Southern SARE's March 2025 newsletter highlights various sustainable agriculture initiatives and resources.

On this edition of Common Ground, several on-farm research and education grants are featured, including projects focused on urban farming in Kentucky, winter pea breeding in Virginia, and vetiver grass use in the Virgin Islands.

• Urban Agriculture Initiatives in Kentucky: Empowering Communities and Driving Research
• Virginia Farmer Advancing Edible Winter Pea Breeding to Expand Grain Versatility
• Vetiver Grass Use Improves Sustainable Agriculture in the Virgin Islands

The newsletter also announces 3 new members of the Administrative Council, the governing body for the Southern SARE region.

• Maurice Small: Food consultant and urban farmer from Atlanta, Georgia.
• Charley Jordan: Veteran, farmer, and educator from Florida.
• Hope Ostane-Baucom: Gardener and plant nursery owner from North Carolina.

Additionally, it promotes 2 popular publications offering guidance on farm business structures and developing sustainable business plans.

• Farmers’ Guide to Business Structures, available in both English and Spanish
• Building a Sustainable Business: A Guide to Developing a Business Plan for Farms and Rural Businesses

Finally, the newsletter mentions open farmer grant programs from RAFI and encourages your continued engagement through our website, social media, and this podcast.

Links to everything mentioned on this Common Ground podcast are available in our newsletter or on our website at southern.sare.org.

Visit ssare.org/getnews or click here: https://southern.sare.org/news/join-our-mailing-list/ to subscribe to our Common Ground newsletter.

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Southern SARE, funded by USDA NIFA, provides grants, non-grant funding, event/conference sponsorships, professional development travel scholarships, and free educational resources to advance innovations in sustainable agriculture. | Visit: southern.sare.org | To stay updated, follow us online everywhere @SouthernSARE
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