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Happy Farmers Market Week!
To celebrate the National Farmers Market Week, which has now turned into an international event, we want to share the positive impact MarketLink has on farmers markets and farmers so far! Below are a few of our favorite statistics from 2020-2021: Since 2020, we have provided 819 farmers markets and 1,023 direct market farmers with SNAP/EBT equipment and supported them with the USDA FNS SNAP Retailer Authorization application. In 2020, MarketLink successfully helped 11% of USDA FNS's total Farmers Markets (FMs) and 13% of Direct Marketing Farmers (DMFs) to obtain SNAP authorization and free SNAP/EBT equipment. Massachusetts, New York, and Oregon had the most SNAP sales and SNAP transaction counts through the MarketLink equipment in 2020. Way to go! In 2021, MarketLink authorized the greatest percentage of FMs in Maryland (47%) and DMFs in Rhode Island (35%).
| | | | Farmers Market Spotlight: Peoria Grown's Market 309 | | | | | |
This month’s highlight is on Peoria Grown's Market 309. Peoria Grown was founded in 2018 to “address the ever-growing issue of food insecurity in the Peoria area”. Market 309 offers affordable produce and pantry staples at locations convenient to the communities served. There are currently three locations open in Peoria, IL offering access to healthy food options. In addition to accepting cash and EBT, customers can also use their Link card that will match their purchase dollar-for-dollar up to $25 per cardholder.
The Peoria Grown team stated that, “Being able to now accept SNAP/EBT has allowed Peoria Grown to reach more customers, allowing them to use a payment method that works for them. Since starting to take EBT in May 2021, our EBT customer base continues to grow and customers are buying more fresh produce with each transaction.”
Thank you Peoria Grown for your work to address food insecurity in your community!
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If you want to share your story and testimonial, please send photos and stories to news@marketlink.org or send us an email to schedule an interview. To be featured, please send us the following:
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NOFA NJ Festomato (In-person) Saturday, August 13 at the Ironbound Farm
The NOFA NJ Festomato is an all-day event with tomato tasting (many varieties of cherry, heirloom, slicing, paste, and plum tomatoes) and various activities for farmers, gardeners, and children! Activities include: NOFA NJ Garden Doctor Booth – All-Day Farming and Gardening Advice Walking tour of Ironbound Farm Local Seasonal Lunch available (made with Ironbound Farm products) Jeff Quattrone: Jersey Tomato – Bred for Profit, Revised for Community Organizing book talk Johnny’s Selected Seeds – Small Farm Tools presentation Tomato Seed Swap Tricky Tray/Penny Social featuring Local Products Vendor Marketplace featuring local farms, restaurants, nonprofits and agricultural organizations Live Music, Children’s Activities, & More
The event is free and open to everyone. Register online here. | | | |
Marbleseed Field Day - Gitigaaning Farm (In-person) August 20, 2020 from 9:00 am - 3:30 pm (CDT) in Cloquet, Minnesota
“Join Marbleseed for a tour of two incredible agricultural sites of the Fond du Lac Band of Lake Superior Chippewa! Visit Perch Lake to learn about manoomin (wild rice) and the importance of treaties in tribal food sovereignty, including the management, production, and marketing aspects of manoomin. Gitigaaning, which means "the place of the gardens'' in the Ojibwe language, is a 36-acre farm with a growing dome, orchard, berry patch, pollinator plantings, and four acres open to the growers of the Bimaaji'idiwin Producer Training Program.”
Click here to register. | | | |
Indiana Farmers Market Community of Practice MarketLink Workshop (Virtual) Aug 23, 2022 from 12:00 pm - 1:00 pm (EDT)
Join Whitney Butler, Regional Representative with MarketLink, to learn about their SNAP Equipment Grant for farmers and farmers markets. Whitney will share requirements and best practices for the USDA FNS Retailer Application and how MarketLink staff can help farmers and farmers markets through the process.
Click here to register. | | | |
Women for the Land (In-person and virtual learning circles)
Join the American Farmland Trust for a series of in-person and virtual learning circles designed to provide you with foundational knowledge about soil health principles and practices, guide you through the process of creating a soil health management plan for your farm, and connect you with other women farmers interested in healthy soils.
Learning circles will take place from fall 2022 to spring 2023, and will include 2 full-day on-farm gatherings and 5 two-hour virtual study circles. Women who join the cohort will be expected to attend all learning circles if possible. Participation stipends and implementation funds are available.
Click here to register.
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Marbleseed Field Day - Naima’s Farm (In-person) Aug 27, 2022 from 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm (CDT) in Alexandria, Minnesota
“This field day will highlight the journey of Naima’s Farm from the beginning to the current transition. Naima and her husband will share the challenges they both experienced in regard to land access for an immigrant farmer and share more about their expanding farm business.”
Click here to register.
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NAFMNP Annual Conference (In-person) September 27- October 1 | Embassy Suites at the Airport Indianapolis
Join NAFMNP In Indianpolis, Indiana this September for their in-person annual conference. The conference will include USDA panels, networking opportunities with state agencies, and discussions on the future of Farmers Market Nutrition Programs including the Seniors (SFMNP); Women, Infants, and Children (WIC); and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance (SNAP) programs. The conference will convene both members of the NAFMNP and non-members. Registration is now available for both members and non-members. The tentative agenda can be viewed here.
Register Today or Join the Association for a discount of $100 off the Annual Conference ticket. | | | |
Do you have events you’d like us to share in our newsletter? Send event information to news@marketlink.org. | | | | | |
Vote for your local farmers market for their chance to win $10,000!
This summer, American Farmland Trust and the Farmers Market Coalition are giving away $10,000 in prizes (and more!) to the nation’s favorite farmers markets. Vote for your farmers market for a chance to win some funding to make it even more awesome! Voting runs through September 19, 2022!
Cast your vote here. | | | |
National Young Farmers Coalition Fellowship
This fellowship will take place over the course of five months, convening 10 farmer leaders from across the country in a BIPOC-majority, queer abundant cohort to develop their knowledge at the intersection of corporate power, climate, and farmland access. We will support these fellows to activate their communities to advocate with key elected officials while elevating their voices and experience to underscore that investment in equitable farmland access – not corporate innovation – is the best pathway towards sustainability. Application deadline is Aug 22, 2022. Click here to learn more about the fellowship. | | | |
PASA Job Opportunities - Various Openings There are currently five career opportunities with PASA.
Click here to learn more. | | | |
Hudson Valley Agribusiness Incubator Without Walls Grant
“Incubator Without Walls has partnered with American Farmland Trust to offer $1,000 credits toward estate planning, land succession plans, or land access prerequisites like business planning and financial projections– available now through October 2022. After the first $1,000, additional cost share opportunities are available for up to 75% of the project cost. Work with one of HVADC’s skilled legal and business experts to craft a succession plan, business transition plan, or land access strategy that works for your farm. To apply, complete the Incubator Without Walls Intake Form and describe your transition planning needs in Question 10 (page 2). E-mail intake form and any questions to abunge@hvadc.org.”
Learn more about it here. | | | |
Food News Sources on food systems, food access, agriculture, policy, and farmers market that we've been reading, following, and captivated by this month:
| | | | | | | | | | MarketLink is a program of the National Association of Farmers Markets Nutrition Programs (NAFMNP). ©2022 MarketLink
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