ANNAPOLIS, MD – The Maryland Department of Agriculture announced it will host its first round of trainings throughout the state for the Farmers Market Nutrition Program. The program provides fresh, unprepared, locally-grown fruits and vegetables to WIC and Senior participants and expands the awareness, use, and sales of such products at farmers markets.
The training will be approximately two hours and be offered in nine counties. Attendees will leave the training with a three-year authorization for the Farmers Market Nutrition Program, as well as authorization to accept the electronic WIC Fruit and Vegetable Benefit (eWIC FVB) and marketing resources from SNAP-ed. Accepting Farmers Market Nutrition Program and eWIC FVBs at farmers markets increases opportunities for participants in the programs to spend their benefits on local produce, and for farmers to see increased revenue from these increased monthly benefits.
Farmers who are new to the program, are due for reauthorization, market managers, and local agriculture professionals are encouraged to attend. Training specifically in the electronic Farmers Market Nutrition Program will be offered at a later date. Additional training will be offered throughout the year. Interested farmers can apply at any time to participate and become authorized.
To view the training dates and to sign up, interested participants may register here. A minimum of five participants must register in order to confirm any in-person training.
For questions, please reach out to Farmers Market Nutrition Program Coordinator Sara Servin at sara.servin@maryland.gov
