Connecticut farmers who suffered weather losses in 2023 or 2024 and did not apply in the first round can apply for state disaster grants until 11:59 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 9. The second round of the Farm Recovery and Support Block Grant opened Nov. 9 with a program that is already oversubscribed: first-round requests alone were more than $67 million, against a $52.9 million allocation.
Why payments are being cut back
The Department of Agriculture said in a Nov. 6 update that it received 145 first-round applications requesting more than $67 million, which is more than the $52.9 million allocation by more than $14 million (67 minus 52.9). To keep money available for applicants in both rounds, it is paying approved first-round awards with a 45 percent "payment factor," so a farm approved for $100,000, for example, would receive $45,000 for now.
Payments have begun: more than $4.785 million has gone to 27 farms, an average of about $177,000 each, out of 145 first-round applications. The release does not say how many of the others have been approved or when they will be paid.
The same 45 percent factor will apply in round two. After round two closes, the department will reassess the program's funding, and a second payment may go to applicants from both rounds, depending on the volume and value of approved round-two requests. What a farm in either round finally receives will not be known until after Dec. 9, and the release gives no date for that decision.
Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt said in the release, "we know there is still significant need."
Who can apply and how
Only farmers who did not apply in round one are eligible. Applicants must have at least $1,000 in farm income and at least $500 in documented losses from weather events in 2023 or 2024. The department's Sept. 8 announcement said the program covers losses from events including late frost and freeze, flooding, hail, drought and excess moisture.
Awards may cover up to 95 percent of eligible losses, with a maximum of $1 million per year per category. Insurance and other third-party payments for those losses are deducted. The money is U.S. Department of Agriculture disaster relief that Connecticut's congressional delegation secured.
Applications start at portal.ct.gov/FRS, where the department lists the required documents and the adjusted gross revenue worksheets farmers must complete. Partner organizations will help with applications during the window. First-round applicants can check status in their Submittable account or contact reviewers through Submittable or at AGR.disaster@ct.gov. The department's main number is 860-713-2500.
