Show me, tell me. Then let’s walk. How about a hike across Horsebarn Hill?

The Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) recently announced the latest round of Agricultural Enhancement Grant awards. A total of $503,531 will be distributed to 21 recipients across the state to directly impact or foster industry viability. This year’s application period drew strong interest with 37 submissions requesting more than one million dollars in support.

“This year’s Agricultural Enhancement Grant awards support a wide range of initiatives designed to strengthen and sustain a thriving Connecticut agricultural community for the future. Funding was awarded for projects focused on expanding processing capacity, workforce development and youth education, livestock safety, and the increased purchasing and promotion of CT Grown products,” said Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt. “This was a highly competitive grant cycle, and it is inspiring to see so many organizations investing in the long-term vitality of agriculture in our state.”

Awards were given in two funding tiers. Eight projects in Tier 1 will receive up to $5,000 each, for a combined total of $32,710. Thirteen projects in Tier 2 will receive up to $49,999 each, for a combined total of $470,821. Since 2019, the Lamont administration has awarded more than $3.5 million through this program.

The Agricultural Enhancement Grant Program helps strengthen agriculture in Connecticut by offering matching funds to municipalities, groups of municipalities, regional councils of governments, and agricultural nonprofit organizations. The program supports projects designed to improve or expand agricultural activity and promote long‑term viability.

This year’s funded projects represent a total combined project cost exceeding $1.5 million, demonstrating a significant investment in local agriculture. Among the 21 awardees are 15 agricultural nonprofits, four municipalities, and two food hubs.

The fiscal year 2026 Agricultural Enhancement Grant awardees:

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The Last Green Valley Farm Video Series, $3,000.

Flanders Nature Center Inc. Van Vleck Farm, Woodbury; Strengthening and Enhancing Flanders’ SAE Program to better serve CT’s Agricultural Community, $47,125.

Town of Tolland on behalf of Tolland Green Farmers’ Market Inc., Tolland Green Farmers’ Market Tolland Fresh Voucher Program Expansion, $3,800.

CitySeed, Inc., New Haven; Marketing and Promotion of Local Sourcing to New Haven Institutions $49,999.

Fairgate Farm, Inc., Stamford; Field to Community: Launching Fairgate Farm’s First Value-Added Food Program, $5,000.

Agricultural Commission Town of Durham CT, Durham Farm Map, $2,200.

Town of Lebanon Connecticut, Lebanon Farmers Market Alden Tavern Park Site Improvements, $30,500.

Hartford County 4-H Fair Association, Inc. (Farmington); Somers Hartford County 4-H Fair Biosecurity Champions: Strengthening Animal and Human Health Fair Practices through Youth Education, $23,520.

Massaro Community Farm, Inc., Woodbridge; Hands in the Soil: Immersive Agricultural Education for Youth, $49,999.

Lebanon Lions Club, Inc.; Livestock Pen Enlargement $3,710.

Partners Sustainable Healthy Communities on behalf of NWCT Food Hub (Litchfield); Torrington; NWCT Food Hub Facility Improvements for Food Safety Compliance and Distribution Efficiency, $27,000.

Arethusa Farm Foundation, Inc., Litchfield; Arethusa Farm Camp Equipment and Infrastructure to promote Youth Ag Education, $25,000.

Windham Area Interfaith Ministry, Inc., Willimantic; Enhancing Urban Ag Production through Collective Management of Invasive Plant Species, 5,000.

New Haven Ecology Project, Building Capacity at Common Ground Urban Farm – Small-Scale Farming, Wide-Spread Impact; $30,650.

Connecticut Farm Bureau Association, Inc. (Wethersfield), Enfield; Dairy Processing Feasibility Study, $33,000.

nOURish Bridgeport, Inc. on behalf of Bridgeport Farmers’ Market Collaborative, Bridgeport; Ensuring low-income Bridgeport residents’ access to affordable, nutritious fresh food; $12,000.

Levo International, Inc. (Bloomfield), Hartford; Improving Hartford Farm for Delivery of Youth Workforce Development Programming, $49,999.

Connecticut Resource Conservation & Development Area, Inc. (CT RC&D), Haddam; Connecticut Agricultural Composting Program, $49,999.

Town of New Milford, The Community Agricultural Kitchen, $42,030.

Aspetuck Land Trust, Inc., Easton, Orchard and Pollinator Meadow Expansion, $5,000.

The Community Action Agency of Western Connecticut, Inc. on behalf of Danbury Farmers Market Community Collaborative, DFMCC Marketing Push, $5,000.

Agricultural Enhancement Grant is authorized by and funded through the State of Connecticut Public Act 05-228, An Act Concerning Farmland Preservation, Affordable Housing, and Historic Preservation. Additional information about the program can be found on the Agricultural Enhancement Grant webpage.

Editor’s note: This story has been updated to include the just released CAES active tick surveillance report March 23, 2026.

Also, tick season is here and those tiny arthropods are hungry.

Here’s some shared information from CT.gov:

Many tick species can be found in Connecticut; the tick that transmits Lyme disease is called Ixodes scapularis, or deer tick. For detailed information concerning this and other tick species, please visit the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station or the University of Rhode Island’s TickEncounter Resource Center.

Quickly finding and removing ticks from the body is an important step in preventing infection with tick-borne diseases. Tweezers are the best method to remove ticks. Contrary to popular belief, smothering ticks with petroleum jelly is not effective. Never use a hot match, gasoline or any other chemical to remove a tick.

The best way to remove a tick:
Grasp it close to the mouth parts near the skin surface. With gentle, steady pressure, pull the tick upward away from the skin until it releases.
Once the tick is removed, wash the area of the bite with an antiseptic or rubbing alcohol. Consider apply (OTC) triple antibiotic ointment. (Note: Carry a clean pill bottle with alcohol. Don’t flick a tick. Also be aware of sitting on outdoor benches because others do flick ticks. Benches can then be tick hot spots for you and your dogs.)

Symptoms of tick-borne diseases found in Connecticut may all include a fever and general muscle aches that can occurr within 35 days from the time of the bite.

If you get any symptoms of Lyme disease, or symptoms of other tick-borne diseases, contact your doctor right away.

Researchers and staff from the Center for Vector Biology and Zoonotic Diseases at the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) have released findings from the sixth year of the statewide active tick surveillance program. The 2025 results provide critical insights into tick populations and the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens across Connecticut.

More than 10,000 ticks were collected from 40 publicly accessible locations across all eight Connecticut counties during the spring, summer, and fall of 2025. These ticks were then tested for five human disease-causing pathogens: Anaplasma phagocytophilum (anaplasmosis), Babesia microti (babesiosis), Borrelia burgdorferi (Lyme disease), Borrelia miyamotoi (hard tick relapsing fever), and Powassan virus (Powassan encephalitis).

Key Findings:
Blacklegged ticks (aka “deer” tick) (Ixodes scapularis, n = 3,459) remained consistently abundant across sampling efforts. Longhorned ticks (Haemaphysalis longicornis, n = 4,206), Lone Star ticks (Amblyomma americanum, n = 2,570), and American dog ticks (Dermacentor variabilis, n = 331) were also identified.
While higher numbers of longhorned and lone star ticks were recorded this year, these totals were largely driven by isolated sampling events rather than widespread increases. Single sampling occasions accounted for large clusters of larval ticks at individual locations.

New London County reported the highest average adult blacklegged tick density (81 per acre) and Litchfield County reported the highest average nymphal tick density (28 per acre).

Pathogen testing indicated that Borrelia burgdorferi (the causative agent of Lyme disease) infection rates were highest in adult female ticks from Fairfield County (68%) and in nymphs from New Haven County (32%).

“Ticks are still a common part of the Connecticut landscape, including both established and emerging species,” said Dr. Megan Linske, Vector Ecologist specializing in Tick-Host-Habitat Dynamics at CAES. “People can come into contact with ticks in their own yards or while enjoying the outdoors, so taking preventative measures is key to lowering the risk of tick-borne illness.”

To minimize exposure to ticks and reduce the risk of tick-borne diseases, people are encouraged to:
Conduct routine tick checks after outdoor activities. Wear long sleeves, pants, and light-colored, tightly woven clothing. Tuck pant legs into socks in tick-prone areas. Wear permethrin-treated clothing to repel and kill ticks.

For more information, visit https://portal.ct.gov/caes/tick-office/ats-tick-office/active-tick-surveillance-program/ct-atsp or contact Dr. Megan Linske at Megan.Linske@ct.gov.

The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station (CAES) is the nation’s first state agricultural experiment station and was founded in 1875 to promote agriculture using scientific investigation and experiment. Their motto is “Putting Science to Work for Society”, and is as relevant today as it was at their founding. The CAES conducts research on arthropod pests of food crops, ornamental and fruit trees, shrubs, turf, forests, and pests of public health importance. They enjoy many key accomplishments that include: Made the first isolations of Lyme disease agents from Connecticut wildlife. (1983). Developed antibody tests for laboratory diagnosis of Lyme disease. (1984).

Note: How now brown cow? Well, a neighbor’s family was questioned about where chocolate milk came from–the children were quite young but one stepped right up to say “Supermarket!” And since then have realized many humans will never experience a milking parlor, cats, hay lofts, silage, the spreading of manure on fields as a rite of spring.

Another joy was digging up weird stuff (cow bones) from a farm dumping grounds near the mountain. Can’t go back there anymore. However, old dumping grounds are fertile territory for old bottles and such. The memory of one expedition long ago was stirred recently; more about that in another story.

Spring is here. March can throw snow, sun, rain, mud–all sorts of surprises. Enjoy the day, embrace change, celebrate new life. We made it through winter.