Grant Funds Available To Support Farming Community

By Kendra Bobowick

Providing another foothold for the farming community is an Agricultural Viability Grant For Municipalities available through the Connecticut Department of Agriculture. November 17 is the deadline for applications for The Farm Transition Grant, one of the two grants making up the agricultural viability program.

“We’re targeting farm production, trying to increase production facilities, land-base,” said the state department’s marketing representative Ron Olsen. Possibly towns would put to use open space, land purchases and easements, he explained. Funding might also filter into education and farmers’ markets, Mr Olsen said.

Newtown Director of Community Development Elizabeth Stocker said she is “not aware from any direction,” if anyone in town will complete an application.

As the mid-November deadline approaches, the department is accepting proposals for various agricultural stakeholders — including farmers, farm cooperatives, nonprofits working with farmers, municipalities, municipal associations, regional planning agencies and councils of government, and nonprofits working with municipalities — who are planning activities that will promote agriculture sustainability and/or increase economic viability of one or many farm businesses, according to a recent release. Mr Olsen expects that local community development offices will take an interest, he said.

Sending out a mass emailing to planners, including Ms Stocker, was John Guszkowski, the Connecticut Chapter of American Planning Association (CCAPA) liaison to Working Lands Alliance, a coalition that advocates for farmland protection at the state level.

Bringing attention to the viability grants, he wrote, “This can be a very important — and readily accessible — tool for towns to help support and retain their farmers. Last round, in the spring, every project that was submitted was funded…”

He also indicated the grant program had funds left over.

Ms Guszkowski continued, “It is incumbent upon us, at the local and regional level, to take advantage of the available funds…”

Funding for the State of Connecticut Agriculture Viability Grants supplies two competitive matching grants. The two grants are the Farm Viability Grant for Municipalities (FVG) and the Farm Transition Grant (FTG).

The intent of the Farm Viability Grant is to strengthen the economic viability and promote the sustainability of state agriculture in Connecticut municipalities by providing matching grants for both capital projects and planning projects. The intent of the Farm Transition Grant is to strengthen the economic viability of Connecticut farmers, agricultural not-for-profit organizations, and agricultural cooperatives for diversification of the farm, transitioning to value-added agriculture production and sales, and developing markets and other venues in which a majority of products sold are grown in the state. The state can award up to $50,000 in matching grant funds per applicant, Mr Olsen said.

Applications are available at ct.gov/doag/cwp/view.asp?Q=318538&A=1401.

The round of funding that was established in 2005 will be available annually.