Rep. Rosa DeLauro pressed USDA Sec. Brooke Rollins about the status of the $53 million for CT. The disaster relief grant was created in 2024.
Department of Agriculture
Posted inGovernment
CT farmers won’t see federal relief for crop damage until 2026
CT hoped to open applications for a piece of its $53 million grant in the fall. But after the government shutdown, the funding hit a delay.
Posted inGovernment
CT farmers await disaster relief amid clash between Dems, USDA
CT will operate its own block grant. But lawmakers argued the options from USDA could prevent some farmers from getting needed relief.
Posted inGovernment
CT schools, food banks lose federal money to buy from local farms
The Trump administration said it won’t fund the two programs that allowed schools and food banks to supply healthier food to those in need.
Posted inMoney
State auditors find uncashed checks at Department Of Agriculture
Financial auditors Wednesday cited the state Department of Agriculture for a “serious breakdown” in its accounting procedures. It’s a breakdown that included numerous uncashed checks that were left in a safe in a store room in Hartford.
Posted inEconomic Development
CT dairy farmers don’t see hemp as their new cash cow
Hemp and CBD production may be an industry of the future, but probably won’t help Connecticut’s struggling dairy farmers.
Posted inPolitics
Farmers rally against merger of Agriculture Department
Farmers, agricultural leaders and lawmakers gathered outside the State Capitol despite some light rain Tuesday afternoon to rally against one budget proposal that largely has flown under the radar – the elimination of a stand-alone Department of Agriculture in the state.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
New farmland harvest – solar energy – creating political sparks
Two well-intentioned environmental polices – one encouraging more renewable power and the other the preservation of farms and forestland – are colliding. They are pitting farmer against farmer and environmental interest groups against one another, putting state departments at odds, and raising the always explosive issue of private property rights versus state policy.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
A decade brings dramatic change to Connecticut wildlife
As Connecticut undertakes the 10-year update to its Wildlife Action Plan, it faces challenges not even imagined a decade ago — most notably, the dramatic effects of climate change.
Posted inEnergy & Environment
Success NOT guaranteed for unique Stratford reef project
An artificial reef project that uses huge concrete objects called Reef Balls is an attempt to stop erosion on the shoreline in Stratford. The problem is, no one is sure whether the experiment — a first for Connecticut — will work.