Farmers Market Nutrition Program Seeks Input for Electronic-Benefits

Oct 04, 2023

The Maryland Department of Agriculture is seeking input from farmers and Farmers Markets in its plans to create an electronic platform for the Farmers Market Nutrition Program in 2024. Input for the program is open to all Maryland farmers and Farmers Markets participating in the program via a survey created by the department.

“We are moving forward with modernization of the Farmers Market Nutrition Program in 2024,” said Maryland Department of Agriculture Secretary Kevin Atticks. “The department understands that this will be a significant change for farmers markets, farmers, WIC and senior agencies and benefits users, and the goal is to reach as many beneficiaries as possible for input as the new platform is developed and implemented. We have a strong team at the Maryland Department of Agriculture who will be working on this initiative to improve the program and provide greater service to Maryland residents.”

The Farmers Market Nutrition Program is a federally funded supplemental nutrition program that connects low income seniors and women who are pregnant, breastfeeding, or have children under five, to approved farmers at farmers markets. Funds are distributed to recipients once per year to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables.

With guidance from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the department aims to modernize this program from a paper check system to a digital platform or card-based system.

Source : maryland.gov

Video: EP 65 Grazing Through Drought

Welcome to the conclusion of the Getting Through Drought series, where we look at the best management practices cow-calf producers in Alberta can use to build up their resiliency against drought.

Our hope is that the series can help with the mental health issues the agriculture sector is grappling with right now. Farming and ranching are stressful businesses, but that’s brought to a whole new level when drought hits. By equipping cow-calf producers with information and words of advice from colleagues and peers in the sector on the best ways to get through a drought, things might not be as stressful in the next drought. Things might not look so bleak either.

In this final episode of the series, we are talking to Ralph Thrall of McIntyre Ranch who shares with us his experience managing grass and cows in a pretty dry part of the province.