The USDA will offer $10,000 grants to educational institutions, trade associations and non-governmental organizations under the Sustainable Agricultural Research and Education program.  Grants can be used to conduct training and networking projects for local and regional meat and poultry production systems that incorporate sustainable practices including pasture raised management.  Recent grants have encouraged the production of small-flock poultry operations that are inherently less efficient and less sustainable than the conventional contract-integrator model using confined housing.

The SARE program is yet another example of using taxpayer funds in a futile attempt to create an alternative to the existing, functional and highly efficient commercial production of red meat and poultry. Since assuming office USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack and his appointees in the outgoing Administration have attempted to promote and support a non-sustainable and financially non-viable model based on small-scale production.