The Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) has announced the recipients of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Specialty Crop Block Grant Program in the state. The projects will aim to enhance the competitiveness of Connecticut’s specialty crops, including fruits, vegetables, horticulture, and nursery crops, through marketing, education, and research initiatives.

Connecticut has received over $427,000 as part of $72.9 million in non-competitive FY 2025 funding awarded to 56 states and territories for 586 projects through the Specialty Crop Block Grant Program, administered by the USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS).

“Over the past seven years, Connecticut has leveraged these federal dollars to invest more than $2.8 million in projects that will continue to advance the state’s specialty crops,” said Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt. “These projects are crucial to providing the research, education, and marketing to strengthen grower resources and continue providing residents throughout the state with access to CT Grown farm products and experiences.”

Through the program, CT DoAg will fund four projects, each eligible for up to $100,000. Among them is a project by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station to evaluate fungal populations responsible for anthracnose crown rot. Other funded initiatives include developing a Connecticut Urban Farmer Collaboratory through the University of Connecticut, advancing nanobubble technology for irrigation systems led by the Connecticut Greenhouse Growers Association, and assessing the status and trends of emerging European corn borer resistance to Bacillus thuringiensis corn, also conducted by the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station.

For more information:
Rebecca Eddy
CT DoAg
Tel: +1 860 573 0323
Email: [email protected]
www.portal.ct.gov