CT DoAg Awards Nearly $1.5 Million to Projects that Build Resilience Across Middle of Food Supply Chain

Press Releases

09/12/2025

CT DoAg Awards Nearly $1.5 Million to Projects that Build Resilience Across Middle of Food Supply Chain

(HARTFORD, CT) - Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) today announced that it has awarded $1,476,000 for 17 projects through the Resilient Food Systems Infrastructure Program (RFSI), funded by U.S. Department of Agriculture's (USDA) Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS). These projects seek to build resilience across the middle of the supply chain and strengthen local and regional food systems.

"When we invest in the middle of the supply chain - things like local processing, storage, and distribution - we're not just supporting farmers; we're making it easier for families to access fresh, local food," said Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt. "Strengthening these often-overlooked links builds a more resilient food system, one that can better withstand disruptions and keep healthy, affordable food flowing to communities statewide."

This is the second round of grant funding to be awarded through the $2.1 million CT DoAg received in February 2024 to administer the program. Applicants could apply for equipment only grants or infrastructure grants with funds used to support expanded capacity for the aggregation, processing, manufacturing, storing, transporting, wholesaling, and distribution of locally and produced food products, including specialty crops, dairy, grains for human consumption, aquaculture and other food products, excluding meat and poultry. The initial award round occurred in October 2024 with more than $670,000 awarded to fund three projects .

Equipment-Only Funded Projects:

• The Gardens of Our Descent Farm, LLC, Columbia, to expand the farm's French fry processing infrastructure, utilizing CT Grown potatoes, through the purchase of a fry cutter, a blast chiller, and a portable freezer.
• Hungry Reaper Farm, LLC, Morris, to expand the farm's post-harvest washing and cold storage infrastructure through the purchase of a produce wash line and a walk-in cooler.
• Partners for Sustainable Healthy Communities, Inc., DBA NWCT Food Hub, Torrington, to expand the food hub's cold chain infrastructure through the purchase of a refrigerated truck and a walk-in cooler
• Pearl's Shellfish Farm, LLC, Stratford, to expand the farm's shellfish processing infrastructure through the purchase of two (2) high efficiency washing systems, two (2) oyster counters, two (2) conveyors, and two (2) graders.
• The Popular Food Project, Inc, Hartford, to expand the organization's produce aggregation and storage infrastructure through the purchase of a vacuum packaging machine, an under-counter freezer, a reach-in freezer, a worktop refrigerator, and a reach-in refrigerator.
• QOP LLC, DBA River Ridge Farm, Portland, to expand the farm's cold chain infrastructure through the purchase of a refrigerated truck, forklift, and a walk-in freezer.
• Rowland Farm, LLC, Oxford, toexpand the farm's dairy processing infrastructure through the purchase of a dairy safe liquid dispenser and a dairy storage wash system.
• Shagbark Hollow Farm LLC, Bethlehem, to expand the farm's egg processing and cold storage infrastructure through the purchase of a power egg washer and a commercial cooler
• Shaggy Coos Farm & Creamery LLC, Easton, to expand the farm's dairy processing, storage, and distribution infrastructure through the purchase of a refrigerated delivery truck, a walk-in combination cooler/freezer, and a vat pasteurizer.
• Still River Farm LLP, Coventry, to expand the farm's grain processing infrastructure through the purchase of a conveyor and two proportioners.
• Sunset Farm CT LLC, Naugatuck, to expand the farm's cold chain infrastructure through the purchase of a refrigerated truck and two walk-in coolers.
• Forest Mill Farm, LLC, Coventry, to expand the farm's maple syrup storage infrastructure through the purchase of three (3) stainless steel storage tanks.
• Farm 139 LLC, Winchester, to expand the farm's cold chain infrastructure and resiliency from power outages through the purchase of two (2) outdoor cold storage units and a battery backup unit.
• Upper Pond Farm LLC, Lyme, toexpand the farm's produce and dry goods aggregation, processing and storage infrastructure through the purchase of a vacuum packaging machine, a blast chiller, a roll in freezer, and roll in dry crop storage.

Infrastructure Grant Funded Projects:

• Culture Fresh Foods Inc, Naugatuck, to expand the company's processing infrastructure to add dairy milk as a product through the purchase of a dairy safe warm milk separator and a dairy milk homogenizer.
• Sustainable Planet LLC, DBA Healthy PlanEat, East Lyme, to improve the existing sales platform Healthy PlanEat to enable collaboration among at least six (6) food hubs serving Connecticut.
• City Seed Inc, New Haven, to establish an aggregation and distribution center to serve Connecticut farmers and value-added food businesses.

This award round concludes the availability of grant funding through the RFSI program, but any agriculture producer is able to receive free business technical assistance through three contracted groups. More information can be found by visiting the agency's website or by contacting [email protected] for questions of how to enroll.

RFSI is federally funding through the United States Department of Agriculture authorized by section 1001(b)(4) of the American Rescue Plan (ARP) Act of 2021 (Pub. L. 117- 2), as amended, and administered by the CT Department of Agriculture.

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, [email protected]
860-573-0323

http://www.ctgrown.gov