The Connecticut Department of Agriculture (DoAg) recently awarded almost $1.5 million in grants to 17 projects to support the food supply chain, according to a press release from DoAg. These grants are funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI).
“When we invest in the middle of the supply chain – things like local processing, storage, and distribution – we’re not just supporting farmers; we’re making it easier for families to access fresh, local food,” said Connecticut Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt in the press release.
There were two types of projects that received funding for this grant: ones for equipment and ones for infrastructure. These grants were available to organizations that process, pack, store, or transport locally and regionally produced food products, excluding meat and poultry.
The grant recipients include: the Gardens of Our Descent Farm in Columbia, which will use the money to buy equipment to expand its French fry processing infrastructure; Pearl’s Shellfish Farm in Stratford, which will buy eight pieces of equipment to help wash, count and sort oysters; and City Seeds Inc, in New Haven, which will establish and aggregate and distribution center for Connecticut farmers.
The RFSI program was established with money from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). In February 2024, DoAg received $2.1 million from the RFSI program to give out grants.
This is the second round of funding. During the first round, three projects were collectively awarded more than $650,000 in October 2024.
“Strengthening these often-overlooked links builds a more resilient food system, one that can better withstand disruptions and keep healthy, affordable food flowing to communities statewide,” Hurlburt said.
There are over 5,000 farms in the state, half of which are for greenhouse and nursery products. Connecticut produces $700 million a year worth of agricultural products. However, the overall agricultural industry has a much higher value. Yearly, it generates around $4 billion. Every year, there are around 22,000 people with jobs in the agricultural sector. This includes people working in fields, in processing, distribution, and other agricultural-related jobs and businesses. The average farmworker in the state makes less than $30,000 a year.
Recently, the state’s agricultural industry has faced a large shake-up because of changes in Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) directives. Half of farmworkers in the state are immigrants, and more than half of those immigrants are either in the country illegally or do not have proper work permits for these jobs.
Earlier this summer, ICE conducted large raids on farms and food processing centers around the country, but not in Connecticut. However, in June, ICE halted agriculture raids.
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