Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt announced the release of guidance for a historic new program which will increase access to farm ownership opportunities, market access, and capital funding for socially disadvantaged farmers in Connecticut. Connecticut is the only state department of agriculture to be awarded funding from U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) for the implementation of the Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access (LCMA) program.
“Discussions with the Department’s Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Working Group have highlighted land access and secure land tenure as critical challenges for beginning and socially disadvantaged farmers,” said Commissioner Hurlburt. “This initiative aligns with recommendations of the DEI Working Group and the Farmland Access & Ownership Report, published earlier this year by Connecticut Land Conservation Council. By leveraging federal funding, we can take meaningful steps toward creating pathways for leasing or acquiring farmland.”
Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg), along with project partners at UConn Extension, Connecticut Farmland Trust, and American Farmland Trust, received $2.5 million over a four-year period to establish a Farm Business Navigator, offer free technical assistance, and provide grant funding to aid in the purchase of agricultural land through a newly established CT Farmland Access Fund.
Interested and eligible applicants including Socially Disadvantaged Connecticut producers, agricultural cooperatives of Socially Disadvantaged producers, and agriculturally focused nonprofit entities operated by Socially Disadvantaged individuals are encouraged to submit an LCMA Program Interest Form beginning November 20 and accepted on a rolling basis. This will identify the eligible entity as having an interest in receiving free technical assistance and/or applying for the CT Farmland Access Fund. The CT Farmland Access Fund guidance is anticipated to be released in late winter/early spring 2025.
A virtual workshop will be held on Tuesday, December 10 from 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. to provide more detail and answer questions. Please register for the webinar here or on the LCMA Program Webpage. The meeting will be recorded, shared with registrants, and posted on the program website.
Questions about the CT LCMA program can be directed to Cyrena Thibodeau at Cyrena.Thibodeau@ct.gov or 860-895-3094. For more information on the Increasing Land, Capital, and Market Access Program, visit the USDA webpage.
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.
