As the farming population gets older, a federal grant is going to fund training programs for new farmers.
The grant to UConn Extension and six statewide agricultural partners will target rookie farmers -- providing nearly $600,000 to centers around the state that provide training and mentoring.
Recipients include:
- Common Ground High School, New Haven
- The Community Farm, Simsbury
- The Green Village Initiative, Bridgeport
- Killingly Agricultural Education Program
- KNOX, Hartford
- WRCC-GROW, Windham
- UConn Extension's Listo Para Inciar in Danbury and Stamford
Training will include education for things like business and financial management -- as well as marketing and technical instruction for crop production.
The money comes from the U.S. Department of Agriculture through its Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program, an initiative aimed at bringing more young people into farming.
Nationally, the average age of a farmer is nearly 60 years old, and Connecticut farmers, on the whole, are getting older.