Stonington ― U.S. Rep. Joe Courtney, Lt. Gov. Susan Bysiewicz, state Department of Veterans Affairs Commissioner Ron Welsh and others gathered at veteran-owned Seacoast Mushrooms last week to celebrate the release of a mini-documentary highlighting the contributions of veteran farmers to the community.

“Sometimes you really just need to tell that story and get it out there and market it and make it visible, and the film obviously is one way of doing that,” said Courtney, D-2nd District.

The documentary, “Served Then, Still Serving Now,” was created as part of the Connecticut Veteran Grown initiative funded through a $550,000 federal small business grant to Connecticut Resource Conservation and Development of Haddam.

The film showcases men and women from all branches of the military who have turned from active-duty service to farming in the state and tells their stories of transitioning to civilian life and the benefits and challenges of farming.

U.S. Navy veteran Chris Pacheco, owner of Seacoast Mushrooms, is featured in the film along with nine other service members turned Connecticut farmers including Marine Corps and Air National Guard veteran Ryan Winiarski, owner of Priam Vineyards in Colchester, and Army National Guard veteran Rachel McKenna, owner of Stonewall Acres in Coventry.

As part of the initiative, the non-profit Connecticut Resource Conservation and Development will also work with the Connecticut Farmer Veteran Coalition to create a resource hub for veteran farmers, develop a CT Veteran Grown marketing campaign and provide technical and marketing assistance to veteran farmers.

Courtney noted that eastern Connecticut has the highest number of farmers in the state as well as the highest concentration of veterans.

“In a part of the country that has very limited acreage and land, the only way we are going to have a strong, vibrant future for agriculture is to have really smart, innovative people and systems,” Courtney said.

Welsh noted that the skills, values and adaptability veterans learned in the military are qualities that are transferable to farming.

“The first one you learned was waking up really, really early in the morning,” he joked.

Among the services the program provides for the farmers are access to a network of veteran farmers, help with creating business plans and marketing assistance, including services like professional photography for their products.

All services are free of charge.

Additionally, the initiative promotes veteran-owned farm products to consumers through the Homegrown by Heroes logo which farmers can add to their products. A website also serves as a hub for consumers who wish to find veteran-owned farms and farm products, and for the farmers themselves to find resources.

More information about the program and a link to the documentary is available at www.ctveterangrown.org.

Editor’s note: This version corrects the amount of the grant.