CT DoAg Announces Recipients of 2025 Farm Transition Grants
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02/21/2025
CT DoAg Announces Recipients of 2025 Farm Transition Grants
CT DoAg Announces Recipients of 2025 Farm Transition Grants
$527,000 Awarded to 29 Projects Supporting New Farmers, Infrastructure Investment, Research, and Innovation
(HARTFORD, CT) – The Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) today announced recipients of the 2025 Farm Transition Grant to bolster agricultural production of both new and existing farm operations. More than $527,000 has been awarded to fund 29 projects throughout the state.
CT DoAg received a total of 80 submitted grant proposals for the highly competitive grant round, with funding requests of nearly $1.6 million for total project costs more than $3.9 million. Of the awarded funds, $303,395 will support seven farms to produce a new product, $165,150 will fortify nine farms with critical infrastructure, $55,550 will bolster twelve farms in their first three years of production, and $3,900 will assist one farm in testing the viability of a new product. Additionally, 20 of the 29 recipients have not received a Farm Transition Grant award within the last five years, 19 are beginning farmers and eight are farmer veterans.
Awards span the full scope of Connecticut’s diverse agriculture industry. Chickens are particularly well represented this round with seven projects to increase poultry production, four increasing egg production, and one impacting poultry processing. Other represented sectors include meat, fruits, vegetables, cut flowers, vineyards, honey, and maple syrup.
“We are dedicated to strengthening the resilience of our agricultural community, and these awards represent a strategic investment in advancing that goal,” said Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt. “In recent grant cycles, we’ve seen firsthand how new farmer microgrants offer critical support to help grow businesses. Meanwhile, research, diversification, and infrastructure projects play a key role in sustaining existing businesses and positioning them for future growth.”
The fiscal year 2025 Farm Transition Grant awardees are:
|
Applicant |
Project Location |
Funding Category |
Project Description |
Funding Awarded |
|
Beaver Brook Farm |
Baltic (Sprague) |
New Farmer Microgrant |
Purchase a PowerScrub Egg washing machine. |
$5,000.00 |
|
Brennan Brook Farm |
Beacon Falls |
New Farmer Microgrant |
Renovate a 14'x12' room in an existing barn into a farm store and outfit with freezers. |
$4,700.00 |
|
Brignole Vineyards |
East Granby |
Infrastructure Investment |
Purchase a Biodynamic in-row Cultivator. |
$4,700.00 |
|
Broad Brook Acres |
Preston |
Infrastructure Investment |
Purchase and installation of a 10'x12' walk-in freezer and 10'x10' walk-in cooler. |
$25,000.00 |
|
Collinswood Mushrooms |
Tolland |
New Farmer Microgrant |
Purchase climate control systems and shelving to outfit a mushroom fruiting chamber in a 40-ft shipping container. |
$4,450.00 |
|
Double A Ranch |
New Fairfield |
Infrastructure Investment |
Purchase a commercial chicken tractor. |
$3,500.00 |
|
Forest Mill Farm |
Coventry |
New Farmer Microgrant |
Purchase a high temperature bottler, filter press, maple candy making machine, and maple cotton candy machine. |
$5,000.00 |
|
Grijalva Cattle Company |
N. Stonington |
Innovation & Diversification |
Purchase grain silos, outdoor walk-in freezer, display fridge, two chicken tractors, heated display case, and commercial dehydrator. Outfitting an expanded farm store and increase cold storage. |
$49,999.00 |
|
H2O Farm |
Guilford |
Innovation & Diversification |
Purchase and installation of a bio-liquid fertilizer system to produce non-toxic ammonia fertilizer. |
$49,999.00 |
|
Hens on the Hill |
Willimantic |
New Farmer Microgrant |
Purchase a maple candy making machine, maple cream and maple sugar machine, and maple cotton candy machine. |
$4,350.00 |
|
Hoadley Hills Farm |
Kent |
Infrastructure Investment |
Construction of a 30'x30' barn for meat bird production and installation of two 6-ton grain bins. |
$25,000.00 |
|
Holmberg Orchards |
Gales Ferry |
Infrastructure Investment |
Purchase a fruit washing and packing line. |
$25,000.00 |
|
Iron Bull Farm LLC dba R Farm |
Burlington |
Innovation & Diversification |
Construction of a honey processing facility and farm store. |
$49,999.00 |
|
Laurel Glen Farm |
Shelton |
Innovation & Diversification |
Renovating the current checkout station, improving signage, removing brush and boulders to offer unique PYO opportunities in berry and flower fields. |
$19,800.00 |
|
Little Ark Farm |
Enfield |
Research & Development |
Purchase equipment and seed to produce and gauge demand for dried bean production. |
$3,900.00 |
|
Oxen Hill Farm |
East Granby |
Infrastructure Investment |
Purchase an automated sweet potato digger, lifter, and grading table. |
$25,000.00 |
|
Pond View Farms |
Baltic (Sprague) |
New Farmer Microgrant |
Install permanent fencing to create paddocks for rotational grazing of pigs, chickens, and beef cows. |
$3,300.00 |
|
Ridgway Farm |
West Cornwall |
Innovation & Diversification |
Purchase equipment (walk-in, storage tanks, chillers, donut machine, beverage refrigerator) for a new farm store/tasting room to establish a cidery and increase on-site sales of existing products. |
$25,000.00 |
|
Rosa Farm |
Higganum |
New Farmer Microgrant |
Construction of a chicken brooder, duckling brooder, and run for each to facilitate growth before transitioning to the larger coops. |
$3,750.00 |
|
Sand Meadow Farm |
Ellington |
New Farmer Microgrant |
Build a small, on-site farm store. |
$5,000.00 |
|
Steadfast Farms |
Bethlehem |
Innovation & Diversification |
Purchase value-added poultry processing equipment and a trailer to provide transportation to the processing facilitiy for CT poultry farms. |
$49,999.00 |
|
Sunset Farm CT |
Naugatuck |
Innovation & Diversification |
Construct a processing building to wash, pack, and store new product (organic apples) and expanded produce offerings. |
$33,600.00 |
|
The 4 Five Farm |
Bloomfield |
Infrastructure Investment |
Building a new chicken barn with year-round access to pasture. |
$7,950.00 |
|
Thy Neighbors Farm |
Torrington |
New Farmer Microgrant |
Purchase two 12'x12' mobile chicken broiler coops. |
$5,000.00 |
|
Union Bee Company |
Union |
Innovation & Diversification |
Construction of a timber-frame building combining a honey house, woodshop, classroom, and breeding office to support beekeeping, education, and queen breeding. |
$49,999.00 |
|
Union City Farm |
Prospect |
New Farmer Microgrant |
Purchasing a mushroom substrate steamer and bagger. |
$5,000.00 |
|
Upper Forty Farm |
Cromwell |
New Farmer Microgrant |
Construct a 12'x48' sheep barn adjacent to pasture. |
$5,000.00 |
|
Wild Hill Farm |
Deep River |
New Farmer Microgrant |
Construction and installation of 8 raised beds, installation of expanded fencing around the grow space, purchase of a refrigerator and prep station, and 10x10 branded tent for markets. |
$5,000.00 |
|
Worthington Vineyards |
Somers |
Infrastructure Investment |
Purchase specialized vineyard equipment including a spreader, weeder, and tractor (as match). |
$24,000.00 |
Farm Transition Grant is authorized by and funded through C.G.S. Section 22-26k to strengthen the economic viability of Connecticut’s agricultural businesses in times of growth and change. Additional information about the program can be found at www.CTGrown.gov/Grants.
The Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) mission is to foster a healthy economic, environmental, and social climate for agriculture by developing, promoting, and regulating agricultural businesses; protecting agricultural and aquacultural resources; enforcing laws pertaining to domestic animals; and promoting an understanding among the state's citizens of the diversity of Connecticut agriculture, its cultural heritage, and its contribution to the state's economy. For more information, visit www.CTGrown.gov.
FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES:
Rebecca Eddy, Rebecca.Eddy@ct.gov
860-573-0323
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