 The department publishes varying reports on the sector, including a weekly agricultural report; listings of farms; and guides to assist agricultural businesses, farmers markets and new farmers.As the Connecticut economy expanded following World War II, developers accelerated purchases of farmland for conversion to residential and commercial developments.In 1978, the state established the Connecticut Farmland Preservation Program with the goal of protecting 130,000 acres of land from development, at least 85,000 of that amount as cropland.