HARTFORD, Conn. – The Connecticut Department of Agriculture, in coordination with the Connecticut Office of Tourism, is gearing up for 17 days of showcasing what makes Connecticut a place to live, work, and play – including the state’s vibrant agriculture sector. This year 30 businesses highlighting the diversity of CT Grown farm products will be featured from Friday, September 13 through Sunday, September 29, 2024.
- New this year: Farmer Veteran Coalition of CT, Roaring Acres Alpacas, Bella Alpacas and Home Harvested Herbals
- Returning vendors: Amazing Love Farms, Blue Hill Too, Bridgeport Regional Aquaculture Science and Technology Education Center, CT Agricultural Experiment Station, CT Dairy, CT Grown, Double Trouble Acres, Guardians Farm, Killam & Bassette Farmstead, Maplewood Farm, Newgate Farms, R Farm, Sweet Lil Details, Sweet Wind Farm, Soapium, Twin Pines Farm, Union Bee Company, and Wholly Goat Farm
When the fair begins on Sept. 13, these farm businesses will offer a unique mix of honey, maple syrup, fiber products, and dairy along with value-added products such as jams, jellies, relishes, tomato sauce, and goat milk products. A listing of when each business will be featured can be found here.
“The Connecticut Building at The Big E is a unique opportunity to share with fairgoers from throughout the region and beyond what makes our state special. Agriculture is a big part of that from pick-your-own farms for all the seasons to farm wineries and award-winning chefs using CT Grown ingredients in their creations,” said Bryan P. Hurlburt, Commissioner of Connecticut’s Department of Agriculture. “After you visit these businesses at the fair, plan a day trip or weekend adventure using CT Grown Trail as inspiration.”
The Connecticut Farm Wineries booth, operated by the Connecticut Farm Wine Development Council, will feature an array of wines produced by participating farm wineries located throughout Connecticut. Fairgoers will be able to purchase glasses of featured whites, reds, rose’, and froze’ - a frozen wine slushie. Among the wines offered will be Blueberry Bliss from Jones Family Farms Winery, which was named the Best Fruit Wine, Best Connecticut Wine, and Best Connecticut Grown Wine during the 2024 Big E Wine Competition.
Stop by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture and CT Grown exhibit during Connecticut Day on September 18 for information on fall farm activities, plus handouts of whole apples from Rogers Orchards in Southington. While there enroll in the digital newsletter and be entered for a chance to win a CT Grown swag collection valued at more than $100. To be eligible for the prize drawing, sign up to receive the CT Grown digital newsletter from September 13-29.
On Harvest New England Day, happening Friday, Sept. 27 along the Avenue of the States, fair attendees can get their Harvest New England passport stamped at the CT Grown tent and spin the trivia wheel to test their farm knowledge to win a prize. Three additional vendors will be on the front lawn, including Amazing Love Farms, Bella Alpacas, and Connecticut Dairy offering free samples of milk with the New England Dairy Mobile Milk Bar. In recognition of this also being National Chocolate Milk Day, the first 500 chocolate milk samples will also receive a CT Dairy branded stadium cup.
The Connecticut Building is open daily from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.
For more information, follow the Connecticut Building on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheConnecticutBuilding/
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
