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News 12 Staff

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I'm Mark Sudall. Welcome back to Power and Politics. Joining me now is Jamie Jones from Jones Family Farms in Shelton. Welcome to the show. Thanks, Mark. Great to be here. Well, let's start off by talking about this, uh, nearly 52 $53 million in recovery funds for Connecticut farmers and just how important this is. Well, I think it's gonna make a, a big difference to a lot of farms, uh, particularly ones that in 2023 and 2024 had just some really unusual and extreme, uh, crop losses. Um, it did, you know, it. Wet weather and the extremes we're having are, are just incredibly detrimental, and I, you know, I mean, we certainly encountered some of them, but some of my farming friends, you know, a couple just really almost lost everything. If they're growing vegetables and it was a hailstorm or some floods, you know, just, you know, you have a season full of work and you're ready to harvest and, you know, almost immediately it's all gone. So, um, definitely, um, it's going to make a big difference for a lot of farmers in Connecticut and, and another, uh, it's also for the other New England states will also get their own, uh, portion of that. So as they too had to endure some pretty rough conditions. Mhm. Now 250 years ago, there were farms everywhere in this country. Now there are very few. How hard is it to run a successful farm in this day and age? No, I, it's a lot of, and people forget that. I mean, the United States, when the United States of America started, it was an agrarian society and pretty much everybody was involved in agriculture in one form or another, another, because people, you know, agriculture, that's food production. So, 3 times a day, people are relying on a, on a farmer. So, um, farming, like really every other industry has gotten more, more efficient. And today, uh, they estimate it's only maybe 1 to 2% of our, our population is engaged actively engaged in farming and agriculture, and especially in a state like Connecticut, there's, there's fewer and fewer farms. So, um, What does that mean? I feel like sometimes our, our support networks get strained. Uh, resources that we need to help us, whether it's repairing equipment or purchasing supplies, um, they're just not around the corner like they used to be. We have to travel further, reach out further, and that, uh, increases expense, you know, the cost of doing business for us. Now, your farm has been in your family since the mid 1800s. Uh, the Jones family motto has been, be good to the land and the land will be good to you. How does that ring true today? Well, I mean, uh, my great, great, great grandfather who started our farm somewhere around 1850, um, as it's been passed down from generation to generation, that was, as you said, our, our motto, what to live on. And it, it really, it, I'd say it's kind of timeless. It doesn't, it hasn't changed. It's just, it, it's so important we take care of our land, we take care of our soil. And that's what's providing us, you know, whether it's the food crops we're growing or the other, other crops that we have, um, what we're going to be able to sell and share with the community. So if, if we're, if we're not caring for it, it's not going to take care of us. Now, did the uh Cyclospores uh affect any of your crops? We're hearing about it in the news, obviously a lot lately. No, we, we were pretty fortunate, you know, uh, right now we're harvesting blueberries. Um, A, you know, that crop was not implicated with it, and, and B, it's, you know, I think that was from, uh, mainly just lettuce and other farms and other parts. But, but I do know, I, I was talking to a, uh, a friend who farms and, and he grows lettuce and He said his sales were, were, were off dramatically, even though it had nothing to do with his farm or anything else. So, um, these food outbreaks occur. It's in the news and people just say, well, I just don't eat lettuce, even if it is lettuce from Connecticut and it is safe. So, um, I know that's probably not everyone, but I just thought it was really unfortunate, some, uh, something completely beyond his control, anything that he had done, and yet he was taking a hit, a loss, uh, because people stopped buying his lettuce. Hm. And are you hearing, uh, that maybe we're seeing more folks going to farmers' markets now to, to get their lettuce or? I, I do think some of the, the, the farmer markets certainly are, are getting an uptick to it. So I, I think that might come down to those consumers. Some consumers probably understand and get it. Well, I'm concerned about lettuce, uh, maybe in the grocery store, but I'll support a farmer. But I, I also know some people are like, I just don't eat lettuce at all. And, you know, that, that's just kind of the, you know, should, should it, should an event like this happen on a crop that we're growing like blueberries. And even if it was like another state or another country, some people might just say, oh, it's blueberries, but it's not really blueberries. It had to do with how that crop, whatever crop it was, how it was, you know, harvested or or grown, that was the issue, not the crop itself. Mhm. I thought this was interesting. You had considered a run for state rep this year. Why is that and would you consider it again? Yeah, no, I definitely um kind of flirted with that for a week or two. you know, my family, I think has always been very engaged with, um, you know, public service, public policy. Uh, part of it, my, my grandfather served in the state legislature in the late 40s. To the early 50s. So, knowing that was something that, that he had done, certainly was an inspiration to me and I thought, well, maybe there'd be an opportunity to, uh, you know, kind of follow in those footsteps. But um the, the reality of it is I just feel like, you know, after looking at it, just, you know, Looking at the, looking at what the landscape was like and, and, and my personal schedule and everything that I'm engaged in, whether it's, you know, serving as president of the Vineyard Miner Association, Farm Bureau, and some other roles I had. Um, as I started down that path, I realized how many of those I would, if I continue forth or was successful, I would need to, uh, you know, step back from, from those. And, um, I, I, I just didn't feel like this was the right time. Uh, that being said, you, you don't know what the future brings, uh, if the opportunity presented itself, again, I, I certainly would consider it. But, um, right here and now, I'm focusing on being a farmer and, and being an advocate for agriculture in, in every way I can. Well, you certainly are very good at what you do. We've been to your farm many times. Uh, you are a true scientist and uh scientist of the land and these plants. So, uh, we, we thank you for the time and, and continued success. Anytime. Thank you, Mark. Uh, I appreciate you reaching out to me. Well, next, state lawmakers are pushing to shave more time off your train trip.

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Metro North trains could travel 90 miles an hour under a major upgrade that got underway this week, but it will take years to get there. News 12 Connecticut's John Craven tells us why. Katie Rimus takes the train from Milford to Manhattan. She says the trip takes entirely too long. I think it should be cut down at least by like a half hour or so. A new construction project could shave 25 minutes off Katie's commute. The state broke ground on Monday. Very soon. Stratford Bridgeport will be as close to New York City as Stanford is today. But all of that work takes time, a lot of time. In fact, writers may not see a measurable improvement for 9 years. 9 years. I wish I could take 9 years to finish a project. The $1.6 billion Time One project is broken into three phases. Phase one focuses on three miles of track between Stratford and Bridgeport. Aging electrical lines, signals, and bridges will all be replaced. Riders can expect service changes. During phase two, starting in 2030, the Stratford train station will be replaced. The last phase starts in 2031. The first phase is a building block to phase two and three. so you have to complete all of that and do the bridge next to it. And then once you finish all of those phases, that's where people will be able to fly right through here. But only phase one is paid for. The rest could be at risk if Congress cuts funding. This is personal to me. I ride the train. I ride the rails twice a week. Commuters hope faster trains arrive before time is up. In Stratford, John Craven, News 12, Connecticut. Now over the past few years, express trains have already shaved 11 minutes off the trip from New Haven to Grand Central. Well, that's all our time. I'm Mark Sudoff. Thanks for watching.

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News 12's Mark Sudol sits down with President & CEO of Connecticut Marketer's Association, Chris Herb to discuss how gas prices are impacting residents.

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