State Grant Making Mountain Dairy Cows A Little More Comfy

STORRS, CT — The cows at Mountain Dairy in Storrs will soon be a little more comfy.

A state grant announced this week is geared toward "Improving cow comfort, flow, and efficiency in the milking parlor through barn renovation and parlor curtains."

The Connecticut Department of Agriculture named Mountain Dairy as one recipient of grant funds through the Farm Transition Grant. A a total of $549,649 is going to 30 projects to assist Connecticut agricultural producers and cooperatives seeking to expand, diversify, and improve their existing operation. The FTG grant program strengthens the economic viability of Connecticut farmers through four dynamic categories to address gaps in funding to support them in times of growth and change.

"Three years ago, we modified the FTG program to better align with the needs of farmers – from new and beginning to established – and since then we have experienced a greater diversity of applications and projects. We have also begun sharing some of the success stories of farm businesses who have implemented innovative projects to date," said Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt. "These funds are providing meaningful assistance to a wide variety of producers to make positive lasting impacts on their own business model, as well as contribute to the state’s economy, job growth, and food production."

The four categories reflect the life cycle of Connecticut farm businesses to assist them during all stages of business growth and development to bring CT Grown products to market while increasing farm sustainability. These categories were: New Farmer Micro Grant, Infrastructure Investment, Research and Development, and Innovation and Diversification.

A total of 58 applications were received with a total request in excess of $1 million in grant funds for eligible projects. The maximum grant award amount was $49,999. Matching funds were required for each category ranging from 25% in the New Farmer Micro Grant up to 50% of the total project cost for Infrastructure Investment and Innovation and Diversification. Following a review process, 30 projects were selected for funding based on scoring criteria.