(HARTFORD, CT) – The 2024 Passport to Connecticut Wine Country, a program of the Connecticut Farm Wine Development Council (CFWDC) administered by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, will begin on Saturday, May 4, 2024. The Passport program offers visitors an opportunity to engage with the state’s award-winning farm wineries, collect stamps to be entered into prize drawings, create lasting memories, and explore all Connecticut offers.

(BRANFORD, CT) - Today, Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz, with state officials and animal welfare advocates, discussed the strong correlation between animal cruelty, child maltreatment and other forms of interpersonal violence – referred to as “The Link.”

(HARTFORD, CT) – Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt today announced that the Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) is awarding $1.475 million in state funding to farmers and non-profits involved in production agriculture to invest in long-term climate resiliency projects which will decrease vulnerability to extreme weather events through regenerative agricultural practices.

(HARTFORD, CT) – Farmland owners and farmland seekers across Connecticut now have greater access to resources through a redesigned website and refreshed logo for CT FarmLink. CT FarmLink is a collaborative effort between Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg), Connecticut Farmland Trust (CFT), and other partners which acts as a clearinghouse for the transition between generations of landowners with the goal of keeping farmland accessible and in production.

HARTFORD, CT – Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt announces that the CT Food Policy Council, administered by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg), has awarded funds to six projects through the Food System Capacity Building Grant totaling $114,995. The awarded projects will focus on utilizing CT Grown farm products in the creation of innovative, localized programming to increase food access and address food insecurity in communities.

HARTFORD, Conn—Despite the first human case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) A(H5N1) virus which was reported in Texas over the weekend in a person exposed to an infected dairy cow, officials from the Connecticut Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Connecticut Department of Agriculture (DoAg) say there are no cases reported in any cattle or other livestock in Connecticut.

The Connecticut Department of Agriculture is pleased to announce the 2024 Agricultural Enhancement Grant Program (previously known as the Farm Viability Grant) has awarded more than $531,000 to fund 21 projects received from Connecticut municipalities, groups of municipalities, regional councils of governments, and/or agricultural non-profit organizations for projects that directly impact or foster agricultural viability.

HARTFORD, Conn. — Unlike many past Connecticut Outstanding Young Farmer (OYF) recipients, the 2024 honoree is a relative newcomer to agriculture. In fact, it began on a pheasant hunting trip with friends following his time with the US Marine Corps. Jared McCool, owner of Steadfast Farms and Steadfast Farms Poultry Processing and Slaughter in Bethlehem was named Connecticut’s Outstanding Young Farmer during Ag Day at the Capitol in Hartford on March 20, 2024.

HARTFORD, CT – Connecticut Department of Agriculture’s State Veterinarian Dr. Jane Lewis, DVM, MSFS, DACVPM, confirms that the Windham County horse which was confirmed positive for Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) on March 7, 2024, has been humanely euthanized. The other horses on the property remain under quarantine and will be undergoing EIA testing at regular intervals.

HARTFORD, Conn. — Connecticut Department of Agriculture’s (CT DoAg) State Veterinarian, Dr. Jane Lewis, DVM, MSFS, DACVPM, announced today a confirmed case of Equine Infectious Anemia (EIA) in a eight-year-old Quarter Horse in Windham County. The diagnosis was confirmed by the National Veterinary Services Laboratories (NVSL) on March 7, 2024.