Congress is negotiating the 2023 Farm Bill, which funds agricultural programs. Connecticut farmers want more money for programs that fit the Northeast.
Susan Mitchell hopped onto her tractor on an overcast day in early May to start the early stages of planting summer squash and zucchini for the third growing season on her farm in Columbia.
She laid three rows of black plastic mulch to help with moisture retention and weed control as two of her workers, Naomi Ford and Sarah Medeiros, assisted from the field. Mitchell said they would later punch holes into the plastic to transplant the plants.