Connecticut officials this week announced new and returning state programs meant to help connect students, educators and local food producers.
“When we invest in school meals and farm-to-school initiatives, we invest in the whole child,” said Connecticut Education Commissioner Charlene Russell-Tucker. “We invest in our communities and in the future of Connecticut.”
At a Monday press conference at Kathleen E. Goodwin Elementary School in Old Saybrook, officials debuted the CT Fresh Ed program.
Russell-Tucker said the program has several facets: helping local farmers and school districts get fresh food into school cafeterias; developing hands-on learning experiences, like school gardens and taste tests; and building a resilient local food system. The program also features coordinators who work with school systems across the state to provide support to schools.
State Agriculture Commissioner Bryan Hurlburt also announced the first grantees of the school year under CT Grown for CT Kids, a popular grant program that was recommended for termination last year by Gov. Ned Lamont but ultimately survived the budget process.
Hurlburt said connecting schools and local food producers is a huge boost for farmers.
“It gives them an opportunity to have a wholesale, reliable partner sales opportunity,” Hurlburt said. “It's a guarantee – you know how much the school is going to buy, and so you can plan accordingly.”
“But also, as we think about building the ag economy, it's a channel and a demonstration to a lender that the farm is credit-worthy and that a lender can then extend credit, an operating loan, a real estate loan, to make sure that that farm can grow,” he said. “So it's not just about what's on the plate. It's about the entire process that really improves.”
There are more than 5,000 farms across Connecticut. Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz stressed the economic impact of the state’s agricultural sector, and the potential of getting children interested in the industry.
“Our agricultural business contributes over $4 billion to our state's economy every year, and it also provides more than 22,000 jobs across our state,” Bysiewicz said. “So it's important that we expose our students to a whole variety of occupations, hobbies, interests and ideas when they're young, so they can dream big and set out to achieve great success in the future.”
