News

2018 Tour des Farms October 6, 2018 The 2018 Connecticut Tour des Farms was a success! Over 130 riders experienced farms throughout Connecticut’s picturesque Northwest Hills. Riders were able to choose a 16 or 26 mile route, where they visited Connecticut farms and shopped for produce, pumpkins, chocolates, and wine. The ride was followed by…

CT Farm Energy Geothermal Pilot Project September 18, 2018 In partnership with USDA Rural Development, Connecticut Resource Conservation & Development’s CT Farm Energy Program will host a new CT Farm Energy Geothermal Pilot Program. CFEP will offer education, outreach, workshops, and renewable energy assessments specifically focused on geothermal opportunities for farms and agriculturally based rural…

Check Out USDA Rural Development’s Recently Released Video! With 150 years of agricultural production experience, the Bishop Family decided to innovate their electrical usage. When the Bishop’s needed to save energy cost for their fruit orchards, they looked to the Rural Energy for America Program to install a large ground mounted solar array. Agricultural space…

50+ Attend Compost Heat Recovery Open House & Tour On March 29, 2018, over 50 guests, including several agricultural producers and CT RC&D partners, attended our Compost Heat Recovery Open House & Tour at Collins Powder Hill Farm. The event showcased Connecticut’s first Compost Heat Recovery pilot project in operation at a working dairy farm.…

Healthy Soils = Healthy Food On November 27th, CTRC&D hosted a Soil Health workshop that featured Bryan O’Hara, Ray Archuletta, and Adam Squire discussing the value of no-till and cover crops in farming operations. The turnout was impressive, with a total of 75 attendees. November 27, 2017 Lebanon Fire Safety Complex 23 Goshen Hill Road,…

CIG No-Till / Cover Crop Pilot November 17, 2017 Connecticut Resource Conservation and Development through a USDA NRCS CIG Grant (Conservation Innovation Grant) is creating a no-till and cover crop equipment exchange pilot program. The purpose of the project is to introduce no-till equipment to aid the implementation of soil health principles such as organic…

CTRC&D Receives Conservation Innovation Grant from USDA August 22, 2017 CTRC&D was just notified that we received a $75,000 USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service CIG grant for our Project objectives. The CIG, or Conservation Innovation Grant, will help fund the creation of a pilot project in Connecticut with two hubs or locations where purchased equipment will be housed…

60 Attend Rural Lands-Rural Towns Workshop June 15, 2017 Parmalee Farm Pavilion, Killingworth, CT Over sixty partners, planners and friends gathered in an outdoor pavilion at Killingworth’s town owned Parmelee Farm for CTRC&D’s Rural Lands Rural Towns Workshop/Annual Meeting and Awards Ceremony on Thursday morning June 15th. This breakfast lunch forum with CT home baked…

Connecticut Farm Energy Installs Compost Heat Recovery System June 1, 2017 CTRC&D’s Connecticut Farm Energy Program is currently installing the 1st Compost Heat Recovery System in Connecticut at Collins Powder Hill Farm located in Enfield, CT. This project is being made possible by support from Connecticut Department of Energy & Environmental Protection (DEEP) and U.S.…

CACEE Committee Tours Potential Sites for Future CACEE Center May 7, 2017 On a sunny Spring day, the CACEE Committee, a group of CTRC&D Councilmembers and representatives of partner organizations had the opportunity to come together to tour the towns of Lyme, East Haddam, and East Hampton and begin their preliminary analysis of four potential…