Community Farm Preservation Program

The Connecticut Department of Agriculture's Community Farms Preservation Program offers $2 million for cooperative state-local farmland preservation projects in qualifying municipalities.

Interested municipalities must prequalify by May 31, 2012; applications will be due by July 31, 2012.

Preference will be given to small food-producing farms.

For Farm Service Agency issues

Farmers and other agricultural producers can nominate representatives to the Farm Service Agency county committees.

Each county annually alternates election of Local Administrative Area (LAA) representatives. The county committee makes decisions on commodity price support loans, conservation programs, disaster assistance and other USDA program and agricultural issues.

Marsha Jetté, state executive director, encourages eligible candidates to submit a nomination form to the local county office no later than Aug. 1. To be a county committee member you must participate in programs with FSA, be eligible to vote in a county committee election and reside in the LAA where elections are taking place.

Individuals may nominate themselves or others as candidates. Organizations representing minorities and women may also nominate candidates. Nominees must sign form FSA-669A, which includes a statement that the nominee agrees to serve if elected.

Forms for the 2011 election must be postmarked or received in the local USDA Service Center by close of business on Aug. 1, 2011. Ballots are mailed to eligible voters by Nov. 4. Newly elected county committee members take office Jan. 2, 2012.

For information, visit a local USDA Service Center or online at: http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp?area=newsroom&subject=landing&topic=cce.

Sweet Taste of Maple Season: The Where

The 2011 Guide to Connecticut Maple Sugar Houses is now available. To visit a sugarhouse near you, tap into the resources of the people at The Maple Syrup Producers Association of Connecticut site.

CT New Farmer Summit Feb. 11

Connecticut New Farmer Summit will be held at Auer Farm on Friday, Feb. 11, at the 4-H Education Center, Bloomfield, 2 to 6 p.m.

Farmer mixer and pizza social, 6 to 8:30 p.m., $5.

Designed for young and/or beginning farmers who are currently farming, either operating their own business or as employees of a farm (the USDA defines new farmers as farming less than 10 years and young farmer as 35 years old or younger), participants should have at least two seasons full-time farm experience and plan to be mostly employed as a farmer in the future.

Registration is required by Feb. 1. Call (860) 318-6813.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis, so apply early.

Online registration is available at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/CT_New_Farmer_Summit Limited to 50 people.

This summit is sponsored by UCONN Extension, Connecticut Farm Bureau Young Farmer Committee, CT Northeast Organic Farming Association, Jones Family Farm, Sepe Farm, Farm Credit East, Holcomb Farm CSA, Massaro Farm, Hurricane Farm, and others.

Yes To $500,000 Farm Reinvestment Grants

Connecticut farmers making long-term improvements to their operations are looking to approval of $500,000 in grant funds when the State Bond Commission meets July 13. Governor M. Jodi Rell has approved the measure, which would be awarded through the state Department of Agriculture’s Farm Reinvestment Grant Program.

Farmers who expand or improve their operations as part of a 10-year business plan and who complete the project within the year may qualify for matching grants of up to $40,000.

The grant awards provide seed money for projects that "enhance existing agricultural operations."

Projects may improve the farms’ operations cash flow, create new jobs, and expand municipal grand lists. Approved projects have included farm expansion through the greenhouse construction, new dairy facilities, cheese production facilities, commercial kitchens, wine processing and fruit and vegetable packing facilities.

It is anticipated that the $500,000 will be leveraged with more than $1.5 million in farmers’ funds for more than $2 million in total projects.

Border Collies Work Sheep, Connecticut

Anyone who has ever worked livestock knows the value of a good stock dog. Read more about this particular border collie and where she works sheep, www.moodogpress.com.

Timeless Team: Eastern CT Draft Horse Plowing

Watching a team of draft horse and their driver pull together to work a field - the scent of freshly plowed earth and the sky above a perfect blue - what a treat.

This skill of horse and human takes concentration and teamwork to turn, plow a straight furrow, turn again, and work together.

More about this competition and the Eastern Connecticut Draft Horse Association (many participants are from the New England region), coming up.

Bees Busy Now In Connecticut

Bees are a wonder of nature. These hives were spotted already placed to help with pollination in nearby orchards. More about bees and the importance of work that they do in Connecticut and elsewhere? Coming up.

Connecticut Farms First In Connectivity

More than 2.2 million farms were included in the U.S. Department of Agriculture Census, which is conducted every five years.

Connecticut had the highest percentage of farmers with broadband connections to the Internet; Mississippi, the lowest.

In 2002, the census reported half the farms in the country were connected to the Internet in some way (broadband or dial-up).

By 2007, the percentage was up to 56.5%; 33% with broadband.

Other maps show visual data details gathered from the census such as average size of farms, totals by ownership (individual or corporation) by state, across the U.S, and much more. Census data are used to distribute Congressional seats to states, to make decisions about what community services to provide, and to distribute $300 billion in federal funds to local, state and tribal governments each year.

Legacy of Land, Earth, Malabar Farm

"What I wanted was a piece of land which I could love passionately, which I could spend the rest of my life in cultivating, cherishing and improving, which I might leave together, perhaps with my own feeling for it, to my children who might in time leave it to their children, a piece of land upon which I might leave the mark of my character, my ingenuity, my intelligence, my sense of beauty - perhaps the only real immortality man can have."

- Louis Bromfield, author, visionary

Map, Resource For CSAs, Produce Grown Locally

A CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) is a way for the food-buying public to create a relationship with a farm and to receive a weekly basket of produce, according to Local Harvest, an online "living" public nationwide directory of small farms, farmers markets, and other local food sources.

"By making a financial commitment to a farm, people become members (or 'shareholders' or 'subscribers') of the CSA. Most CSA farmers prefer that members pay for the season up-front, but some will accept weekly or monthly payments. Some also require that members work a small number of hours on the farm during the growing season."

To find local fresh produce from farm markets (yes, even in winter), visit the Connecticut Department of Agriculture online.

To see a thriving "oysters community garden" aquaculture program in nearby Long Island, see related story.

For Vermont resources for fresh (open in winter) locations, see www.vermontagriculture.com.

Trivia: Wethersfield was once known as "Oniontown" due to the world-famous Wethersfield red onion crops grown in the dark fertile floodplain soil. The town is located the heart of the Connecticut River valley.

There are almost two million farms in the USA. About 80% of those are small farms, and a large percentage are family owned. To see a map of that distribution, or to add your venture to the listing, visit Local Harvest. View what you can find in your own backyard using the online map search tool (see company image, below).

Money for Connecticut Agriculture

Agriculture is a $2 billion industry in Connecticut.

The Connecticut Department of Agriculture announced $1 million in matching funds to more than two dozen farms, non-profit agricultural organizations and municipalities for a variety of projects ranging from a new farmers’ market to greenhouse expansion.

Projects range from a farmers’ market in Bozrah to a solar irrigation system for an Old Lyme nursery and protection measures for shellfish beds on the shoreline.

The grants help finance on-farm improvements and fund programs that promote Connecticut agriculture. The latest round of grants – $907,055 – go to 13 agricultural producers, four non-profit agricultural organizations and 13 municipalities.

Recipients can get up to $50,000 in matching funds and have one year to complete their project. (A list of recipients and their projects is below.)

The funding for the grants is generated through a $30 fee collected by town/city clerks for the recording of all documents into municipal land records. Documents subject to this fee include deeds, mortgages, mechanics’ liens, judgment liens, notices of lease, releases of mortgages and liens, name change certificates, notices of variances, and condominium declarations.

Funding is not limited to farmers. Non-profit organizations and municipalities also are eligible for the grants if agricultural components are involved. The grants are awarded on a competitive basis and matching funds must be supplied by the applicant.

The Agricultural Viability Grants are made available through Public Act 05-228, An Act Concerning Farmland Preservation, Land Protection, Affordable Housing and Historic Preservation. This landmark legislation provides funding for municipal open space grants, farm viability and preservation, historic preservation, and new and existing affordable housing programs, along with new infrastructure to support and promote Connecticut agriculture.

The Department of Agriculture plans to open the next grant application period in the fall of 2009.

Grant award recipients:

Beltane Farm, Lebanon, $11,400, for vat pasteurizer to increase goat cheese production

Bishop’s Orchard Winery, Guilford, $19,000, new wine filtration system

Buell’s Orchard, Eastford, $32,186, purchase of food grade fruit bins in order to meet commercial standards

CT Agricultural Education Foundation, Windsor (non-profit), $28,710, agriculture in the classroom programs and purchases

CT Agricultural Experiment Station, New Haven (non-profit), $24,358, website development, to aid Connecticut farmers manage plant health problems

Eastern CT Conservation District (non-profit), $2,990, “Celebrating Agriculture” promotion and outreach

Haight-Brown Vineyard, Litchfield, $15,000, vineyard renovation

Hollywood Equine, Ellington, $49,990, horse boarding facility

House of Hayes Dairy Farm, North Granby, $7,700, an additional pasteurizer for goat cheese

Judge’s Farm, Old Lyme, $36,000, photovoltaic solar system to generate power for irrigation and perennial production

Keed’s Farm, Woodbury, $49,990, hydroponic greenhouse equipment for production of micro-greens and tomatoes

King Lobster, Branford, $10,500, construction of upwelling docks for oyster and clam production

Logee’s Greenhouse, Danielson, $49,990, four-bay gutter connected greenhouse for energy efficiency

Old Maid’s Farm, Glastonbury, $30,200, cider mill processing renovations and equipment

Roger’s Orchard, Southington, $ 48,648, plastic apple bin replacement for upgrade and bin sanitation

White Silo Farm & Winery, Sherman, $37,180, commercial kitchen to produce value-added products for farm

Wholesome Wave, Bridgeport (non-profit), $49,990, create urban markets in Bridgeport to help underserved

Total: $503,832

Municipality Grants -

Bozrah, $35,000, new farmers’ market

Haddam, $9,300, expansion and marketing of farmers’ market

Lebanon, $9,500, farmers’ market promotions and farm preservation property appraisals

Ledyard, $26,000, agricultural plan as part of town plan of conservation and development

New London, $49,000, a strategic plan for a New London region food system

New Milford, $27,000, educational program for community youth by promoting local agriculture and healthy eating habits

Southbury, $2,999, farmers’ market advertising and special events

Stratford, $9,000, establishment of construction funding strategy for commercial docks

Thompson, $46,000, development of a regional agriculture-advocate position in eastern Connecticut

Waterbury, $46,618, implementation of a community farm system

Westport, $49,990, shoreline storm-drain monitoring system for shellfish areas

Windham Region Council of Governments, $42,826, Public Act 490 update and educational outreach

Woodbridge, $49,990, establishment of community supported agriculture (CSA) and barn restoration on town-owned farm

Total: $403,223