(HARTFORD, CT) – Connecticut’s agriculture industry, including producers, food businesses, and non-profits sourcing CT Grown farm products, now have access to new one-on-one business technical assistance and grant coaching. Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) is utilizing funds available through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Resilient Food System Infrastructure Grant Program (RFSI) to contract with three separate entities to provide an array of services, including but not limited to, market diversification and development, supply chain coordination, and business and financial planning.
“Offering these services is critical to supporting Connecticut’s agricultural community to ensure they have the tools and resources available improve the state’s food supply chain, build strong businesses, and increase the resiliency of our food system,” said Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt. “By supporting supply chain coordination and technical assistance in processing, aggregation, and distribution, we are striving to increase access to expanded and improved markets for farmers.”
The three entities are CT Small Business Development Center (SBDC), Carrot Project, and New England Farmers of Color Land Trust (NEFOC). Each will have specific areas of assistance for program participants as follows:
CT SBDC
- Business advising and planning
- Grant writing assistance prior to application submissions, focused on DoAg programs
- Supporting farm/food system businesses more broadly by providing access to all appropriate CTSBDC services, including:
- Advising in business and product strategy, access to financing, financial management, accessing markets and customers, and other areas as needed
- Providing in-depth assistance to those who are more specifically looking for assistance on the market side of their business (i.e. getting into new markets, creating value added products, assisting producers with a marketing strategy, etc.)
- Leveraging CTSBDC’s proprietary and licensed business management tools and databases
- Assisting clients in strategies to diversify their products and market outlets
- Providing access to CTSBDC’s Business Financial Literacy and Credit Counselling and Immigrant Entrepreneur Assistance programs
To get started, complete the CT SBDC intake form.
Carrot Project
- Access to capital, grant and loan readiness
- 1:1 business technical assistance, training and resource to improve business decision-making and strengthen financial positions
To get started, email jcole@thecarrotproject.org
Northeast Farmers of Color Land Trust
- Supporting BIPOC producers and agricultural organizations who seek holistic technical assistance
To get started, email gaby@nefoclandtrust.org
Agricultural producers or agribusinesses interested in working with any of the above organizations are welcome to contact them directly or reach out to Cyrena.Thibodeau@ct.gov, 860-895-3094.
Through the agreement with USDA, Connecticut has more than $2.1 million available in competitive grant funding for projects designed to building resilience across the middle of the supply chain. The RFSI grant program will open the second round of funding in February 2025. For more information on the program, please visit the website: https://portal.ct.gov/doag/adarc/adarc/grants/resilient-food-systems-infrastructure-program.
The Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) 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.
FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES:
Rebecca Eddy, Rebecca.Eddy@ct.gov
860-573-0323
