A number of organizations sponsored today’s Speak Up for Agriculture! rally and AG DAY at the Capitol to show the importance of keeping agriculture in Connecticut. Connecticut Dairy Farmers were asking for support of HB 5483, an act that would provide financial relief to the dairy industry.
Supporters also pushed for legislators to vote against the elimination of the Connecticut Food Policy Council, a group that has, among other things, reported on access people in various communities have to supermarkets.
Another issue that they were there to support was the preservation of farmlands.
Inside the Capitol, dozens of organizations, businesses, and farmers handed out food, flowers, seeds, and literature.
On promotional literature, the sponsors (CitySeed, Save Dairy, CT Farm Bureau, Northeast Organic Farmers Association, Connecticut Farmland Trust, American Farmland Trust, Very Alive, and Working Lands Alliance) asked:
Is this a plan to get rid of Connecticut farms?
STEP 1 — Eliminate sales tax exemptions on seeds, tools, feed, equipment, fuel, and all other inputs for farmers and growers.
STEP 2 — Take away Community Investment Act funds used for staff and programs that protect farms, expand farm businesses, assist farm-friendly towns, and support farmers’ markets.
STEP 3 — Turn your back on struggling dairy farmers.
Carolyn Moreau of the Hartford Courant also covered this event.