Farm Energy Program

Join the CT Farm Energy Program for a series of 5 free workshops in January 2011 about technical assistance and financial incentives that are available to AG producers as it relates to energy. Topics will include the CT Farm Energy Program, the new CT Farm Energy BMP Guide, NRCS EQIP program and grant and loan programs offered through USDA Rural Development REAP Grants (Renewable Energy for America Program) for renewable and energy efficiency projects.

Learn about the CT Farm Energy Program and the technical assistance it provides, along with an overview of the new Connecticut Farm Energy Best Management Practice (BMP) Guide.
The Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) will present information on funding available for select conservation practices allowed under the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP) to address energy issues, and what is involved in applying for an Agricultural Energy Management Plan (AgEMP). Learn how the recommendations from the AgEMP can be funded through EQIP financial assistance.

CT Farm Energy Program will discuss in detail how to apply for a USDA Rural Development - REAP (Renewable Energy for America Program) Grant and go through the application binder for those interested in applying. CT Farm Energy Grant writers will be on hand to assist & answer questions.

January 5, 2011 @ 6 pm
Tolland County AG Center
24 Hyde Avenue (Rte 30)
Vernon, CT 06066

January 10, 2011 @ 6 pm
Middlesex UConn Extension
1066 Saybrook Road (Rte 154)
Haddam, CT 06438

January 19, 2011 @ 3 pm
Norwich USDA Service Center
238 West Town Street
Norwich, CT 06360

January 24, 2010 @ 6 pm
Windham UConn Extension
139 Wolf Den RoadBrooklyn, CT 06234

January 26, 2011 @ 3 pm
Windsor USDA Service Center
100 Northfield Drive, 4th Floor
Windsor, CT 06095

This series of workshops is made possible through the partnership of Eastern CT Resource Conservation & Development Area (RC&D), USDA Rural Development (RD), USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service(NRCS) and the CT Farm Energy Program (CFEP).
USDA is an equal opportunity employer and provider

The workshops are free and open to the public to attend, please call or email the CT Farm Energy Program if you plan to attend so that we have enough materials available.
Workshop Flyer is attached

Amanda Fargo-Johnson
Program Coordinator
CT Farm Energy Program
www.ctfarmenergy.org
860-345-3977

Manchester 2020 Quadrant Summit

  Manchester 2020 Quadrant Summit: All members of the Manchester community are  invited to attend the Manchester 2020 Quadrant Summit on Wednesday, November  17th at 7:00 p.m. at Manchester Country Club, 305 South Main Street.  Planning  Department staff will present the information gathered at the four Quadrant  Discovery Workshops and identify major themes.   Attendees will have the  opportunity to discuss the next steps in the Manchester 2020 process and offer  their ideas and observations.  At the Quadrant Discovery Workshops held over the  past four months, hundreds of Manchester residents discussed Manchester’s  current conditions and assets, offered ideas on what they would like the town to  be in the future and suggested opportunities and policies to guide the town’s  future development and conservation. Manchester 2020 is the Town of Manchester's  Plan of Conservation and Development update, the plan that will guide the town’s  development over the next 10 years. Call 860- 647-3044 to RSVP.  More  information on the Manchester 2020 planning process is available at:  www.manchester2020plan.net.

Farmers Meeting

The Farming Committee of MAPA is meeting on Tuesday, October 26, 2010, at 7:00 p.m. in the Directors' Room in Lincoln Center. All are welcomed.

Interesting Workshop

Tax Incentives to Protect Family Farms

Without Breaking Your Budget

An AGvocate Workshop

Monday, November 29, 2010

6:30 to 9 pm

Hampton Community Center

(At the Little River Grange)

178 Main Street (Rte 97)

Hampton, CT

Local governments can make good use of tax tools to create a supportive business

environment for local farms. Are you an agricultural producer, agricultural based

business, a municipal decision maker, or do you just have an interest in keeping

Connecticut’s working lands viable? Join us on November 29 for a FREE workshop,

sponsored by the AGvocate program, to learn about available tax reduction programs that

can help retain farms and farmland in your community.

This workshop will cover:

• Public Act 490‐Ct land use value assessment law for farmland, forestland and open space

land

• State tax exemptions and abatements currently existing for farms and farmland

• Optional tax exemptions and abatements your town can implement

• Lessons learned from towns that have successfully implemented tax incentives Share Ideas, Gather Resources

Manchester 2020 Southwest Quadrant Meeting

Manchester 2020 Southwest Quadrant Meeting: All members of the Manchester community are invited to attend the Manchester 2020 Southwest Quadrant Discovery Workshop on Wednesday, October 20th at 7:00 p.m. at the Manchester Historical Society, 175 Pine Street. Manchester 2020 is the Town of Manchester's Plan of Conservation and Development update, the plan that will guide the town’s development over the next 10 years. This will be the fourth in a series of quadrant workshops, each looking at one specific area of town. The Southwest quadrant includes the historic West Side, the Keeney and parts of the Verplanck neighborhoods, the Spencer Street corridor, Hartford Road, Manchester Community College, parts of Downtown and various community and recreational facilities. This workshop will include facilitated discussions on current conditions in this quadrant, what kind of place it might be in the future, and how it relates or could relate to concepts like smart growth and sustainability. Everyone in attendance will have the opportunity to participate and everyone's ideas will be heard. Call 860- 647-3044 to RSVP. More information on the entire Manchester 2020 planning process is available at: www.manchester2020plan.net

Waddell School Garden

Waddell is having another Donuts and Dirt Party NEXT Saturday, Oct. 16th in the morning, I assume starting at 9 a.m. as last time. Try to stop by to support them if you are free. I have an all-day conference that day unfortunately.

Janet

Global Work Parties on 10-10-10 in Manchester

Join a Global Work Party in Manchester on Sunday 10-10-10. Be a part of of 350.org’s Day of Global Work Parties celebrating climate solutions, such as growing more food locally and organically. More than 6000 work parties in over 175 countries are happening this Sunday. See photographs and read all about it at 350.org. Two work parties are planned in Manchester.

The first is at the Unitarian Universalist Society:East at 153 West Vernon St. Members, friends and visitors are encouraged to walk, bike or carpool to 9:00a.m. or 11:00a.m. services at UUS:E on October 10th. After the service join the children, youth and adults to harvest root vegetables and other plants, clean up and care for parts of this organic garden and plant garlic for next season. Use the new bike rack made from recycled materials - railings from our old building and ski poles. Check out the newly renovated and enlarged "green" building now heated and cooled with ten geothermal wells.

Then move on after lunch (brown bag it) to the second work party: This work party will be held outside Manchester Community College from 2 to 4 in the afternoon. Come to help with an organic Community Garden that grows vegetables for the MACC Food Pantry and offers accessible raised beds for gardeners with disabilities. There is an accessible port-o-potty on site. This is a LEARN and WORK party. Clean up, prepare beds, and plant garlic, greens and other things that can overwinter. Bring a shovel or garden fork if you have one.

Park at far end of parking lot C across from the garden.

***participants can learn various ways they might get involved with the garden in the future***

For more details go to www.350.org or contact janet.heller@snet.net.