Press Releases
GOV. MALLOY RE-APPOINTS STEVEN K. REVICZKY AS COMMISSIONER OF THE DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE
(HARTFORD, CT) - Governor Dannel P. Malloy today announced that he will re-appoint Steven K. Reviczky as Commissioner of the Department of Agriculture (DOAG) when his second term in office begins on January 7, 2015.
"Steve has been instrumental in carrying out initiatives and implementing policy and programs to promote Connecticut agriculture while protecting public health, food safety and agricultural resources in the our state," said Governor Malloy. "I am honored to reappoint him to lead the Agriculture Department and look forward to continuing the impressive progress we have made over the last four years to grow and support Connecticut's agricultural operations."
Commissioner Reviczky was appointed to the position by Governor Malloy
in January 2011
. He also worked in DOAG's Farmland Preservation Program from 1998 to 2006, and was Executive Director of the Connecticut Farm Bureau from 2006 until his appointment as Commissioner.
One of Reviczky's top priorities has been to modernize the agency's operations and infrastructure in order to better execute its mission of protecting public health, ensuring food safety and growing Connecticut's farms. With Gov. Malloy's support, the agency has accelerated its efforts to keep farmland available for agricultural production and to restore dormant farmland to productive cropland.
Under Reviczky, the agency also has taken a more active role in animal-health and animal-cruelty issues, and in ensuring that shellfish taken from Connecticut waters are free of disease or contamination. It also has taken an aggressive approach in helping farmers repair and rebuild their operations damaged in a series of extreme weather events in recent years.
Reviczky also has strengthened Connecticut's voice in agricultural policy through his election by his peers as President of the Northeast Association of State Departments of Agriculture, and as secretary/treasurer of the National Association of State Departments of Agriculture. He will become President of the national association in 2017.
"Connecticut leads New England in new farm growth and our farm families appreciate the Governor's commitment to supporting their efforts and the work of the Department of Agriculture on their behalf," Reviczky said. "This is an exciting time for agriculture in Connecticut and I am looking forward to continuing to lead an agency that plays a vital role in improving both the nutritional and economic health of our great state."
Under Reviczky's leadership, some of the department's central accomplishments include:
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Accelerating use of the Farmland Preservation Program, ensuring that Connecticut's prime and important farmland remains available for agricultural production in perpetuity. The department recently marked the milestones of protecting 300 farms and 40,000 acres, and is now in the process of preserving more than 70 additional farms comprising about 7,000 acres.
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Implementing Gov. Malloy's $5 million Farmland Restoration Program, which offers farmers matching grants of up to $20,000 to bring more land into active agricultural production. More than 1,300 acres have been brought into production through clearing of rocks, stumps and invasive plants, installing wildlife fencing and planting cover crops.
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Targeting agency grant programs to strengthen agricultural infrastructure to adapt to climate change and to prepare Connecticut farms for compliance with the federal Food Safety Modernization Act.
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Protecting the 900-acre Southbury Training School Farm in order to ensure that this irreplaceable southwest Connecticut resource always remains available for agricultural production and to create additional opportunities for farming and related education.
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Advancing the goals of the Governor's Council for Agricultural Development, which has solicited input and engaged hundreds of farmers and associated stakeholders in order to shape a long-range, strategic plan to grow Connecticut's farms and increase agriculture's contribution to Connecticut's economy and job-creation efforts.
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Creating a master plan for the modernization of the Hartford Regional Market. Covering 32 acres and containing more than 230,000 square feet of warehouse space, a railroad spur and 144 farmers' market stalls, the Regional Market is the largest perishable food-distribution hub between New York and Boston. The master plan calls for construction of new facilities to accommodate an increase in wholesale and retail activity at the market, which has not undergone a significant updating since it was built more than 60 years ago.
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For Immediate Release: December 17, 2014
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