Federal Disaster Relief May Reach Connecticut

Federal disaster aid for Connecticut farmers moved closer to release this week after U.S. Agriculture Secretary Brooke Rollins told lawmakers the state’s block grant is “at the finish line.” (ctpublic.org) The money at issue is about $53 million for Connecticut, part of a $220 million Farm Recovery and Support Block Grant for New England, Alaska and Hawaii. Congress created the program in the American Relief Act signed on Dec. 21, 2024, to cover weather losses from 2023 and 2024. (fsa.usda.gov) Rollins gave the update at an April 16 House Appropriations subcommittee hearing after Rep. Rosa DeLauro pressed her on why Connecticut had not received funds. DeLauro said the grant had existed for 16 months and “not a single dime” had reached eligible states. (ctmirror.org) The relief is aimed at small and midsized farms hit by flooding, frost and other extreme weather, especially specialty-crop growers and farms that were uninsured or underinsured. Connecticut agriculture officials said the state planned to run its own aid program once the federal agreement was approved. (portal.ct.gov) The delay has stretched well beyond the timeline many farmers expected when Connecticut learned in August 2025 that it would receive the $53 million allocation. Hartford Business Journal reported in December that farmers were unlikely to see payments until 2026 because state and federal officials were still negotiating program details. (hartfordbusiness.com) Connecticut’s congressional delegation spent much of 2024 and 2025 pushing for a block-grant model instead of forcing every farm into the same federal claims process. The state’s share amounts to roughly one-quarter of the $220 million pool, reflecting how heavily Connecticut’s specialty-crop farms were hit compared with other eligible states. (ctpublic.org) The U.S. Department of Agriculture has said these state block grants are meant to complement other disaster programs, including broader supplemental aid for crop, timber and livestock losses. In a February 2025 announcement, the department said it was working with 14 states on grant agreements. (content.govdelivery.com) DeLauro said this week that Connecticut farmers have been waiting through another planting season without the promised help. If the agreement is completed soon, the next step is for Connecticut to open its state-run application process and start sending money to farms that absorbed losses in 2023 and 2024. (delauro.house.gov)