Connecticut agriculture leaders press USDA for disaster-recovery grant as state trims farm programs

The commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Agriculture told a state appropriation subcommittee that the department is seeking an award from a $220 million federal farm recovery pool created in the recent continuing resolution, and that the state will apply for funds to help Connecticut farmers recover from weather-related losses.

Why it matters: The federal pool covers multiple states and sectors; if the state receives funding it could provide direct relief for growers hit by floods, late freezes and other losses. At the same time, the governor's budget proposes cuts to two state farm-support programs that lawmakers and advocates have highlighted: the Connecticut Grown for Connecticut Kids farm-to-school program and the state supplemental vouchers tied to farmers-market nutrition efforts.

Commissioner (Department of Agriculture) briefed the subcommittee that USDA has received far more requests than the $220 million Congress set aside for the multi‑state program, saying USDA reported $443 million in requests and that ‘‘we will get some portion of the $85,000,000 that we requested’’ for Connecticut. The commissioner emphasized the department’s intent to work with USDA on expanded eligibility and to include producers ranging from traditional fruit and vegetable growers to aquaculture, vineyards and Christmas-tree farms.

Committee members pressed the commissioner on budget reductions in several agriculture line items. The governor’s proposal trims a $1 million line for Connecticut Grown for Connecticut Kids and reduces funding for the state’s senior and WIC farmers-market nutrition voucher programs. The commissioner told lawmakers the administration cut the newer farm-to-school line to meet an overall fiscal-austerity target while aiming to keep core long-term programs intact.

Lawmakers also asked the commissioner about a FY2024 allocation that funded eight “shipping-container farm” projects under the Connecticut Grown for Connecticut Kids umbrella. The commissioner said those container projects were run through the same application period but were a separate allocation and noted the department maintains a policy that grants can be received twice within three years, with a cooling-off period intended to broaden program reach.

The department told lawmakers it can work with farmers who lack traditional documentation of farm status (for instance, new and beginning farmers) and that eligibility for federal recovery dollars could be expanded by the state and must be agreed to by USDA through a contracting process. The commissioner said samples from suspected avian-influenza or dairy cases are tested at the Connecticut Veterinary Diagnostic Lab at UConn and, for confirmation, sent to the USDA lab in Ames, Iowa.

Ending: Lawmakers requested a list of recent grant recipients, further details on eligibility rules for the prospective USDA grant and additional data about projected spending and carryovers for farmers-market programs. The department said it would provide more detailed breakdowns to the subcommittee for follow-up review.