Eight Farmers Receive Climate Smart Grants

On Friday, February 2, 2024, Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz and Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt held a press conference at Auerfarm in Bloomfield joined by Connecticut Resource Conservation and Development (CT RC&D) to announce the awardees from Round 1 of its Climate Smart Agriculture Grant program, and the opening of Round 2 of funding.  In this first round of funding, CT RC&D administered $250,000 to eight farms around Connecticut. This funding will drive over $867,000 in climate smart projects.

“Together, the Commissioner and I have toured countless farms to celebrate CT Grown Products or to learn more about the innovation in agriculture happening throughout our state. But more recently, we’ve also been touring farms to see first-hand flooding or other storm-related damage and are consistently confronted with a stark reality that we can no longer afford to ignore the devastating effects of climate change,” said Lt. Governor Susan Bysiewicz. “As we face this reality, I’m pleased to see this vital investment in increasing resiliency and reducing climate impacts on our state’s beautiful farms.”

In March 2023, Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) awarded nearly $7 million to 12 entities through the Climate Smart Agriculture & Forestry Grant, established under Public Act 22-118 to increase the number of farmers implementing climate-smart agriculture and forestry practices.

“Connecticut’s agricultural producers are known for being both innovative and good stewards of working lands,” said Agriculture Commissioner Hurlburt. “The response to the Climate Smart Agriculture and Forestry grant was tremendous and today we get to celebrate how one of those recipients is further distributing funds to support additional on-farm energy and soil health projects which will provide long-term benefits for both the farm operation and the environment as we seek to mitigate climate change.”

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