Connecticut Department of Agriculture

Press Releases

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02/20/2025

Farm Recovery and Support Grant Update

The Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) strives to maintain an open line of communication and transparency as we work through the administration of the disaster supplemental funding bill that created the Farm Recovery and Support (FRS) Grant. This program makes available $220 million to eligible states “to provide compensation to producers for necessary expenses related to crop, timber, and livestock losses, including on-farm infrastructure, as a consequence of any weather event in 2023 and 2024 that a state, in its sole discretion, determines warrants relief”.

We recognize that for many farm operations in Connecticut the weather events of the past two years have had a catastrophic impact, and your future plans may very well hinge on the delivery of these funds. With that in mind, we share the following updates with you and have created a frequently asked questions guide to address additional questions you may have.

CT DoAg received reported losses of $72,333,283. This number is a combination of the 210 responses in January 2025 totaling $50,591,373.53, plus those who responded to the surveys in 2023 and 2024 who based on email addresses didn’t respond in January.

On January 22, the Connecticut Department of Agriculture submitted a request of $83,979,000 to USDA which includes:

  • Compensation to farms for weather-related losses in 2023 and 2024
  • $10 million to invest in resiliency projects on individual farms
  • 2% administration fee

Over the past few weeks, Connecticut Department of Agriculture has been working to advance the program on our end through the following activities:

  • Led an in-person brainstorming workshop with industry service providers, partners, and non-profits to discuss and evaluate possible distribution models to administer the FRS Grant.
  • Continued to have ongoing discussion among the New England states, federal delegation, and USDA.
  • To date, CT has not received confirmation of the allocation from this federal funding opportunity.
    • The total request from all eligible states is unknown, however the New England states combined requested more than $320 million.

 

What’s Next

  • USDA will assign CT DoAg a person to negotiate program details.
  • Informational session and open comment period for agricultural producers to ensure those directly impacted by this funding can offer feedback to shape the program.
    • This date will be announced as soon as possible, once we have further clarification on what USDA will approve for our plan.
  • Execute a formal agreement between USDA and CT DoAg authorizing the release of funds to the state.
  • Finalize and release a guidance document and application. The application period will be open for an extended amount of time to provide farmers with ample opportunity to gather necessary documents for submission.
  • Verification of application requests, including review of documentation to confirm eligibility.
  • Execute agreements with grant recipients.
  • Disburse funds.

We will continue to share updates as they become available. If you have questions or concerns, please contact us at AGR.disaster@ct.gov or visit portal.ct.gov/disaster for more information, including the frequently asked questions document.