Healthy soil is an essential component of healthy natural and working lands. From forests to farms, ecosystems and habitats cannot properly function without healthy soil. The importance of this resource even extends to our own backyards, where we live and play in outdoor spaces.

But what determines if the soil is healthy exactly? At a 2023 American Farmland Trust’s Soil Health Stewards training in Vermont, NCLC staff learned that the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) defines soil health as the “continued capacity of soil to function as a vital living ecosystem that sustains plants, animals, and humans.” Healthy soils contain a high organic matter content, stable structure, and diverse soil food web, fostering the right balance of air, water, and nutrients. Improved soil health can promote carbon sequestration, water management, and wildlife habitat. Farmers often directly benefit through improved yield and reduced costs.

To achieve healthier soils, the NRCS recommends four key principles:

• Maximize living roots.
• Maximize soil cover.
• Maximize biodiversity.
• Minimize soil disturbance.

Examples of land management practices that improve the health of soils include reduced tillage, cover cropping, crop rotation, and rotational grazing. There are many soil-health-building practices that can be adapted by farmers, land managers, and homeowners alike.

Check out the following resources to learn more about improving the soil of the land you love.

• 12 Ways to Improve Your Soil and Landscape Health (NCLC info sheet for homeowners)
• American Farmland Trust’s Soil Health Stewards Toolkit
• University of Connecticut Soil Nutrient Analysis Laboratory (SNAL)

Also, NCLC’s Building Resiliency on Northwest Connecticut Farmland climate-smart agriculture program offers producers direct grants for the implementation of soil health practices. Our fall implementation grant round is from October 1 to November 30, 2024. Click here to learn more and apply today.

October 8, 2024 (Kent, CT) – Northwest Connecticut Land Conservancy (NCLC) proudly announces climate-smart agricultural grant awardees for the first round of the Building Resiliency on Northwest Connecticut Farmland (“Building Resiliency”) Implementation Grant program. This exciting initiative provides farms across our region with resources to enhance agricultural sustainability, increase productivity, and mitigate the effects of climate change.

In March 2023, Connecticut Department of Agriculture (CT DoAg) awarded nearly $7 million to 12 entities through the Climate Smart Agriculture & Forestry Grant, established under Public Act 22-118 to increase the number of farmers implementing climate-smart agriculture and forestry practices. Among the 12 awardees was NCLC.

“This funding enables NCLC to actively support our region’s agricultural producers to address the challenges posed by a changing climate. We are excited to work with farmers, municipalities, and land trusts to address the risks posed by extreme weather and warming temperatures, while increasing farm productivity and viability,” said NCLC Executive Director Catherine Rawson. “This grant goes to the heart of our work to conserve and steward Northwest Connecticut’s threatened farmland,” added Rawson. Since 1965, NCLC has conserved 49 working farms in Litchfield and northern Fairfield Counties.

“We are committed to investing in climate-smart farming practices and long-term resiliency projects enabling Connecticut’s agricultural producers to continue their operations in an increasingly sustainable manner,” said Connecticut Department of Agriculture Commissioner Bryan P. Hurlburt. “I thank NCLC for their partnership in tackling these challenges and utilizing the dollars in a smart, practical manner through on-farm energy and soil health projects.”

The Building Resiliency program includes funding for twenty climate-smart agricultural assessments, conducted by Berkshire Agricultural Ventures (BAV). NCLC is currently accepting applications on a rolling basis, with two awards remaining. NCLC’s assessment awardees include:

• Adamah Farm (Falls Village)
• Autumn Harvest Orchard (Norfolk)
• Babbling Brook Farm (Sherman)
• Bill Blass Preserve (New Preston)
• Fort Hill Farm (New Milford)
• Foxhole Farm (Washington)
• Frazier Farm (Woodbury)
• Good Hill Farm and Ox Hollow Farm (Roxbury)
• Great Ring Farm (Sandy Hook)
• Hathor Hill Farm (Lakeside)
• Lakeside Farm (Lakeside)
• Milde Farm (Litchfield)
• Northwest Corner Farm (Winsted)
• Ridgway Farm (Cornwall)
• Smokedown Farm (Sharon)
• Smyrski Farm (New Milford)
• TheCBGGurus (Harwinton)
• Conundrum Farm and Marble Valley Farm (Kent)

The program also funds the implementation of diverse practices aimed at sequestering carbon and reducing emissions. These practices can generate other environmental and operational benefits, such as minimizing farm management costs, improving water quality, and expanding wildlife and pollinator habitat.

While developing the Building Resiliency program, NCLC worked with partner land trusts Steep Rock Association, Flanders Nature Center and Land Trust, Bridgewater Land Trust, Sharon Land Trust, and others to learn about potential shovel-ready projects on farms in their communities. As a result, NCLC has selected the following projects for implementation grants:

• Van Vleck Farm (Woodbury), owned by Flanders Nature Center and Land Trust, will receive $32,730 to install a solar array, supplying power to lights, incubators, fans, and fencing at its North Barn complex, as well as the farm store and workshop. This renewable energy source will offset over 20,000 pounds of CO₂ equivalent per year.
• Waldingfield Farm (Washington)will receive $50,000 to install two high tunnels for vegetable production. High tunnels help farmers adapt to climate change by shielding plants from extreme weather conditions such as heavy rains, strong winds, and unexpected frosts. They can reduce the need for chemical inputs, promote soil health practices, and conserve water.
• Averill Farm (Washington) will receive $50,000 to install a high tunnel around the farm’s blueberries and raspberries that they use for prepared foods. This project will protect the plants from new and invasive pests, such as Spotted Wing Drosophila, reducing the need for chemical pesticides.

In the spring of 2024, NCLC held a competitive grant round. NCLC selected eight awardees from livestock, fruit, hops, vegetable, hemp, and dairy farms across Litchfield and northern Fairfield Counties.

• Beavertides Farm (Falls Village) will receive $17,000 to develop silvopasture through the purchase of tree seedlings and establishment materials, and to enhance rotational grazing of their sheep and beef cows through fencing. The integration of forestry and rotational grazing enhances biodiversity and allows pastures to sequester more carbon. Silvopasture also improves livestock health through protection from extreme weather patterns.

• Canaan View Dairy/CowPots (East Canaan) will receive $5,000 to conduct a feasibility study, the first step in receiving funding for a new anaerobic digester. Anaerobic digesters reduce greenhouse gas emissions by capturing methane produced from livestock waste. They provide a renewable source of energy that can decrease the farm’s reliance on fossil fuels and lower operational costs.
• Joon Gardens (Newtown) will receive $6,000 to plant native perennial shrubs and trees and remove invasives surrounding the farm. Replacing invasive species with perennials protects the farm’s biodiversity, ensuring that native plants and ecosystems thrive, while enhancing soil health through deep root systems.
• Maple Bank Farm (Roxbury) will receive $10,000 to purchase a raised bed mulch layer with a fertilizer hopper. This equipment streamlines the planting process, reducing tillage passes and minimizing soil disturbance. Targeted nutrient delivery to the plant prevents nutrient losses to the environment and saves costs.  
• Northwest Corner Farm (Winchester) will receive $14,000 to establish a windbreak to protect the hilltop farm, and develop and expand pollinator habitat. These plantings reduce erosion, enhance soil health, and provide food and shelter for wildlife and pollinators.
• Smokedown Farm (Sharon) will receive $30,000 to purchase fencing to enhance rotational grazing of sheep and beef cows around a 9-acre hopyard and additional pastures. This project helps integrate crops and livestock, reducing chemical inputs through nutrient cycling and pest management.  Rotational grazing restores soil and pasture health, promoting carbon sequestration.
• TheCBGGurus (Harwinton) will receive $12,000 to purchase a rainwater storage tank, soil moisture sensors, and microirrigation equipment. Rainwater storage tanks help capture and store rainwater for irrigation throughout the season, reducing farm energy needs. Moisture sensors and microirrigation promote efficient application and water conservation.
• Thy Neighbors Farm (Torrington) will receive $20,000 to purchase portable fencing, stock tank, shelter, and other equipment to rotationally graze their growing flock of Katahdin sheep. Through the movement of livestock between paddocks, rotational grazing helps forages recover, facilitates manure distribution, improves soils, and reduces fuel and chemical use to manage fields.  

On October 1, 2024, NCLC held a Climate-Smart Celebration at Maple Bank Farm in Roxbury. Over 50 community members, including Building Resiliency awardees, town leaders, farmers, and residents, gathered to celebrate the exciting work being accomplished through the Building Resiliency program and the partners who have made it all possible. Ben Crockett of BAV highlighted the importance of making both technical and financial support accessible as farmers adapt to the impacts of climate change. Commissioner Hurlburt expressed strong support for the climate-smart agriculture program, emphasizing that partnerships like the one between NCLC and CT DoAg, innovative practices, and community collaboration are essential for addressing the pressing challenges of climate change that the farm community faces.

NCLC’s final round for the Implementation Grant program is October 1 through November 30, 2024. Eligible applicants operate working farmland of all types in Litchfield County and northern Fairfield County. NCLC is prioritizing applications from historically underserved producers. For more information, visit ctland.org/climate-smart-grant/.