DeLauro Visits Local Community Supported Farm

New Haven, CT –Congresswoman Rosa L. DeLauro (CT-3) visited the Massaro Community Farm in Woodbridge, CT today to observe and learn about their organic farming practices and the recently established Community Supported Agricultural (CSA), which enables local residents to purchase shares of the farm and receive a weekly distribution of produce in return. The funds support the farm and the local residents benefit from the healthful, organic, and locally grown fruits and vegetables.

Gifted to the Town of Woodbridge by the Massaro family, the farm is in the process of being restored and recently started its CSA program, delivering the first batch of fresh produce to members in late June. The farm and CSA are dedicated to providing the surrounding communities with the opportunity to purchase healthful, organic, and locally grown vegetables, fruits, and farm goods, educating residents and schoolchildren about the importance and benefits of local farming, providing organic food to local soup kitchens and senior centers, and keeping the tradition of local farming alive with new and innovative organic farming methods and energy efficient practices.

Congresswoman DeLauro, as Chairwoman of the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee in the House of Representatives, oversees the conservation and other programs through the U.S. Department of Agriculture that make the Massaro Farm CSA and others like it throughout the country possible. She has secured federal funding for the Massaro Farm in recent years, and has included language in this year's FY2011 Agriculture Appropriations bill that will help the project to fulfill its mission.

"I have supported the Massaro farm's project to provide their local community with healthy, organic fruits and vegetables while educating citizens and schoolchildren alike about the importance of local, sustainable agriculture, for years and I am so proud to see the first season of produce distribution getting underway. Nutrition is a key part of our nation's health, and with one in five Americans affected by nutrition programs under the Food and Nutrition Service at USDA, and nearly two-thirds of adults overweight, it is a an issue of national importance. It is our goal on the Agriculture Appropriations Subcommittee to provide funding to programs that help restart our economy, create jobs, reinvest in the nation's infrastructure, protect and support families, farmers, and communities across America," said Congresswoman DeLauro. "The Massaro farm is a shining example of this, incorporating energy sustainability and nutritional education programming into their mission, and ensuring that the farm will continue to produce healthy fruits and vegetables for Woodbridge and the surrounding communities for years to come."