SARE Grant

SARE Measurement Grant

On Farm Food Loss/Backyard Food Waste

AGO has received a grant to study on-farm food loss and backyard food waste.

The Association of Gleaning Organizations received a grant from USDA’s SARE (Sustainable Agriculture Research & Education) program to measure on-farm food loss and backyard food waste. We included $500,000 – a half a million dollars – to be distributed to you – our partner organizations for participating in the measurement study. Unfortunately, we are at risk of not spending our full allocation. We just can’t leave federal $$ on the table. So we need your help.

Your organization can earn $100 for each data set collected from non-commercial sources, $200 for each data set collected on a commercial farm, and $100 for data collected from maintenance gleans. Let us know if your organization is planning to participate! AGO will be collecting data through 2026.

To get started:

1. Watch the brief training video found here.

2. Review the FAQ document.

3. Choose the appropriate form for your measurement and determine the sample size needed. input the information from your field or backyard measurement into the form.

Commercial Farms:

Commercial Farm Row Crop Food Loss Measurement

The desired sample size is three 25-foot rows, and the minimum sample size is 50 square feet. Remember to harvest 100% of the produce in the sample area.

Commercial Farm Tree Fruit Loss Measurement

Minimum and desired sample size: 3 Trees

We want you to harvest 100% of the tree. If that is not possible, harvest everything within the identified harvest area – no cherry picking!

For Use in Backyards, Community Gardens and Non-Commercial Farms:

Non-Commercial Farm Row Crop Food Waste Measurement

The desired sample size is three 25-foot rows, and the minimum sample size is 50 square feet. Remember to harvest 100% of the produce in the sample area.

Non Commercial Fruit Tree Food Waste Measurement

Minimum Sample Size: At least 40 pounds OR the tree must be 25 inches in circumference AND you must harvest at least 75% of the tree.

We want you to harvest 100% of the tree. If that is not possible, harvest everything within the identified harvest area – no cherry picking!

Maintenance Gleans on Commercial Farms

We classify maintenance gleans as gleans where you are harvesting between the farmers’ harvests and are not allowed to pick all the fruit on the crop. A good example of this is picking all ripe tomatoes from a field while leaving behind the green fruit.

The desired sample size is three 25-foot rows, and the minimum sample size is 50 square feet. With maintenance gleans, you are not able to pick 100% of the crop in the sample, only what the farmer instructs – usually only A grade.

4. Submit billing by the 5th of the month following the month in which you measured. Checks will be sent by the 15th of the month.

Three gleaning organizations have earned over $5,000 for measurements in 2025. I hope your organization can begin measuring not only to earn money, but to participate in an important project to provide much needed insight into the sheer amount of food that goes unharvested in America.

Key Dates and Promotions

All SARE billing is due the 5th of the month following the month in which the data is collected. Download the form found here, update it with the month’s information and send to shawn@gleaners.us.

Promotion:

Announcing a contest for SARE data collection. Here is how it will work.

The organization that submits the most data points each month from now until April 1, 2027, will receive a stipend to cover the cost of one person’s attendance at the symposium. Any type of measurement will count toward the total. This will cover airfare, ground transportation, 3-4 nights of lodging, your registration fees, and $120 for meals before and after the event. Here are the winners as of September 2026:

September most commercial entries: Harvest Pierce County Gleaning Project — 12
Overall September winner: Community Fruit Rescue – 42

We will also award prizes in the following categories:

Overall Most Data Points Collected

1st Place: all symposium costs covered for 2 people – Current leader: Community Fruit Rescue (138)
2nd Place: all symposium costs covered for 1 person – Current leader: Food Finders (122)
3rd Place: registration and Lodging covered for 1 person – Current leader: Long Beach Community Table (86)
Runner up: Alameda Backyard Growers (83)

Most Commercial Measurements Collected

1st Place: all symposium costs covered for 2 people. – Current leader: Urban Gleaners (60)
2nd Place: all symposium costs covered for 1 person – Current leader: Harvest Pierce County Gleaning Project (41)
3rd Place: registration and Lodging covered for 1 person – Current leader : Salem Harvest (28)
Runner-up: Aloha Harvest (22)

Most Non-Commercial Measurements Collected

1st Place: all symposium costs covered for 2 people – Current leader: Portland Fruit Tree Project (128)
2nd Place: all symposium costs covered for 1 person – Current leader: Food Finders (122)
3rd Place: registration and Lodging covered for 1 person- Current leader:Long Beach Community Table (86)
Runner-up: Alameda Backyard Growers (83)

Most Data Points Collected Between September and April

1st Place: all symposium costs covered for 1 person – Current leader: Community Fruit Rescue – (42)
2nd Place: registration and Lodging covered for 1 person – Current leader: Harvest Pierce County Gleaning Project (12)

In addition, we will cover all costs for one person to attend the symposium for any organization that collects over 120 data points. These organizations have already won!

Community Fruit Rescue (138)
Portland Fruit Tree Project (122)
Food Finders (122)

You can win more than once and send up to three staff volunteers or board members to the event. Additional wins will be passed on to the next leader in your category. You must attend the full event, including a special SARE meeting on Wednesday morning, to be eligible for the stipends. We look forward to seeing many of you at the event and collecting some more data.