State Representative Brian Lanoue Tours the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station

In December, I had the unique opportunity to visit the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station located in New Haven. The reason for the visit? Some of you might remember two years ago I championed legislation that added PFAS chemical testing to the soil testing program at the facility.

PFAS is a group of synthetic forever chemicals that are resistant to heat, water, and oil. These toxic substances were added to fertilizers over the years and do not break down easily. This legislation was critical as it is important for farmers to know if there are any traces of it remaining in their soil.

With a soft launch of PFAS Testing starting this month and a hard launch beginning in February, this testing is of great importance to not only farmers, but to town owned properties and Connecticut homeowners as well. It is expected that the complete PFAS Testing Program will be in full swing by May.

As a follow up, I was invited by CAES Director, Dr. Jason White, to discuss PFAS Testing, and take a tour of this historic facility. The Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station is the oldest agricultural experiment station in the country and is located on a 7-acre campus. There is a satellite facility that is in Windsor, Connecticut, with a 70- acre facility in Hamden, and a 24- acre facility located in Griswold. When the New Haven location was founded in 1785, they operated on a budget of just $2,300 per year! The facility currently employs 110 people, while the satellite facility located in Windsor has 12 staff members.

During my discussions on the tour with Dr. White and his wonderful staff, I learned a variety of information concerning PFAS, and got to see firsthand the time and attention to detail that must be taken while testing the chemical. It is made up of thousands of contaminants, and it is one of the most difficult chemicals to test. Something as simple as putting your soil into a plastic bag could alter the test result. The facility is expected to test 1,500 samples on average per year.

As the program begins to rollout between now and May, my office will be relaying the latest information from Dr. White and the Connecticut Agricultural Experiment Station. With our area of Connecticut being particularly enriched with a great history of agriculture, this program will help us monitor our soil for generations to come.