Joseph P. Gresko

The American Farmland Trust released the following press release commending Environment Committee Co-chair Joseph Gresko and members of the Connecticut General Assembly for the inclusion of climate initiatives the State's Biennium Budget.

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Working Lands Alliance commends the Connecticut State Legislature and Gov. Ned Lamont for the passage of House Bill 5506 – An Act Adjusting the State Budget for the Biennium Ending June 30, 2023, Concerning Provisions Related to Revenue, School Construction, and Other Items to Implement the State Budget and Authorizing and Adjusting Bonds of the State. The legislation provides up to $14 million in crucial funding that is needed to support climate-smart agriculture practices for farmers in CT.   

At a key moment when climate change is impacting farmers’ ability to grow and promote local food security, the legislature and Governor Lamont have recognized that our producers play a crucial role in mitigating threats from climate change. The final budget that was signed into law by Governor Lamont updates the CT Farmland Restoration Grant Program including changing its name to the CT Farmland Restoration and Climate Resiliency Program and authorizing the CT Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) to give out grants that help producers implement climate-smart agriculture and forestry practices as defined by the United States Department of Agriculture – Natural Resources Conservation Service.  

Investing in climate-smart agriculture will allow the CT DoAg. to support farmers in maintaining agricultural productivity, improving water quality, supporting healthy soil practices, and managing stormwater. A few of the practices this key legislation supports include: increasing cover crop adoption, reducing tillage, furthering crop rotations, reducing nutrient applications, increasing composting, and helping farmers to build resilience against a changing and more extreme climate. This legislation update will also pay for increased capacity for technical assistance by paying service providers to develop resiliency plans for producers across the State.   

“Farmers care for their land and are continually seeking to improve their stewardship. With these funds, Connecticut will be able to support its farmers in that stewardship,” saidAFT’s New England Director, Nathan L’Etoile.“We are deeply appreciative of the strong coalition of farmers, conservation organizations, and others, led by the Working Lands Alliance, that advanced this effort.” 

Working Lands Alliance – a project of American Farmland Trust (AFT) is dedicated to supporting farmers to adopt climate-smart practices. According to AFT’s 2020 Farms Under Threat: A New England Perspective, “23,000 acres of Connecticut farmland were converted to urban development or low-density residential land use between 2001 and 2016, putting Connecticut in the top three states nationally for the percent of farmland developed or compromised.” As the threat of various types of sprawl development increases, protecting our best soil impacts food security for Connecticut residents. Assisting farmers in implementing climate-resilient practices protects the health of our ecosystems as well as reduces their risk and ensures future economic farm viability. The passage of this legislation is in alignment with the Governor’s Council on Climate Change Phase 1 Report released in January 2021.  

Representative Joseph P. Gresko (D-Stratford) House Co-Chair of the CT General Assembly Environment Committee said “Honoring the WLA request for climate-smart farming funding to encourage new and young farmers to put down roots in Connecticut was a pleasure.  I look forward to working on other projects together.” 

WLA reached out to our Republican legislative champions, but they declined to comment.