![]() There are other ways to get local fresh food to consumers, from the traditional farm stand and farm store to grocery stores that stock local produce to farm-to-table restaurants and farm-to-school programs. Along with fresh vegetables, there are CSAs for meat, cut flowers, shellfish and dairy products, said Hurlburt. In a CSA, customers buy a share of a harvest and typically pick it up each week. Outdoor sales got a boost during the pandemic because “some people were more comfortable going to the farm stand than the grocery store,” said Kathleen Dougherty of the nonprofit Connecticut Farmland Trust, but whether the change is permanent remains to been seen. Orr also runs a cooperative dairy, has a seasonal corn maze and nature trails on the property. ![]() ![]() Kristin Orr, owner of Fort Hill Farms in Thompson, stands in front of the farm’s Pumpkin Library where she sells pumpkins in the fall, May 12, 2023. The markets also are a social event, a place to meet friends and neighbors, as outdoor markets have been for a very long time. In 2022, there were nearly 100 farmers markets across the state, offering an array of fruits, vegetables, meat, fish and other products, sometimes accompanied by music. Two business models that have taken off in recent years are farmer’s markets and Community Supported Agriculture, or CSAs. The award-winning Arethusa Farm in Litchfield announced on its website that it was partnering with other local dairies. The point, said Orr, is fresh milk, milk that “doesn’t spend a quarter of its perishable life on a truck from Texas.”Ĭo-ops achieve an economy of scale and “are a great model,” said Commissioner Hurlburt, who noted that there is even a co-op for cut flowers. Formed two decades ago, the co-op’s milk, eggs and ice cream can be found in major grocery stores all over New England and several other states as well as at their own outlets. The latter is a consortium of six family-owned dairy farms in Eastern Connecticut. Cloe Poisson / CT Mirror Co-ops and CSAsįort Hill Farms also is a member of two cooperatives: Cabot Creamery and The Farmer’s Cow. You have to visit a farm.” A sign greets visitors to Fort Hill Farms in Thompson, May 12, 2023. The farm also offers a number of visitor activities, including nature walks, movie nights and a history-themed corn maze. She said food waste comes from restaurants “from here to Newport.” The process also produces fiber that is spread on the fields as fertilizer. “We power a couple of towns in Connecticut,” she said with a smile. Microorganisms in the appliance break down organic materials in the absence of oxygen, producing biogas that can be used to produce energy.įort Hill Farms in Thompson, a large dairy farm, has one of the first farm-based digesters, which converts manure and food waste to electricity, which is fed to the grid, said co-owner Kristin Orr. ![]() Though there doesn’t seem to be an exact count, hydroponic growing is increasing in the state advocates say they can grow certain crops such as leafy greens faster and in less space using less water than growing in soil.Īnother feature beginning to appear on farms is the anaerobic digester, a device that creates a revenue stream from the waste stream. He also grows Christmas trees and has a hydroponic greenhouse in which he grows lettuce for the Big Y and Bozzuto’s supermarkets. ![]()
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