Solid Ground Newsletter
October 2026
This Month’s Issue
Our Fall Event Calendar: October & November
Seasons greetings to everyone celebrating “Frostmas” this week! It seems the early morning temperatures on Wednesday hit some areas of the state more so than others… But whether you are mentally or physically celebrating the seasonal shift, we’ve got a great lineup of fall events to help get you motivated for what’s ahead.
As work transitions from the field to the office, we hope you’ll find time to join us for some of our in person learning opportunities. Get your hands on a tractor, learn how to evaluate land before you buy or lease, find funding for your next big step, and more! We want everyone to be able to join us – scholarships and travel stipends are available. If you need an accommodation to participate in any of our programs, please contact Nicole Davidow, Solid Ground Event Coordinator, at nicole.davidow@uconn.edu.
OCTOBER 21st
3PM to 6:30PM
UConn’s Research Farm, Storrs
⚙️ Tractor Maintenance Training
New to tractors? Don’t let maintenance feel intimidating. Join us on October 21st for a hands-on workshop at the UConn Research Farm! You’ll get to see their machinery up close and learn how to perform a standard maintenance on one of their tractors. We’ll also cover best practices for attachments, implements, general post-season machine care…and more!
OCTOBER 30th
8:30AM to 12PM
New London County Extension Office
💻 Intro to Grants for Farmers
IN NORWICH: Ready to fund your farm’s next step? Spend 3.5 hours in person learning how to navigate the grant landscape with confidence. You’ll explore available programs, find the best fits for your operation, hear about projects typically get funded, tap into free technical assistance, and gain practical tips for reading and responding to grant announcements.
NOVEMBER 6th
10AM to 3PM
Oxen Hill Farm,
Suffield
🚜 Equipment Demonstrations: A Field Day at Oxen Hill Farm
Join us for a day of hands-on equipment demos with Oxen Hill Farm and Griffin Equipment! Watch and test hand-driven and tractor-driven tools for planting, harvesting, and more, all geared toward vegetable and cut flower production.
NOVEMBER 13th
8:30AM to 12PM
Naugatuck Community College
💻 Intro to Grants for Farmers
IN WATERBURY: Ready to fund your farm’s next step? Spend 3.5 hours in person learning how to navigate the grant landscape with confidence. You’ll explore available programs, find the best fits for your operation, hear about projects typically get funded, tap into free technical assistance, and gain practical tips for reading and responding to grant announcements. Registration link coming soon!
October Task: Cultivate Community & Grow Your Farm Business with these Farmer Cohort Training Opportunities
Ready-to-Sell (to Schools!) Training Cohort – Due October 24th
Local school districts offer a tremendous sales opportunity for CT farmers – and this training and technical assistance program was designed specifically to support farm businesses in building those relationships!! Ready-to-Sell offers participant farmers with a $500 honorarium, subsidized delivery and packaging supplies, technical assistance, and a network of support to help farmers make valuable new business connections (and feed their community)!
Applications are due October 24th! Between 10-12 farmers from the application pool will be selected to join the cohort. Will you be one of them!?
Questions or interested in learning more? Please contact Shannon G Raider at shannon.raider@uconn.edu.
The Venture Farming Institute – Due October 30th
The Venture Farming Institute (VFI) is a cohort-based agricultural training program for aspiring farm and land stewards who identify as Black, Indigenous, Latinx, Asian, or Person of Color, and live in Connecticut or Rhode Island. This year all classes will be HYBRID. Classes will start on Jan. 9th, 2027 and end on March 6th, 2027.
Participants can expect:
- Training and Lectures from regional Black, Indigenous, and Latinx Industry Leaders
- Agricultural and Scientific Skill-Building
- Hands-on Farm Field Days
- Technical Support
- Organization of Inter-generational Network Expansion
- Instruction Grounded in Advocacy and Social Justice
Applications are due October 30th!
El Venture Farming Institute (VFI) es un programa de capacitación agrícola organizado por cohortes, dirigido a personas que aspiran a gestionar tierras y granjas y que se identifican como negras, indígenas, latines, asiáticas o personas de color, y que residen en Connecticut o Rhode Island. ¡Este año, todas las clases serán virtual y presenciales! Las clases comienzan el 9 de enero de 2027 y finalizan el 6 de marzo de 2027.
Los participantes pueden esperar:
- Capacitación y charlas a cargo de líderes del sector de origen negro, indígena y latino de la región
- Desarrollo de habilidades agrícolas y científicas
- Jornadas prácticas de campo en granjas
- Apoyo técnico
- Organización para la expansión de redes intergeneracionales
- Instrucción basada en la defensa de derechos y la justicia social
CT Grown Organic Corner
Transitioning and certified organic producers located in CT can get technical assistance and free marketing materials to help local farmers promote the CT Grown Organic brand.
Dave Tschiegg is the Organic Outreach Specialist in partnership with UConn Extension, CT NOFA, and the Connecticut Department of Agriculture. He supports transitioning and certified organic farms in growing their presence in the organic market through one-on-one, in-person marketing assistance and alignment with the forthcoming CT Grown Organic campaign. He looks forward to meeting farmers where they are to help grow their businesses through creative, strategic marketing.
Technical Assistance Services
- Guidance on participating in the CT Grown certified organic campaign and related promotional opportunities
- Technical assistance implementing CT Grown certified organic brand and marketing assets
- Share insights from organic consumer research report to support market growth and customer engagement
- Evaluate current marketing strategies and materials
- Make recommendations for enhancing brand messaging and storytelling around certified organic status and products
- Assess website and social media presence
Request Free CT Grown Organic Marketing Materials!
Examples of materials available (or soon to be available) include:
- Point of purchase cards
- Produce ties
- Stickers
- Self-inking stamp
- Stamped metal sign
- Flag and flagpole
Farm Risk Management Video Series
Running a farm means managing risk, and this video series was designed to make it easier. These videos provide strategies and insights related to reducing financial, production, and legal risks. The videos are grouped into five categories: Beef X Dairy Crossbreeding, Crop Insurance, Farm Business Financial Management, Farm Energy, and Soil Health & Farm Evaluation. Each segment features ideas to consider to protect your business and plan for the future.
Partner Highlight: The New Connecticut Farmer Alliance
Good information helps a farm grow. Good friends help a farmer keep going. The New CT Farmer Alliance (NCTFA), one of Solid Ground’s prime project partners, connects new and beginning farmers across Connecticut with a community of peer growers and producers. Whether you are learning something new or getting ready to take the next step, NCTFA has your back in the field, at market, and even at the state capital.
Membership is free. No fees, no dues, just a network of growers working to strengthen Connecticut agriculture. All new and beginning farmers in CT are welcome to join.
Check them out at these upcoming events!
Celebrate the end of the 2026 season with NCTFA at their Fall Shindig: A Falloween Farm Gathering on November 1st from 1-4pm at Assawaga Farm in Putnam.
Solid Ground and NCTFA are also partnering to host Plotting the Season: A Seed Selection and Crop Planning Series later this fall. The four part series will feature three virtual seed variety discussions, all culminating into a final in person crop planning session with Extension Specialists and peer farmers on hand to provide insights and feedback in real time.
More details on this series to come, but for now, save these dates:
- November 23rd – Virtual Vegetable Seed Variety Discussion
- November 30th – Virtual Flower Seed Variety Discussion
- December 7th – Virtual Livestock Forage Seed Variety Discussion
- December 10th – Crop Planning Together: Co-Working with Technical Support
Upcoming Dates and Deadlines, The Short List:
- Tractor Maintenance Training
October 21, 3PM to 6PM
UConn Research Farm, Storrs - Farmland Seeking Skill Share
**Has Been Canceled** - Intro to Grants for Farmers
October 30th, 8:30AM to 12PM
New London County Extension Office, Norwich - Farm Equipment Demo Field Day
November 6th (rain date Nov 7th)
Oxen Hill Farm, Suffield
Extended Application Dates to Know About!
- Ready to Sell (to Schools) Training Cohort
New Application Deadline: October 24th! - The Venture Farming Institute
New Application Deadline: October 30th!
Partner Events
- UConn’s George Leigh Minor Plant and Soil Health Center – Open House
October 17, 11AM to 3PM - NCTFA Fall Shindig
A Falloween Farm Gathering
November 1, 1PM to 4PM
Assawaga Farm, Putnam
Save these Dates
- 2026 New England Vegetable & Fruit Conference
Dec 15-17, Manchester, NH - UConn Extension Annual Vegetable and Small Fruit Growers Conference
Jan 12, 2027, Storrs, CT - Solid Ground’s Farm Managers Summit
Jan 20, 2027, Hartford, CT
Free Consultations
Just a friendly reminder that Solid Ground offers FREE consultations from UConn Extension professionals to help support your farm operations. Whether they’re coming out to your farm, chatting with you over the phone, or communicating with you via email, our consultants are here to help you tackle the challenges you are facing:
- Commercial Vegetable and Hemp Specialist, Shuresh Ghimire
- Commercial Fruit Specialist, Evan Lentz
- Diversified Livestock Extension Specialist, MacKenzie White
- Soil Health Specialist, Amelia Magistrali
- Soil, Conservation, and Land Use Consultant, Kip Kolesinskas
- Urban Agriculture Educator,
Jacqueline Kowalski - Certified Organic Marketing TA,
Dave Tschiegg - Farm to School Partnerships,
Shannon Raider-Ginsburg - Farm Viability Services, Diane Dorfer
- One Health, Sara Tomis
If you require an accommodation to participate in any of our events, please contact Nicole Davidow, Solid Ground Event Coordinator, at nicole.davidow@uconn.edu at least 5 days in advance of the event or program.