CT Agriculture Supporting Climate Resiliency
“ Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt today announced that the Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) is awarding $1.475 million in state funding to farmers and non-profits involved in production agriculture to invest in long-term climate resiliency projects which will decrease vulnerability to extreme weather events through regenerative agricultural practices. “
What an amazing stride for CT agriculture and producers. Maybe you’re wondering — what does this even mean? why does it matter?
History:
Let us go back to the 1930s to The Dust Bowl. The time of the Great Depression, severe drought, economic downfalls, and agricultural practices that aided in the “dirty 30s”, a direct result of years of over-plowing during dry conditions, removing what held the soil in place— grasses & roots.
Farmers over-plowed and over-grazed cattle during that tough time, not knowing what consequences lie ahead. With plummeted wheat prices, the only thing farmers thought to do was plow & plant more. Plowing (the act of turning/breaking up the soil) more meant removing more grasses and roots to enable them to plant their wheat seeds. However, with the lack of rain and root system to keep the soil in tack, the soil merely had no way to hold itself together during periods of high winds. Once havoc was wreaked for nearly a decade, initiatives were put in place to help conserve the soil, currently and for years to come, along with the adoption of new farming practices and techniques.
Some of the new farming techniques and practices included: crop rotation, strip cropping, contour farming, terracing, planting cover crops and leaving fallow fields (definitions of farming practices listed at the bottom).
Because of resistance, farmers were actually paid a dollar an acre by the government to practice one of the new farming methods.
Today:
Farmers across many aspects of production agriculture still maintain the same, or similar, agricultural practices today; however, that does not mean they are not faced with additional challenges. Today, producers are needing to be cognizant of greenhouse gas emissions, waste storage, agricultural runoff, soil erosion, compaction, and fertility, and more. By awarding CT farmers funds to help be resilient against climate changes that affect their production and the many people they help feed, they are able to be proactive in their approach to inevitable farming challenges rather than reactive — as they were in the 1930s.
“ Connecticut’s agricultural producers have demonstrated a strong desire to implement sustainable farming practices to be part of the climate change solution while also mitigating the impacts of more extreme weather events,” said Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt. “Through these strategic investments, farmers will be able to conduct projects to improve soils for increased productivity and enhanced resilience. ”
For more information on the Farmland Restoration, Climate Resiliency & Preparedness Grant, visit: https://portal.ct.gov/doag/services/grants
The fiscal year 2024 Farmland Restoration, Climate Resiliency and Preparedness Grant recipients are:
Barkhamsted – The Stead Farm: $50,000 (Soil Health and Organic Matter Biodiversity, Forest Management, Enhanced Grazing Land Management, Capital Improvements and Purchases)
Canaan – Howling Flats Farm: $50,000 (Soil Health and Organic Matter Biodiversity, Water Management, Enhanced Grazing Land Management)
Coventry – Still River Farm: $50,000 (Soil Health and Organic Matter Biodiversity, Water Management)
East Granby – Oxen Hill Farm, LLC: $100,000 (Soil Health and Organic Matter Biodiversity)
Ellington – Oakridge Dairy LLC: $100,000 (Soil Health and Organic Matter Biodiversity, Water Management, Capital Improvements and Purchases)
Guilford – Arbor Farm: $50,000 (Soil Health and Organic Matter Biodiversity, Water Management, Enhanced Grazing Land Management)
Lebanon – Graywall Farms LLC: $100,000 (Soil Health and Organic Matter Biodiversity, Water Management, Capital Improvements and Purchases)
Ledyard – Full Heart Farm: $50,000 (Water Management, Capital Improvements and Purchases)
Morris – Hungry Reaper Farm: $100,000 (Water Management, Forest Management, Capital Improvements and Purchases)
Morris – Lakeside Farm: $50,000 (Soil Health and Organic Matter Biodiversity, Water Management, Capital Improvements and Purchases)
Naugatuck – Sunset Farm: $50,000 (Soil Health and Organic Matter Biodiversity, Water Management, Capital Improvements and Purchases)
North Stonington: Grijalva Cattle Co. LLC: $100,000 (Forest Management, Enhanced Grazing Land Management, Capital Improvements and Purchases)
Northford – Cecarellis Harrison Hill Farm: $100,000 (Soil Health and Organic Matter Biodiversity, Water Management, Capital Improvements and Purchases)
Oxford – Rowland Farm, LLC: $100,000 (Water Management, Forest Management, Enhanced Grazing Land Management)
Putnam – Assawaga Farm: $50,000 (Water Management, Forest Management)
Stafford – Freedom Farm LLC: $100,000 (Soil Health and Organic Matter Biodiversity, Forest Management, Enhanced Grazing Land Management)
Suffield – Northern Valley Farms, Inc.: $100,000 (Soil Health and Organic Matter Biodiversity, Water Management)
Waterbury – Urban Fresh Gardens Inc.: $50,000 (Soil Health and Organic Matter Biodiversity, Water Management, Capital Improvements and Purchases)
Woodbury – Micro Alliance: $50,000 (Soil Health and Organic Matter Biodiversity, Water Management, Forest Management, Capital Improvements and Purchases)
Woodbury – The Farm/Div. of Woodbury Sugar Shed: $75,000 (Soil Health and Organic Matter Biodiversity, Water Management, Capital Improvements and Purchases)
Definitions:
Crop Rotation: planting a different crop on a particular piece of land each growing season
Strip Cropping: cultivation in which different crops are sown in alternate strips to prevent soil erosion
Contour Farming: tilling sloped land along lines of consistent elevation in order to conserve rainwater and to reduce soil losses from surface erosion
Terracing: turn sloping land into a number of level flat areas resembling a series of steps.
Cover Crops: plant that is used primarily to slow erosion, improve soil health, enhance water availability, smother weeds, help control pests and diseases, and increase biodiversity
Fallow Fields: Fields left unplanted for a series of time, increasing soil fertility
