27-01-2025
Connecticut lawmakers say $220M grant will help small farms affected by severe weather
NORTHFORD, Conn. (WTNH) — Help is coming for farmers whose crops were damaged by severe weather events in the last two years.
On Monday morning, Connecticut's congressional leaders announced a multimillion-dollar federal block grant for small farmers. A major reason why it happened had to do with William Dellacamera, who runs Cecarelli's Harrison Hill Farm.
CT farmer riding to Washington on his tractor to push for more aid for farmers
'I lost my whole farm. I've been asking for years to change some of these programs,' Dellacamera said.
Back in August, a hailstorm destroyed Dellacamera's Northford farm. In just minutes, he lost his entire income for the year. It cost him more than $400,000.
He pays thousands of dollars a year for insurance, but insurance paid him only $200,000. He proceeded to drive his tractor to the state capitol, then all the way to Washington, DC to push for more government help.
'Too many farmers like Will are slipping through the cracks in our federal safety net,' U.S. Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-3rd District) said.
Connecticut's farms are dwindling
DeLauro and the rest of the Connecticut delegation listened to Dellacamera. Months later, they are now announcing they helped secure $220 million in funding for smaller farmers in what's called a 'Farm Recovery and Support Block Grant Program.'
If you are growing a thousand acres of corn in Iowa, it is pretty easy to get good insurance. But that's not so for small farmers here in New England that grow a bunch of different crops.
This block grant program is specifically tailored to get small and medium-sized diverse farmers some help when crazy weather hits.
'We are specialty farmers here in the state of Connecticut. That's who we are,' DeLauro said. 'They have difficulty finding insurance from a small diverse crop compared to the giant, industrial farms.'
Mother Nature's wrath forces local farms and crops to adapt
Farmers say the changing climate is making their job harder and less predictable.
'No matter how much planning you do as a farmer, you take the classes, you make the designs, uou set out your calendars,' Lisa Griffin of Oxenhill Farm said. 'Ultimately, we are not in charge of what happens in the weather and the climate.'
Dellacamera said his tractor stunt worked, but the message does not have to stop with this grant.
'We could also take this from here and hopefully use it as a model to strengthen agriculture not just here in New England, but clear across the United States,' Dellacamera said.
The congressional delegation is hoping to make help for smaller farms permanent in the next federal farm bill.
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