Courtney Announces More than $81,000 in USDA Grant Funding for Thompson and Putnam School Districts

WASHINGTON, DC – Today, Congressman Joe Courtney (CT-02) announced that the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service has awarded the Thompson School District $81,848 in federal funding to support the implementation of "Farm to School" programming. The grant award will enable the Thompson and Putnam School Districts to collaborate to establish an efficient, controlled-environment aquaponics garden in each school district, giving students the opportunity to learn more about agriculture and the importance of farming in an interactive, hands-on experience. The districts will partner with Trifecta Ecosystems, a leader in aquaponics farming and controlled-environment agriculture, which has a history of introducing aquaponics curriculum and systems in Connecticut schools.

"Giving our students opportunities to learn more about farming, gardening, and sustainable agriculture at an early age is a wise investment," said Congressman Courtney. "The USDA's Farm to School Program is a perfect match for rural districts like Thompson and Putnam, and these new grant dollars will help to set up interactive and immersive programming that will set these districts apart in terms of the unique learning opportunities they can offer. Congratulations to the Thompson and Putnam School Districts for being selected as recipients of this federal grant, it's always great to see federal resources coming back to Connecticut."

"These new federal funds from the USDA will allow the Thompson and Putnam School Districts to expand on what we can provide students," said Fist Selectman Ken Beausoleil. "I want to give credit to the school district for identifying new opportunities for funding, and for being aggressive in going after these federal grants. Federal support like this gives us more chances to connect our students with new and impactful learning opportunities, and that's a win for our school district."

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