Agricultural Projects

Growing Agricultural Businesses in The Last Green Valley

The Last Green Valley is the only remaining undeveloped region in the coastal sprawl between Boston and Washington, and it has the significant land and water resources needed for food production.  The Heritage Corridor is a 1,086 square-mile region with 78% forest and farm lands, or 549,00 acres of working land.  The Last Green Valley has a tradition of land-based economic activities including dairy farms, orchards, vegetable farms, herds of beef, bison, alpaca, goats and sheep, and flocks of poultry.  Among these are the largest bison, alpaca and free-range turkey farms in Connecticut.

Within the southern New England region there are 11 million people who need a safe, adequate, and local farm-to-table continuum; within The Last Green Valley there are 300,000 people, many of low income. The Last Green Valley has the significant resources necessary to meet their needs. Furthermore, increasing the economic value of open space through the use of agriculture  significantly advances the goals of most of The Last Green Valley communities: to retain their rural character, to preserve natural resources, to encourage economic development, and to ensure a healthy quality of life. Perhaps most importantly, increasing the economic value of working land may be the best way of preserving the land.

Green & Growing - A Call to Action

TLGV has developed a comprehensive regional plan to sustain and expand food, fiber and forest production and related agricultural economies in The Last Green Valley. The rural economy of The Last Green Valley is important to each resident and consumers in the surrounding areas. Every effort has been made to provide supportive information and additional explanations to serve this general audience that is composed of multi-generational, diversified people from all socio-economic backgrounds in southern New England. Partners required to achieve the joint efforts developed in the Green & Growing Plan include local, regional, state and national entities, nonprofits, businesses, media and all levels of government.

Click to view Green & Growing - A Call to Action (4MB, 104 pages)

This project is generously supported by the 1772 Foundation.

New Website for Agricultural Businesses

The Last Green Valley, Inc. (TLGV) has launched a new website:  www.AgInfoTLGV.org.  This new internet resource is specifically designed to assist agricultural businesses in the region.

During TLGV’s 2009 Farm Survey, the hundreds of farms and agriculture ventures responding noted a need for a one-stop internet resource.  They also expressed a desire for an opportunity to network with others in real time.  The AgInfo website was created to meet those needs.

AgInfo features sections on commodities, business development, environment, energy and a resource glossary.  It includes a designated button for the AGvocate Program, a calendar, classifieds, facts & figures, message board, and news.   The new website offers several features to facilitate real time networking between businesses owners.  There is a message board, classifieds and blog features that include land networking, land for sale, and other features to promote communication efficiently.

AgInfo will be constantly updated and expanded.  Very soon an interactive map will be available showing farms, farmer’s markets and natural features of interest to agriculture.  Viewers are welcomed to provide feedback and information.  Just go to the website, www.AgInfoTLGV.org, click on Contact button on the left and send a message to The Last Green Valley, Inc.

The development of the AgInfo website has been funded, in part, by a Rural Business Enterprise Grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, Rural Development Office and by the Northeast Farm Credit AgEnhancement Program.

2009 Farm Survey Results

The Last Green Valley non-profit organization’s mission is to develop strategies to protect our land and water resources, educate the public and increase the economic importance of agriculture in this area. We understand that ecological health, preserving rural character, and fostering sustainable economic growth is inextricably linked to the economic and social health of our communities and the quality of life of their residents.

A few months ago we conducted a Farm Survey asking you questions about your agricultural business. Here’s what we found:

Of the 556 Farms, we found 331 or 60% of you responded to our calls.

Of those 331 farms, 228 produce food.

56% of you said you might participate in a Last Green Valley Organization for Agri-businesses.

145 – 150 are thinking about expanding or diversifying.

38% of you feel there is a need to educate people about the process and importance of farming.

28% are dealing with land stewardship and preservation issues.

23% agri-businesses are looking to cooperate and/or network in some useful way.

11% of the agri-businesses are looking at green technology and more efficient ways to use resources.

Farms, Orchards, Nurseries, Wineries and Breweries

Dozens of agricultural businesses in The Last Green Valley are open to the public and you are invited to stop by!  From pick-your-own strawberries to heirloom vegetables and Halloween pumpkins, you can find it all in The Last Green Valley.  Nothing tastes better than fresh milk, maple sugar, homestead cheese, honey, free-range turkeys, beef, and bison, goats milk, ice cream, organic produce, wine, beer, and spirits that are grown, produced, and sold right from the farm.  Enjoy family fun wandering through elaborate corn mazes, pick-your-own farm fields, and cut-your-own Christmas tree farms.   Purchase gifts made from locally-raised wool, alpaca, and llama fibers, or plant native perennials in your garden.  Find it all by clicking on "Explore," then "What to Taste."

AGvocating for Local Agriculture

The "AGvocate Program," funded through CT Department of Agriculture Viability Grants, provides a forum for municipal officials, agricultural producers, and other stakeholders to strengthen the farm-friendliness of eastern Connecticut towns.  AGvocate initiatives include forming agriculture commissions, implementing tax reduction programs, planning for farmland protection, encouraging “buy local” opportunities, supporting local farms, and establishing right-to-farm ordinances and agriculture friendly zoning regulations.  Ten towns - Ashford, Brooklyn, Canterbury, Eastford, Franklin, Hampton, Sterling, Thompson, Windham, Woodstock - have been chosen as AGvocate Pilot Communities. The AGvocate Program is currently seeking additional communities to participate.  Click on the press releases below for more information.

CT Agriculture Commission Conference— Growing Farms in Your Community

AGvocate Program Helps to Create Farm-Friendly Towns

AGvocate Program Receives Additional Funding and Award

AGvocate Program Celebrates Successful First Year

Economic Value of Working Lands

Click here for a Powerpoint presentation on the "Economic Value of Working Lands," dated April 2010, by Paula Stahl, Co-Director, Green Valley Institute.

Agritourism

Click on the links below for information about Agritourism:

TLGV Fact Sheet - Agritourism - By Charlene Perkins Cutler, Executive Director and CEO

''SNEAPA Conference Presentation “Regional Economic Development
for Rural Communities,” November 5, 2009 at the Mohegan Sun
Agritourism Presentation by Charlene Perkins Cutler, Executive Director and CEO
of The Last Green Valley, Inc.