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:
- Birch Mill Farm Partnership, Canaan: Purchase of no-till drill to service farms in Northwest CT
- Clover Nook Farm, Bethany: Store expansion and diversification
- Guardians Farm, Southbury: Microdairy
- Lemek Farms, Tolland: Construction of 24x36 manufacturing, tasting and sales room for sweet and hard cider
- Mountain Dairy, Storrs: Installation of 500 gallon pasteurizer and walk-in freezer to expand product line to include cream line milk, buttermilk, sour cream, and yogurt
- Organic Roots Farm, Hampton: Commercial kitchen
- Rowland Farm, Oxford: Conversion of existing barn into dairy plant to enter value-added dairy market
- Stone Gardens Farm, Shelton: Construction of new farm stand to expand market reach
Infrastructure Investment Category:
- Cobblestone Farm, Mansfield Center: Build a heated propagation greenhouse for seedling production
- CT Flower Collective, Newington: Purchase a cooler to store cut flowers
- Daigle Farm, Brooklyn: Purchase a high tunnel/winter production greenhouse
- Double A Ranch, New Fairfield: Purchase a squeeze chute with corral panels
- Farmington Farm Truck, Farmington: Build outdoor wash station and irrigation upgrades
- Hidden Breeze Farm, Watertown: Purchase a mechanical soil tiller
- Hidden Gem Orchard, Southbury: Construct a refrigerated cold storage room for apples and grapes
- Hollandia Nurseries, Bethel: Purchase and install ECHO irrigation systems to five greenhouses
- Lucky Clover Farm, Tolland: Expansion of chicken coop and increased pasture area
- Maplewood Farm, Harwinton: Purchase a raised flue evaporator with a steam hood
- March Farm, Bethlehem: Purchase a zone tiller to reduce tillage and improve soil health
- Mosher Farms, Suffield: Nutrient film technique hydroponics
- Moss Creek Farm, Newtown: Greenhouse and irrigation for a medicinal herb farm
- Sycamore Farm, Higganum: Purchase a meat band saw and cryovac machine for processing facility
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
