Is Your Market Low-Income Friendly?

Feb 17, 2015

MFFM is offering a new workshop about increasing low-income access at your farmers’ market. Thanks to a grant from the Sunshine Hill Family Fund, the cost to register is just $10, which includes all materials and lunch. We’ll be offering the workshop in Bangor March 2nd and again in Brunswick March 4th. Learn more about WIC, gleaning, and EBT programs at farmers’ markets.

If your market is wondering whether to take on EBT in 2015, this program will help you think through the pros and cons. Find out about wireless equipment options to process SNAP payments (as well as credit/debit) There will also be representatives from the USDA on site to help with applications for FNS numbers (the first step necessary to start accepting EBT). If your market has a new EBT program that you hope will grow, or if you’re interested in increasing WIC usage or in starting a gleaning program, there will be information for you as well. Email for more information or to register via email, or Register Online.

Get your farm or farmers’ market authorized for SNAP (formerly food stamps) and receive you FNS Number the very same day! USDA staff will be on site to walk you through the process and assist with your application. If you intend to get an FNS number at the workshop, please bring copies of the following documents (required for the application):

Picture ID (driver’s license or passport)
Social Security Card (or other official document with your name and SSN)
Copy of voided check for bank account you will use to deposit funds.

Source:umaine.edu

Video: What Does 20 MILLION Hogs a Year Look Like?

?? The Multi-Plant System Processing 20 Million Hogs Annually in the Midwest JBS USA operates multiple large-scale pork processing facilities across the Midwest, including major plants in Iowa, Minnesota, and Indiana. Combined, these facilities have the capacity to process approximately 20 million hogs annually.

Each plant operates high-speed automated slaughter systems capable of processing up to 20,000 head per day, followed by fabrication lines that break carcasses into primals, sub-primals, and case-ready retail products.

Hog procurement is coordinated through electronic marketing platforms that connect regional contract finishing operations and independent producers to plant demand schedules. This digital procurement system allows for steady supply flow and scheduling efficiency across multiple facilities.

Processing plants incorporate comprehensive food safety systems, including pathogen intervention technologies, rapid chilling processes, and integrated cold-chain management. USDA inspection is embedded throughout the harvest and fabrication stages to ensure regulatory compliance and product integrity. Finished pork products — from bulk primals to retail-ready packaged cuts — are distributed through coordinated logistics networks serving domestic and export markets.