The connecticut department of agriculture will enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops through leveraging efforts to market and promote specialty crops; assisting producers with research and…

The Connecticut Department of Agriculture will receive $528,216.15 through September 2025 under a Specialty Crop Block Grant from the US Department of Agriculture's Agricultural Marketing Service. The funding will support efforts to enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops in Connecticut through activities such as marketing and promotion, research and development assistance to producers, and initiatives to expand availability and access. Projects will also address local, regional and national challenges impacting specialty crop producers. As the grant encourages responding to COVID-19 impacts, beneficiaries may include residents across all 50 states, five territories and Washington, D.C. The Connecticut Department of Agriculture will oversee funding as the designated state department, with performance reporting requirements to demonstrate measurable outcomes.

The connecticut department of agriculture will enhance the competitiveness of specialty crops through leveraging efforts to market and promote specialty crops; assisting producers with research and development relevant to specialty crops; expanding availability and access to specialty crops; and addressing local, regional, and national challenges confronting specialty crop producers through a variety of activities/projects with their grant recipients. The H.R. 133 stimulus funding encourages states to prioritize projects that respond to covid-19 impacts. Beneficiaries include the residents of all 50 states, 5 territories, and the district of columbia. Performance evidence in the form of measurable outcomes is required.