Press Releases

04/29/2022

Connecticut Department of Agriculture Awards 33 Farms Transition Grants Totaling $515,953

(HARTFORD, CT) – Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt announces that the Connecticut Department of Agriculture has awarded funds to 33 projects from the Farm Transition Grant (FTG) program, totaling $515,953 to strengthen the economic viability of Connecticut farmers and agricultural cooperatives seeking to expand, diversify, and improve their existing operation.

The 2022 FTG featured four dynamic categories to continue building on the changes implemented in 2021. These categories were created to assist agricultural producers and cooperatives at all stages of business growth and development to bring CT Grown products to market while increasing farm sustainability. The four grant categories offered were:

• New Farmer Microgrant
• Infrastructure Investment Grant
• Research and Development Grant
• Innovation and Diversification Grant

“Now in our second grant cycle of offering the four Farm Transition Grant categories, we are encouraged by the response with a wider variety of projects seeking funding from a more diverse spectrum of Connecticut producers,” said Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt. “We look forward to sharing success stories from each of these projects in the future to showcase the innovation and growth of agriculture in Connecticut and the positive impacts it has for our state’s economy, job growth, and food production.”

Connecticut is home to more than 5,500 farms contributing more than $4 billion to the state’s economy.

2022 Farm Transition Grant awardees include:

New Farmer Grant Category:

• Aasaaka Foundation, Hartford: Pollinator pathway
• Aisling Farm, Stafford: Purchase and installation of 20x24 unheated high tunnel
• Amerigo’s Dream, Norwich: High tunnel installation
• Cambera Farm, Columbia: Trailer, quarantine pen, and display freezer
• DeLuca Family Farm, South Glastonbury: plasticulture
• Holbrook Farm, Redding: Cold frame greenhouse
• Hungry Reaper Farm, Morris: Walk-in cooler installation
• Laurel Wood Farm, Clinton: Barn build
• Roots and Coops Family Farm, Torrington: 12x20 greenhouse

Innovation and Diversification Category:

Research and Development Category:

• Harmony Sea Farm, Stonington: Evaluate growing potential and market demand for a new aquaculture product: butter clams

• Stonington Kelp Co., Pawcatuck: Sugar kelp fermentation to preserve shelf life and reach new markets

 

The Farm Transition Grant Program is a competitive matching grant program. Funding is provided through Public Act 05-228, An Act Concerning Farmland Preservation, Land Protection, Affordable Housing, and Historic Preservation. Grant funds are reimbursed to the awardee after the project is successfully completed, a final financial and written report outlining all expenses and tasks associated with the project have been received and approved, and site inspection by agency staff is conducted. Additional information about the program can be found at www.CTGrown.gov/Grants.

The Connecticut Department of Agriculture mission is to foster a healthy economic, environmental, and social climate for agriculture by developing, promoting, and regulating agricultural businesses; protecting agricultural and aquacultural resources; enforcing laws pertaining to domestic animals; and promoting an understanding among the state's citizens of the diversity of Connecticut agriculture, its cultural heritage, and its contribution to the state's economy. For more information, visit www.CTGrown.gov.

 

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For Immediate Release: Friday, April 29, 2022 Contact: Rebecca Eddy, 860-573-0323, Rebecca.Eddy@ct.gov  

http://www.ctgrown.gov