Press Releases

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• 3/11/2020 Legislative Update March 11 2020

  It has now been one month since opening day and the legislative process is moving full steam ahead. Over the last several weeks, committees have passed their raised bill deadlines and have begun soliciting public input on a variety of important pieces of legislation. In the short period following a public hearing, a bill can be amended – clarifying data, amending sections, and responding to testimony that was submitted to the committee.

• 11/12/2021 CONNECTICUT DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE AWARDED $500,000 TO DEVELOP AND BUILD A COMPREHENSIVE FARM AND RANCH STRESS ASSISTANCE NETWORK

• 5/3/2021 Connecticut Department of Agriculture Announces Updates to Farm Viability Grant

  Connecticut Department of Agriculture Announces Updates to Farm Viability Grant to Better Respond to Current Agricultural Industry Needs

• 11/16/2021 CT Grown: Shop local to prevent global supply chain issues from hindering your holidays

  With more than 5,500 farms and dozens of farmers' markets in Connecticut, high-quality and locally produced foods and goods can be found close to home

• 2/2/2024 Lt Governor Bysiewicz and Agriculture Commissioner Hurlburt Announce $250,000 Funding to 8 Recipients of the Connecticut Resource Conservation & Development's Climate Smart Agriculture Grant Program

  (Bloomfield, CT) – 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.

• 2/8/2024 CT DoAg Awards $2.8 Million Investing in 53 Farm-to-School Based Projects

  (HARTFORD, CT) The Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) is awarding 53 grants totaling more than $2.8 million through its Connecticut Grown for Connecticut Kids Grant (CTG4CTK Grant) to increase the availability of local foods in child nutrition programs, allow educators to use hands-on educational techniques to teach students about nutrition and farm-to-school connections, sustain relationships with local farmers and producers, enrich the educational experience of students, improve the health of children in the state and enhance the state's economy.

• 1/5/2022 Connecticut State Plan For Hemp Production Approved By United States Department of Agriculture

• 4/29/2022 Connecticut Department of Agriculture Awards 33 Farms Transition Grants Totaling $515,953

  (HARTFORD, CT) – Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt announces that the Connecticut Department of Agriculture has awarded funds to 33 projects from the Farm Transition Grant (FTG) program, totaling $515,953 to strengthen the economic viability of Connecticut farmers and agricultural cooperatives seeking to expand, diversify, and improve their existing operation.

• 1/14/2022 Farm Transition Grant Features Four Dynamic Categories To Support Connecticut Agriculture Producers

  The Connecticut Department of Agriculture is pleased to announce the 2022 Farm Transition Grant (FTG) application period will open on Tuesday, January 18.

• 5/30/2024 CT DoAg Announces Increased Funds and Early Start of Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program on June 1

  (HARTFORD, CT) – Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt today announced that the Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) Farmers’ Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) will begin Saturday, June 1, a month earlier than usual, and will run through November 30, 2024. Eligible participants can visit certified farmers’ markets and farm stands to redeem benefits for local CT Grown farm products including fresh, unprocessed fruits, vegetables, and eggs (state funds only). Seniors may also purchase honey with their funds.

• 12/8/2022 Pesce Farm in Bolton Permanently Protected

  (Hartford, CT) – The Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) is pleased to announce the preservation of Pesce Farm in Bolton. This 68-acre farm was protected in concert with Connecticut Farmland Trust (CFT), USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service (USDA-NRCS), and Bolton Land Trust bringing the tally of farms protected this calendar year by CT DoAg to five farms and 333 acres. Since the inception of the program in 1979 the state has protected 404 farms and 47,679 acres.

• 3/25/2022 Connecticut Department of Agriculture Announces Farm Viability Grant Recipients

  $337,000 Awarded to 11 Connecticut Municipalities and Agricultural Non-Profits to Foster, Sustain, Develop, and Promote Local Agriculture

• 5/3/2024 2024 Passport to CT Wine Country Starts May 4

  (HARTFORD, CT) – The 2024 Passport to Connecticut Wine Country, a program of the Connecticut Farm Wine Development Council (CFWDC) administered by the Connecticut Department of Agriculture, will begin on Saturday, May 4, 2024. The Passport program offers visitors an opportunity to engage with the state’s award-winning farm wineries, collect stamps to be entered into prize drawings, create lasting memories, and explore all Connecticut offers.

• 6/7/2024 Interim Connecticut State Veterinarian Named

  (HARTFORD, CT) – Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt today announced that Dr. Erin Masur, DVM, has joined the Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) as interim State Veterinarian within the Bureau of Regulatory Services. Dr. Masur succeeds Dr. Jane Lewis, DVM, DACVPM who was appointed in 2021 and has departed for a position with United States Department of Agriculture.

• 9/29/2022 Livestock Owners Urged to Be Aware of Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) After Recent Detections in White-Tailed Deer in Connecticut

  The Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) is urging livestock owners to be aware of signs of epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD). This follows the recent announcement by Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) that EHD has been confirmed in white-tailed deer for the third year since first detected in our state in 2017.