With federal funding in flux, a CT farmer went back to Washington

In September, the Northford farmer made headlines when he drove his tractor from Connecticut to the U.S. Capitol after a hail storm ripped through his farm. His mission: to secure emergency federal funding for smaller farmers like him.

A week ago, as he walked by his fields — they’ll have ripe strawberries in about a month — he mused about another trip to the nation’s capital some time in the future, perhaps hoping to make a similar pitch. But when he heard the U.S. secretary of agriculture would testify in the upcoming week, he moved up the timeline and changed his plans.