Cathy Osten

Sen. Osten Welcomes Growth in Connecticut’s Agricultural Industries

HARTFORD – State Senator Cathy Osten (D-Sprague), who is co-chair of the legislature’s Rural Caucus, today welcomed a report from the Connecticut Nursery & Landscape Association and Farm Credit East which shows that the economic impact of “green” agriculture jobs in Connecticut has grown by 27 percent since 2012

According to the report, there are 43,000 people now employed in Connecticut’s agricultural industry who have an annual economic impact of $4.3 billion on the state. Half of those jobs are in “ornamental horticulture,” which is defined as the nursery, landscape, greenhouse, floriculture and turfgrass/sod industries. Dairy, vegetables, poultry and eggs, grains, tobacco, fruits, aquaculture and cattle account for the other 50 percent.

“The report is great news, but the success of agriculture in Connecticut is not really new to me,” said Sen. Osten. “One of the largest employers in eastern Connecticut is Pride’s Corner, a $50 million plant nursery industry with 300 employees and sales across America and into Canada. I’ve hosted governors and a United States Secretary of Agriculture for tours there. Eastern Connecticut is also home to Hyde Park Landscape, which is known throughout the region and which employs people throughout the region. I know both of these business owners, and plenty of other family-owned agricultural businesses in the area that pay good wages. It’s a thriving industry in our state.”

The report states that since 2012, employment has grown 12% in the nursery stock, perennial and annual and florist supply sector; 5% in landscape services; and 3% in turfgrass sod production and floriculture.

The “green” industry in Connecticut also includes landscape architects and designers, masonry contractor, irrigation specialists, arborists, cut Christmas tree growers, and retail land and garden centers.