Grants
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The Town of Guilford has been an agricultural community since 1639 and established Connecticut’s first Agricultural Commission in 2006. The town is home to a number of agricultural businesses; some who have been in operation and well supported by the community for many years, while others are new farmers working to establish themselves in the area.
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In response to COVID-19’s impact on Mansfield residents and local farm businesses, the Town of Mansfield aimed to connect asset limited, income constrained, employed (ALICE) households with local farms and CT Grown foods. To accomplish this goal, the Town was awarded a 2020 Farm Viability grant to launch the Mansfield Farms to Families Program (MFFP).
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Massaro Community Farm Establishes a Laying Flock
Massaro Community Farm in Woodbridge was awarded a 2020 Farm Viability Grant to improve the farm’s viability and increase access to CT Grown food by establishing a certified organic flock of laying hens and purchasing equipment for a mobile chicken coop.
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Tropical Orchid Production at Geremia Greenhouse
Geremia Greenhouse is a family owned and operated wholesale greenhouse facility in Wallingford, CT. Over the years, the business has grown to encompass 10 acres and is proud to be one of the most modern and environmentally friendly greenhouses in the Northeast. Current production includes more than 500 varieties of annual plants and seasonal items, such as poinsettias, mums, and tropical orchids.
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The Birch Mill Farm Partnership Promotes No-Till
In 2022, the Birch Mill Farm Partnership collaborated with the Berkshire Agricultural Ventures, The Northwest Connecticut Conservation District, Connecticut Resource Conservation and Development, and the Connecticut Natural Resources Conservation Service State Agronomist to propose a project that would address the need for custom no-till equipment operation for the region’s farmers.
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Stonewall Apiary Constructs Space For Honey Processing, Equipment Storage, and Retail Store
Stonewall Apiary is a family-owned apiary based in Hanover, Connecticut, keeping about 350 honeybee colonies among 16 beeyards in eastern Connecticut. After purchasing land in 2017, Stuart Woronecki, co-owner of Stonewall Apiary, operated the office out of a 28’ trailer and stored the entirety of the apiary’s retail beekeeping equipment in a 48’ storage trailer. All honey processing and bottling was done in Stuart’s home, miles away from the Stonewall Apiary site.
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River Plain Dairy Modernizes Milking
In 2019, the Cone Family of River Plain Dairy in Lebanon applied for a Farm Transition Grant, seeking financial support to transition the dairy operation from a two times daily manual milking farm to an automated on-demand Voluntary Milking System. Already having purchased the milking robot, the grant project included constructing a facility to house the milking system as well as support its technological components.
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Dzen Farm and Pell Strawberries Enhance Strawberry Production
The Farm Transition Grant Infrastructure Investment category provides matching funds to CT Farmers in need of critical infrastructure to increase farm production. Two strawberry producers, Dzen Farms and Pell Strawberries in recently completed projects to increase their production of CT Grown strawberries.
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Pleasant View Farms Expands Red Angus Beef Capacity
Pleasant View Farms Inc has been family owned and operated in Somers, Connecticut since 1918. The farm is currently run by brothers Jacob and Louis Lipton, the fourth generation. After developing a niche market for non-GMO grains as a CT Grown value-added product, PVF currently farms nearly 1,200 acres to grow sufficient hay, corn, and grains to meet the feed and hay needs of small and large livestock farmers throughout New England.
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Desantis Farm Promotes Pig and Poultry Production
Desantis Farm of Watertown was established by Mike Desantis in 2012. Mike founded the farm with little to no equipment--just some pigs and a love of farming. By 2019, Mike and his wife, Joann, and three daughters, raised over 100 pigs a year, meat birds and turkeys, sold eggs, grew ten acres of produce, 5,000 bales of hay, and over 40 acres of corn for the pigs and poultry.
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Steadfast Farms Brings Poultry Processing on the Farm
Steadfast Farms, LLC began producing high-quality game birds in 2017, after purchasing property in the hills of Bethlehem. The Farm has consistently grown in customer base and revenue year after year, balancing historic traditions with modern practices to meet customer demand throughout New England for farm-raised game birds including pheasant, quail, and squab.
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Cloverleigh Farm Constructs Propagation Greenhouse
Cloverleigh Farm, LLC, is a certified organic vegetable and flower farm in Columbia, CT. At the time of purchase, the 10-acre property featured a farmhouse and a large barn for storage, a wash-pack area, and refrigeration. With an eye toward long-term growth and health of her farm business, Susan Mitchell, owner of Cloverleigh Farm, determined that construction of a greenhouse would be a critical component to facilitate farm success.
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Farmland Restoration, Climate Resiliency & Preparedness (RRP) Grant
The Farmland Restoration Grant (FLRG) provides matching funds to Connecticut farmers, nonprofits and municipalities to increase food and fiber production in the state by restoring lands into active agricultural production.