CT Veteran Grown Program

CT Veteran Grown Program launched to support CT’s farmer Veteran businesses. Renee DiNino sits down with the Department of Agriculture's Commissioner Bryan Hurlburt and three incredible guests to chat about this program and opportunity for Veteran owned farmers.

About our guests:

• Aaron McCool, Director of Operations, Steadfast Farms LLC and Steadfast Farms Poultry Processing and Slaughter LLC, Bethlehem
• (not a Veteran, his brother Jared McCool, owner, is a Marine)
  • Board member of Veteran Farmers Coalition CT
  • Co-chair of Programs and Events Committee, Veteran Farmers Coalition CT
  • Sells hatching eggs, day-old chicks, mature Coturnix and Bob White Quail, mature Chuckar Partridge, and mature Pheasant
  • CT’s only state of the art USDA inspected Poultry Slaughter facility
  • Sells USDA processed poultry
  • Future plans: 2024: partner with local farm to produce their own cage-free and free range chicken and turkey
    • Partnering with local Waterbury FDA facility to produce quail eggs and picked quail eggs for distribution
• Steven Thompson, owner, Thy Neighbors Farm, Torrington
• Former US Marine Scout Sniper and Afghanistan combat veteran
  • Active member of the Farmer Veteran Coalition of CT
  • Grows fresh vegetables using organic standards
  • Raises Sheep and lambs
  • Focused on growing healthy food
  • Helping fight local food insecurity by feeding cities students and families in need
  • All products are Homegrown by Heroes certified / CT Veteran Grown certified
• Amanda Fargo-Johnson, Agricultural Programs Director, CT Resource Conservation & Development, Inc.
• Non-veteran
  • Developed and oversaw the startup of FarmUP program that RC&D launched in 2019, followed by Veteran FarmUP program in summer 2020
  • Administered process of bringing Farmer Veteran Coalition chapter to CT
  • Sits on CT FVC board and the Communications committee
  • Lead staff member who applied for U.S. Small Business Administration funding in 2023 to administer the CT Veteran Grown project
    • 3 year project to provide technical help and marketing assistance

CT VETERAN GROWN PROGRAM LAUNCHED TO SUPPORT CT’S FARMER VETERAN BUSINESSES

Marketing Resource Hub and Campaign through New Website, CTVeteranGrown.org

 

(HARTFORD, CT) – The Farmer Veteran Coalition of Connecticut, in coordination with Connecticut Resource Conservation & Development (CT RC&D) and Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAG) announce the release of the newly created website, CTVeteranGrown.org, in advance of Veterans Day as part of a larger three-year program to provide the state’s Farmer Veterans marketing assistance and resources to help in their long-term success.

CT RC&D, with funding support from U.S. Small Business Administration, partnered with marketing professionals to build a resource hub with two primary strategies: one-on-one marketing assistance and a robust CT Grown marketing campaign in conjunction with the Connecticut Department of Agriculture and marketing professionals. The new website will house all of these resources for Farmer Veterans and also support consumers in their discovery of Farmer Veterans in the state by using the searchable and interactive map, and shopping Homegrown by Heroes CT Grown whenever they see the label.

“Just as Connecticut’s Farmer Veterans have a history of serving the community, Connecticut Resource Conservation & Development Area (CT RC&D) has a history of serving our Farmer Veterans in an effort to give back. Beginning with the CT RC&D Veteran FarmUP program which provides one-on-one assistance to military Farmer Veterans, we then expanded our assistance in working with local Farmer Veterans to get the Connecticut Chapter of the Farmer Veteran Coalition off the ground. Now, we are thrilled to be able to implement a CT Veteran Grown brand marketing initiative and resource hub using Congressional Directed Spending grant funds provided by the U.S. Small Business Administration,” said Jocelyn Lahey, Executive Director of CT RC&D. “Together with the CT Farmer Veteran Coalition, CT Department of Agriculture, and the skilled consultant team we have organized, CT RC&D will work to implement an online and in-person CT Veteran Farmer Resource Hub, develop a CT Veteran Grown marketing campaign, and provide outreach and support through direct technical and marketing assistance by serving Farmer Veterans across Connecticut. These programs are critically needed in the agricultural community. CT RC&D is seeking to close the gap, remove barriers, and serve CT Veterans in agriculture by implementing the CT Veteran Grown brand.”

Through the CT Veteran Grown program, the goal is to support Farmer Veterans as they build a career in agriculture and assimilate back to civilian life, provide access to the necessary programs and resources, build relationships among Farmer Veterans for a thriving professional community, and provide job training and youth education in the field of conservation.

 

“Being a farmer is tough. It’s long hours, hard work with multitudes of pressure and uncertainty. Being a veteran is also tough. When we leave the service, we lose part of ourselves and our community. As members of the Farmer Veteran Coalition, CT we continue to serve, and are creating a beautiful and strong community together,” said Lorren Pogson, CT Farmer Veteran Coalition Vice President. “With the launch of the CT Farmer Veteran website, consumers can search for our Homegrown by Heroes/CT Grown labeled agricultural products. Your support enables us to continue our mission to serve.”

The Homegrown by Heroes CT Grown label informs consumers that agricultural products were produced by U.S. military veterans and differentiates their farm products in the marketplace. The purchase of these products supports those who bravely served our country and now serve our state through growing agriculture in their community.

“One year ago, we announced the formation of the Farmer Veteran Coalition of CT and the release of the Homegrown by Heroes CT Grown brand label and now with the formation of the CT Veteran Grown program, Connecticut’s Farmer Veterans have even more tools available to them ensuring a successful transition to agriculture and profitability for their farm business,” said Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt. “The CT Veteran Grown program aligns with our CT Grown marketing program and will further elevate the agricultural products that Farmer Veterans are bringing to the marketplace.” 

 

Formed in 2022, the Farmer Veteran Coalition of Connecticut assists both Veterans and active-duty military members with transitioning to a career in agriculture. According to the 2017 USDA Census of Agriculture, Connecticut has nearly 900 farmers who have served in the military. Of those, nearly half report agriculture as being their primary occupation.

 

CT RC&D is a nonprofit that has supported the state’s farming community since 1968 through a variety of environmental and agricultural programs. Together with the Connecticut Farmer Veteran Coalition, they are creating a CT Veteran Farmer Resource Hub, developing a CT Veteran Grown marketing campaign, and serving Veteran farmers across Connecticut with technical help and marketing assistance.

The Connecticut Department of Agriculture 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.