You may be surprised at the size and diversity of businesses, farms, and growing enterprises in Connecticut. Interwoven into daily life, new and beginning farmers are receiving climate smart microgrants fueled by Connecticut Department of Agriculture’s Climate Smart Farming: Agriculture and Forestry Grant.

University of Connecticut (UConn) Extension was one of 12 recipients and received a total of $500,000 with nearly half of that to be distributed through microgrants which will help Connecticut’s beginning farmers purchase essential equipment, tools, seeds, soil amendments, installation costs paid to contractors, and farm field preparation costs that are recommended by UConn Extension professionals to implement new climate smart farming practices.

The microgrant awardees for 2024 are:

Aasaaska Foundation LLC, Hartford – Caterpillar tunnel, shade cloth.

AMMECS CO. LLC, Bridgeport – Raised bed system and hoop cover for urban growing system to protect from heavy rains.

Backyard Blooms, Trumbull – Silage tarp, drip tape, broad fork, row cover.

Blooms & Blessing Farm LLC, Thompson – Row cover.

Brown Farm, Scotland – Chipper/shredder attachment for walk-behind tractor.

Eagle Heights Farm, Canterbury – Cover crop seed, weed fabric, drip irrigation, caterpillar tunnel.

Great Ring Farm, Newtown – Trench project around high tunnel and silage tarp and fertigator for soil health, beneficial insects.

Joon Gardens, Danbury – Toolshed and garden cart to store and transport no-till equipment and invasive Japanese knotweed removal project.

Lakeside Farm, Lakeside – French drain project (crushed stone, pipe, filter fabric), cover crop seed, insect netting, manure.

Liepold Pond Farm, Pawcatuck – Topsoil, compost, ground cover.

Mena's Garden LLC, North Guilford – Caterpillar tunnel for cut flower production.

Northwest Corner Farm, Winchester – BCS walk-behind tractor.

Root Life LLC, New Haven – Raised bed-low tunnel system.

Sekelsky's Garden & Nursery, Monroe – Irrigation, compost, ground cover, broad fork.

Sunset Farm, Naugatuck – Cover crop seed, insect netting, floating row cover, greenhouse shade cloth.

Wild Woods Farmstead, Kent – Solarizing tarps, drip irrigation, cover cloth.

Woody Acres Farm, Hampton – Greenhouse construction.

XX Under Mountain, Litchfield – Walk-behind tractor.

For information, contact Rebecca Toms, UConn Extension Communications and Outreach Assistant, rebecca.toms@uconn.edu or visit https://solidground.extension.uconn.edu/ to learn more.

Microgrants are valued up to $2,400 per recipient and each recipient is a beginning farmer in Connecticut with less than 10 years of experience operating their own farm business. These microgrants provide critical support to this group of farmers that are often facing significant financial constraints in launching their businesses. With this infusion of funds, farmers have a tangible opportunity to implement innovative practices they would otherwise have to put off until they have more disposable income. Farmers that can implement these climate smart practices as they start their farming career will be better prepared to combat the effects of climate change as they grow their businesses.

Each microgrant recipient must also complete the UConn Extension's Climate Smart Adaptation Strategies Course to help them understand the best climate smart practices for their farm. This course includes 12 modules taught by professionals from UConn Extension and relevant fields that provided insight on best practices for our changing climate in topics such as, “Managing Native Species, Invasive Plants, and Noxious Weeds,” “Silviopasture,” and “Managing Water on the Farm.” Knowledge tests in the course helped develop a better understanding of Climate Smart Farming practices, for the various types of farm operations they run.

The microgrants represent a significant step forward in supporting Connecticut's agricultural community in adopting sustainable and climate-resilient farming practices, contributing to the long-term viability of the state's agricultural sector.“With these awards, we are addressing two significant challenges to support the future of agriculture – mitigating climate change and supporting our new and beginning farmers to set them up for success. These grant funds will be used to propel producers who desire to implement climate resilient practices for long-term farm sustainability and farm viability,” said Connecticut Department of Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt. “I thank UConn for their partnership in tackling these challenges and utilizing the dollars in a smart, practical manner.”

Also in the news, multi-use trail grants announced recently by Governor Lamontand Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection (DEEP) Commissioner Katie Dykes: A series of grants totaling $10 million that will support the planning, building, expansion, and improvement of 45 multi-use trails located in towns and cities throughout Connecticut. Twenty-three of the awarded projects occur within or serve Connecticut’s distressed municipalities and environmental justice communities, which will improve equitable access to outdoor recreation.

The Connecticut Greenways Council assisted DEEP with the competitive grant selection process. DEEP anticipates most projects to be completed by 2027.

The following is a list of projects receiving grants under DEEP Connecticut Recreational Trails Program June 2024 Grant Round:

Andover Percy Cook Trail design, $83,500;

Avalonia Land Conservancy, Cedar Woods Preserve Accessible Trail, planning and design $26,000;

Avon, Farmington Canal Heritage Trail Safety Features and Amenities, $114,412;

Branford, Trolley Trail Bridge Improvements, planning, design, construction, $400,000;

Branford Land Trust, Branford Land Trust Accessible Trail. planning, design, construction, amenities, publications, outreach, $319,961;

Burlington, Farmington River Trail Improvements – Burlington Section, maintenance, $494,000;

Capitol Region Council of Governments, CRCOG Regional Trail Equipment, $340,000;

East Coast Greenway Alliance, Inc., Promoting and Activating Connecticut’s Outstanding East Coast Greenway, oublications, outreach, $87,500;

East Granby Greenway Restoration Project, maintenance, $395,389;

East Hartford, Improvements and Connectivity to Lower Great River Park Recreational Trail Network, planning and design, $262,750;

East Lyme, Darrow Pond Outdoor Education, Conservation and Recreation Center, planning and design, $36,300;

Fairfield Open Space Trail in Urbanized Fairfield Neighborhood, planning and design, construction, outreach, $255,284;

Farmington Center Connectivity Project Phase 1, planning, design, education, outreach, $208,000;

Friends of Tarrywile Park, Inc., Improving Safety and Accessibility to Trails in Tarrywile Park, planning, design, $35,000;

Friends of the Litchfield Community Greenway, Inc., Litchfield Greenway Phase 4 D&E – Bantam Connection, construction, amenities, $320,000;

Gather New Haven, Inc., Pond Lily Nature Preserve Trail Plan, planning, design, construction, amenities, publications, outreach, $308,257;

Goshen Land Trust: Trails for All, construction, maintenance, publications, education, outreach, $89,744;

Groton, Copp Family Park Trail Accessibility Improvements, construction, amenities, acquisition, $143,000;

Hampton, creation of ADA Trails and other public access in the Little River Preserve, planning, design, construction, maintenance, eEducation, amenities, publications, $219,200;

Hartford, Park Trail Connectivity Action Plan, planning, design, outreach, $160,000;

Harwinton NRG Greenway – Section 1, planning and design, $250,000;

Middlefield/Durham Community Multi-Use Trail, Planning/Design, outreach, $172,000;

Middletown, Pistol Creek Trail Improvements, planning, design, construction, $554,130;

Mitchell College, Mitchell Woods: Accessibility in Action, planning, design, construction, maintenance, amenities, $396,960;

New England Mountain Bike Association (NEMBA), Canton Bike Pump and Skills Park, planning, design, construction, maintenance, $240,000;

New Britain, Stanley Loop Trail Neighborhood Connections, planning, design, construction, $388,160;

North Stonington, Assekonk Borderlands Half-Mile ADA Accessible Nature/Hiking Trail, planning, design, construction, maintenance, equipment, amenities, publications, $58,000;

Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy, Master Planning for NCLC’s Public Nature Preserves, planning, design, $280,000;

Naugatuck Valley Council of Governments, Kinneytown Section of the Naugatuck River Greenway, planning, preliminary design, outreach,$270,346;

Old Saybrook

Saybrook Point Trail and Education Project, planning, design, construction, maintenance, education, amenities, publications, outreach, $366,640;

Plainfield, Kate Downing Road Open Space, planning, design, $52,000;

Salisbury Railroad Street Multi Modal Pathway Planning and Design, $50,000;

Southington, Trail Project, construction, equipment, $7,270;

Southwest Conservation District, Farm River Greenway Trail Section Final Design, $150,000;

Stamford, Weed Avenue Multi-Use Trail, planning, preliminary design, $223,608;

Steep Rock Association, ADA-Accessible Bridge and Trail in Hidden Valley Preserve, planning, design, $60,000;

Stratford Trails Inventory and Expansion Planning Study, planning, design, publications, outreach, $131,200;

West Hartford Multi-Use Trail Connectivity – Comprehensive Planning Study, planning, design, $100,000;

Western Connecticut Council of Governments, Western Connecticut Regional Trail Project, planning, design, outreach, $566,000;

Windham Air Line Trail and Willimantic River Blueway Enhancements, planning, design, construction, amenities, $155,143;

Woodbridge Trail QR Scan Initiative for Historic Sites, planning, design, education, outreach, $8,400;

Connecticut State Parks and Forests Projects:

Gillette Castle Unit, Replacement of Railroad Trail Pedestrian Bridge, construction, $300,000;

Hop River State Park Trail Restoration – Railroad Brook, construction, $284,000;

Statewide:

State Park Trail Maintenance Equipment, $300,000

No Child Left Inside Connecticut State Park Storywalk Frames, amenities, $19,000;

Funding for program administration of just over 3% ($319,846), pursuant to state statutes, is also included in this grant award round.

The Connecticut Trail Census, a project of the UConn Center for Land Use Education and Research (CLEAR), recorded more than 2.7 million trail uses at 42 trail counter locations across Connecticut in 2023. Average daily uses increased by 28% in 2023 compared to pre-pandemic (2017 to 2019) uses. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, outdoor recreation in 2022 contributed nearly $4.5 billion to the state and supported more than 45,000 jobs.

Editor's note: Grateful to all who reached out after the loss of my sister (who also believed in the power of growing trails, farms, people, ideas. She would've loved this story and announcements about trails and people, community.) Thank you.