Kala Godard, of Four Hearts Farm, was driving up to an hour each way to various farmers’ markets to sell her farms’ goat cheese and other goat milk products. It was during the long commute, leaving her local community each week to sell in another town, that she began to think about launching a market […]
Let’s navigate the EBT equipment world together. This article addresses the free SNAP EBT Equipment Program and discusses additional options for ineligible markets. All markets that accept SNAP/EBT must possess a machine that processes the EBT transaction. Free Equipment? Free, wireless, SNAP-Only equipment is available via Maine Department of Health & Human Services for farmers’ […]
UPDATE -10.9.2019 – This information is dated. While it still remains a valid way to process SNAP transactions, there are much more convenient and free, or low-cost options available. The best step forward is to contact MFFM – email snap@mffm.org or call (207) 370 1524. If your market is new to accepting SNAP/EBT, or if […]
If you’re looking to purchase EBT equipment for your SNAP program, without the help of a grant to subsidize the cost, then you should fall into one, or ideally all, of these categories: Our market has offered SNAP for years; Our vendors are dedicated to keeping this program sustained; We have enough shoppers using SNAP/EBT […]
Fresh seafood is always very popular at farmers’ markets, but navigating the rules around what is required for licenses/permits can be confusing for market managers. This is because most food safety issues at farmers’ markets are regulated by the Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry (DACF) and the Department of Health and Human Service (for […]
Markets that are seeking new vendors may post to our Facebook page, @MaineVendorsWanted. For best results, be sure to include the deadline for application, links to necessary materials, and information about where/when/how long the market takes place.
Accessibility at the Market At the 2018 Maine Farmers’ Market Convention (1/11/18), Ketra Crosson, OTL, and Jill Johanning, AIA, gave a presentation about accessibility at farmers’ markets. Jill and Ketra discussed the importance of topics such as secure footing, providing “handicapped accessible” parking (when the permanent blue parking spaces may be obscured by the farmers’ […]
Prepare for the Rainy Days! Here is a simple step that will save your market a lot of stress in the case of an EBT device error. This page will explain: How to order manual vouchers Why your market should have these How to use your manual vouchers ***WARNING – Clover machines do not process […]
A strong Maine Harvest Bucks program requires a good deal of effort, and often one person can make a major difference. This was the case for the Augusta Farmers’ Market at Mill Park, which first began offering SNAP nutrition incentives in 2014, and added an “info booth” (where SNAP and other transactions are processed) in […]
Charitable Donations of Produce and the Tax Implications By Kristin Krokowski (reprinted with permission) Over the years there has been a lot of confusion about charitable donations of farm and garden produce and how that relates to tax deductions. After all there is always some good cause to donate your excess produce to – the […]