VIABILITY GRANT IN ACTION
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. In the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the farm realized that establishing a laying flock would be a great way to expand their CSA offerings and strengthen the local food supply chain. The impact of this project would be sizeable; not only would establishing a flock of 200 laying hens allow the farm to add eggs to the offerings of their CSA, but it would also allow the farm to improve overall farmland management and provide more year-round employment and education opportunities.
Before the laying flock could be established, the farm was in need of critical infrastructure. This included a mobile
chicken coop equipped with a solar panel to power integrated feeding, watering, and egg collection systems, automatic doors to let chickens in and out, and heat and light connections to prevent their water from freezing at low temperatures and to promote continued egg production through the winter.
In addition to the mobile coop and associated equipment, the farm also needed to prepare for washing and storing numerous dozens of eggs once the hens began laying. A high-capacity egg washer was purchased and installed. This action required the wash station’s electrical service to be upgraded, and the wash station area was prepared for future winterization to ensure that eggs and produce could be washed year-round. The farm also purchased and installed a refrigerator in their barn to store freshly washed eggs prior to CSA pickup.
Once the flock was established and the hens began laying, the farm was able to sell 65 weekly egg subscriptions to their CSA members in 2021. Pasture management was also improved by rotating the flock throughout a four-acre field utilizing portable electric fencing and allowing the hens to eat down mugwort and dock that had dominated the pasture. Massaro plans to reseed the pasture with more desirable grasses as the flock makes its rounds around the field.
Overall, the Farm Viability Grant allowed Massaro Community Farm to enhance CSA year round product offerings and strengthened their local food supply chain by increasing access to CT Grown food.
The FTG is a competitive matching reimbursement grant for Connecticut agricultural producers and agricultural cooperatives. The Farm Transition Grant is provided through the State of Connecticut Farm Transition Grant Program, established in 2005 through Public Act 05-228, An Act Concerning Farmland Preservation, Land Protection, Affordable Housing, and Historic Preservation.