matters video series on YouTube, and a searchable project reports database at projects.sare.org. NCR-SARE does not develop proprietary technology products; its underlying technology consists of an online grant submission system and the project reports database.

The business model is grantmaking funded by USDA NIFA rather than commercial revenue. NCR-SARE awards pass-through grants to farmers, ranchers, researchers, graduate students, educators, and agricultural professionals, with an Administrative Council setting priorities and making funding decisions. Annual program outlays aggregate to approximately $3.3M across the four largest grant programs, funding roughly 90+ projects per year. Distribution is community-led, leveraging a network of SARE State Coordinators in each of the 12 states, supplemented by webinars, conferences, field days, social media, and the Field Notes newsletter.

North Central Region SARE firmographics

Firmographics

Name: North Central Region SARE
Legal name: North Central Region Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (NCR-SARE)
Website: https://northcentral.sare.org
Company type: Private
Founded year: 1988
Operating status: Operating
Headcount range: 1–10 employees
Short description: USDA-funded regional grant program (since 1988) administered by the University of Minnesota, operating six competitive grants programs that fund sustainable agriculture research, education, and on-farm innovation across 12 North Central US states.
Ownership category
akta.pro rank

North Central Region SARE industry classification

Industry

Product category: Sustainable Agriculture Grants
NAICS: Support Activities for Crop Production (11511)
SIC: Agricultural Services (700), Services-Educational Services (8200)
akta.pro primary industry: Land-Grant Public Research Universities (EDAHAAAB)
akta.pro secondary industry: Carbon, Sustainability & Farm Certification Support (Agro-Environmental Advisory) (AFACABAL)

Keywords

Sustainable agriculture grants
Agriculture research funding
Farmer education programs
Professional development grants
Regional extension services

Where North Central Region SARE is headquartered

Location

Headquarters

HQ city: St. Paul
HQ country: United States
HQ region: North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

North Central Region SARE business model

Business model

GTM type: B2B
Offering type: Services
Cost components: Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

USDA NIFA Funding: NCR-SARE receives funding through a cooperative agreement with USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture under project award no. 2024-38640-42986. This federal funding supports competitive grants and educational outreach in sustainable agriculture.

Pricing tiers

Model	Billing	Price
Other	Multi-year contract	Farmer Rancher Individual Grant - up to $15,000
Other	Multi-year contract	Farmer Rancher Team Grant - up to $30,000
Other	Multi-year contract	Graduate Student Grant - up to $20,000
Other	Multi-year contract	Partnership Grant - up to $50,000
Other	Multi-year contract	Professional Development Grant - up to $120,000

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels7 records

North Central Region SARE product offering

Product offering

Core offering

NCR-SARE administers USDA-funded competitive grant programs that advance sustainable agriculture across 12 upper Midwest states (Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin). The organization funds on-farm research, demonstration, and education projects led by farmers, ranchers, graduate students, researchers, and agricultural educators, and complements grants with outreach resources such as the Field Notes newsletter and the Grant How-To Video Series.

Product overview

North Central Region SARE (NCR-SARE) is a USDA-funded competitive grants program administered by the University of Minnesota that advances sustainable agriculture across 12 Midwest states. The program offers six core grant programs (Farmer Rancher, Research and Education, Partnership, Youth Educator, Professional Development, and Graduate Student grants) that fund research, demonstration, and education projects. Additionally, NCR-SARE provides educational resources including the Field Notes newsletter, the Grant How-To Video Series, and the Farming Matters Video Series to support sustainable agriculture adoption among producers, scientists, and educators.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

Field Notes: NCR-SARE's newsletter that shares announcements, stories about grantees, and news about the program. Published semi-annually.

Products and services

Farmer Rancher Grant Program
Research and Education Grant Program
Partnership Grant Program
Youth Educator Grant Program
Professional Development Grant Program
Graduate Student Grant Program
Field Notes Newsletter
NCR-SARE Grant How-To Video Series
Farming Matters Video Series

Quantifiable outcome

NCR-SARE funds approximately 40 Farmer Rancher projects, 20 Partnership projects, 20 Graduate Student projects, and 10-11 Professional Development projects annually

Companies that use North Central Region SARE

Customer profile

Named customers7 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

North Central Region SARE technology and API

Technology

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API: No
API docs
API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration1 record

North Central Region SARE partnerships and signals

Strategic signal

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

University of MinnesotacoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHost institution for North Central SARE headquarters. Provides administrative infrastructure, staff, and facilities for the regional SARE program.
University of MissouricoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerHost institution for NCR-SARE's Professional Development Program (PDP). Provides administrative support for the training programs.
Cooperative Extension Service (CES)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner for Professional Development Program. Extension educators receive sustainable agriculture training to better serve producers.
Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerKey partner for Professional Development Program. NRCS staff receive training in sustainable agriculture practices.
SARE State CoordinatorsmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNetwork of coordinators in each of the 12 states who provide information and assistance to grant applicants and promote sustainable agriculture.
Marisol Berti (NDSU Department of Plant Sciences)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdministrative Council member representing Ag Experiment Station, with expertise in forage and biomass crop production and cover crops.
Keith Berns (Green Cover Seeds)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdministrative Council member from agribusiness with expertise in cover crops and soil health.
Farm CommonsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNonprofit based in Minnesota that helps producers build resilient agricultural businesses by training both farmers and educators in sustainable farm law.
SARE OutreachmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational SARE outreach office that publishes books, bulletins, videos and other educational products for farmers, ranchers and Extension educators.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

North Central Region SARE competitors and assessment

Company assessment

Others

American Farmland Trust: National nonprofit operating regenerative agriculture and soil health programs in the same 12-state region. Frequently co-funds or collaborates with SARE grantees on producer-focused conservation outcomes.
Soil Health Partnership (now Trust In Food): Conservation program that funds on-farm soil health research and demonstration across the Midwest, overlapping significantly with NCR-SARE's grant topics and producer audience.
National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC): National advocacy coalition that helps defend SARE's federal appropriations in farm bill reauthorizations. Mission-aligned with NCR-SARE on policy and grassroots outreach.

Emerging players

Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR): Public-private nonprofit that funds research across the same sustainable agriculture themes at higher dollar amounts per award. Increasingly important partner or alternative funder for NCR-SARE grantees seeking scale-up funding.

Broad incumbents

USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA): Federal parent and primary funder of NCR-SARE. NIFA administers the broader AFRI and other competitive grants programs that compete for the same research and extension talent NCR-SARE funds.
Cooperative Extension System: National network of land-grant extension educators that NCR-SARE's PDP program is designed to train. Shares the same audience (producers across the 12 states) and is a primary delivery channel for SARE-funded outputs.
USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS): Federal agency that co-funds and helps train agricultural professionals through NCR-SARE's PDP program. Operates overlapping soil health and conservation programming for the same producer audience.

Direct peers

Southern SARE: One of the four SARE regional host programs (along with NCR, Northeast, and Western) administered by USDA NIFA. Runs the same six grant categories but covers a different region, making it the most direct structural peer.
Western SARE: The fourth SARE regional host program covering Western states and U.S. Pacific territories. Operates the same competitive grant programs and reporting infrastructure under USDA NIFA.
Northeast SARE: Sister SARE region with identical USDA NIFA funding model and grant portfolio, serving 12 Northeast states. Shares the same cooperative agreement framework, administrative council structure, and project reporting database.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

North Central Region SARE financial estimates

Financial estimate

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

North Central Region SARE leadership team

Management profile

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

North Central Region SARE funding detail

Funding detail

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

North Central Region SARE M&A and investment

M&A and investment

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about North Central Region SARE

What does North Central Region SARE do?

Is North Central Region SARE a public or private company?

North Central Region SARE is a private company. It is classified as state government owned and is currently operating.

When was North Central Region SARE founded?

North Central Region SARE was founded in 1988. It employs 1 to 10 people.

Where is North Central Region SARE based?

North Central Region SARE is headquartered in St. Paul, United States, in the North America region.

How does North Central Region SARE make money?

One revenue line is on record: USDA NIFA Funding.

Who are North Central Region SARE's main competitors?

Others on record are American Farmland Trust, Soil Health Partnership (now Trust In Food) and National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition (NSAC). Foundation for Food & Agriculture Research (FFAR) is listed as an emerging player. Broad incumbents are USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA), Cooperative Extension System and USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS). Direct peers are Southern SARE, Western SARE and Northeast SARE.

Does North Central Region SARE have an API?

No public API is recorded for North Central Region SARE.

What industry is North Central Region SARE in?

North Central Region SARE's product category is Sustainable Agriculture Grants. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAHAAAB, Land-Grant Public Research Universities, with a secondary code of AFACABAL, Carbon, Sustainability & Farm Certification Support (Agro-Environmental Advisory). Its NAICS code is 11511 and its SIC code is 700.