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WNPR’s small business coverage elevates understanding of the challenges faced by small business, educates policy-makers, and highlights the vital role of small business to the state’s economy.

Farming Is on the Rise in Connecticut

Natalie Maynor
/
Creative Commons

Connecticut is seeing an increase in the number of new farmers. The number of start-ups has grown by 15 percent from 2007.

On Monday the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Acting Deputy Secretary Michael Scuse and other legislators met with some of the state’s new farmers at the Hartford Regional Market. The goal is to help grow their businesses.

With the aging farmer population, lawmakers want to make sure the Connecticut farming industry continues to expand. Recently the Senate Appropriations Committee passed a bill that includes $34-million in federal programs to assist beginning farmers.

Deputy Secretary of Agriculture Michael Scuse is hoping that will inspire the next generation.

"We’re going to have to increase food production over the next 35 years by 70-percent," Scuse told farmers at the meeting. "And we’re going to need creative young people who are willing to embrace science and technology to meet that growing demand for food."

In Connecticut beginning farmers face several challenges — farmland is expensive and the farm economy is still developing. Jamie Jones of Jones Family Farms in Shelton said an additional challenge is convincing young people they can make a decent living, but consumers also play a role, he said.

"It’s a lot of hard work, but people have to recognize the value of food and pay a fair price for it," he said.

Lorren Pogson, who works with her family on Mountain View Farm in Farmington, and owns Maizey’s Market farm stand, said people don’t generally think of farm land when they think of Connecticut. But they should.

"Driving through Hartford today, I’m looking up and I’m looking at all these billboards and I’m like, why is this fast-food chain up here?" she said. "Why is this beer company up here? That’s cool, but why aren’t the farmers being celebrated? Because someone’s growing that hops. I grow hops too. Someone’s growing that barley and that’s us. Those are the farmers."

Some of the other issues raised at the Hartford Regional Market meeting were how to meet the needs of ethnic groups, gaining access to markets, and obtaining technical expertise.

Lori Connecticut Public's Morning Edition host.

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SOMOS CONNECTICUT is an initiative from Connecticut Public, the state’s local NPR and PBS station, to elevate Latino stories and expand programming that uplifts and informs our Latino communities. Visit CTPublic.org/latino for more stories and resources. For updates, sign up for the SOMOS CONNECTICUT newsletter at ctpublic.org/newsletters.

SOMOS CONNECTICUT es una iniciativa de Connecticut Public, la emisora local de NPR y PBS del estado, que busca elevar nuestras historias latinas y expandir programación que alza y informa nuestras comunidades latinas locales. Visita CTPublic.org/latino para más reportajes y recursos. Para noticias, suscríbase a nuestro boletín informativo en ctpublic.org/newsletters.

The independent journalism and non-commercial programming you rely on every day is in danger.

If you’re reading this, you believe in trusted journalism and in learning without paywalls. You value access to educational content kids love and enriching cultural programming.

Now all of that is at risk.

Federal funding for public media is under threat and if it goes, the impact to our communities will be devastating.

Together, we can defend it. It’s time to protect what matters.

Your voice has protected public media before. Now, it’s needed again. Learn how you can protect the news and programming you depend on.