Equipment Sharing Hubs Available for CT Farmers

The Connecticut Resource Conservation and Development Area, Inc. (CT RC&D) is pleased to offer Climate Smart Agriculture Equipment Sharing Hubs funded in part by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture’s Climate Smart Agriculture & Forestry Grant established by the Community Investment Act (C.G.S. Sec. 22-26k). A portion of the grant funds are being utilized to implement and support 4 Equipment Sharing Hubs. One Hub is housed in each of the following locations: the CT River Valley, Northeastern CT, and Northwestern CT, providing access to farmers operating within those regions. A fourth Hub is housed by and accessible to Farmer Veterans. This project will provide access to climate smart equipment for three growing seasons (2024-2027) while fostering collaborative education in geographically diverse areas.

CT RC&D’s Equipment Sharing Hubs will enable climate smart agriculture practices on farms across Connecticut. The climate smart practices (identified by USDA NRCS) will encourage and/or enable soil health practices including, but not limited to, planting of cover crops, conservation crop rotation, conservation tillage (no-till/low till), mulching, composting, nutrient management, improved grazing and pasture, and land management in agricultural operations. Implementation of this project will enable more agricultural producers the opportunity to cooperatively use equipment, develop a network for information sharing, and implement climate smart practices on their farms, thereby increasing soil health without individually buying each of the equipment aides on their own.

With Climate Smart Agriculture Equipment Hubs now operating on Host Farms statewide, CT RC&D is accepting applications from farms interested in becoming Equipment Hub Users.  Equipment Hub Users may apply to participate in the hub of their choice (1) by submitting the brief electronic application and uploading the Equipment Sharing Hub Application Form. Users will be accepted into the Hubs as space allows, and will be responsible for:

• Signing a contract and providing required documentation of vehicle transport insurance, farm liability policy, workers’ compensation (if applicable), and landlord agreement (if applicable).
• Scheduling equipment through an online calendar reservation system,
• Legally transporting the equipment to and from the Host Farm,
• Supplying trained staff to use each piece of equipment reserved for use on their farm,
• Ensuring equipment is cleaned, maintained, and kept in good working order,
• Tracking hours of use,
• Assisting with soil and biomass testing (paid for by CT RC&D),
• Submitting season-end reports to CT RC&D.

Farms will not receive any direct payments through participation in this Climate Smart Equipment Sharing Hub program. The benefit of this project is access to equipment for improving soil health on the farm. Each participating farm will be required to provide in-kind time to assist with monitoring the results of equipment used on their farm for the duration of the project.