EXTENSION CORNER: Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program provides dual benefits

Eric Wright
·2 min read
Fresh fruit and vegetables should be a regular part of your diet to keep your body healthy and fit, and they shouldn’t be a luxury.
Fresh fruit and vegetables should be a regular part of your diet to keep your body healthy and fit, and they shouldn’t be a luxury.

For many seniors, a fixed income and limited budget mean fresh fruits and vegetables at the grocery store are a splurge. However, they should be a regular part of your diet to keep your body healthy and fit, so they shouldn’t be a luxury.

The state-run Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program aims to fix this problem and create some added benefits.

The program has historically been quite popular in our area. It allows those over 60 years of age, within specific income guidelines (165% of 2021-2022 Federal Poverty Guidelines), to qualify for Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program vouchers. Participating individuals can use their vouchers to purchase fruits, vegetables, honey and fresh-cut herbs from farmers who grow them and are selling them directly to you at local farmers markets.

The program helps both the buyers and farmers who are selling locally grown products in local markets to local buyers. It is a win, win, win.

Seniors can sign up online at http://fma.alabama.gov/seniornutrition, where they will verify their ages, household incomes and other information. If you have questions, we will be happy to help you access this form online.

Farmers need to become certified producers by acquiring local growers’ permits from their county Extension office.

Our front-office staff, Peggy Talley and April Woodfin, at the Etowah County office can quickly and efficiently walk producers through this one-page form. This permit ensures that farmers are only selling their own produce and gives them the ability to sell without a business license at local farmers markets, and to qualify for the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program or the WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program.

Farmers that want to participate in the program will need to attend a training held by the Alabama Farmers Market Authority at 10 a.m. March 2 at the Pitman Theatre, 629 Broad St., Gadsden.

We hope to see you at a training session or local farmers market soon.

If you have further questions about farmers markets or other Extension programs, please reach out or stop by our office at 3200-A W. Meighan Blvd. in Gadsden, call us at 256-547-7936 or visit us on Facebook at https://bit.ly/3otwUdl or online at https://bit.ly/3yniPCx.

The Alabama Cooperative Extension System (Alabama A&M University and Auburn University) is an equal opportunity educator and employer. Everyone is welcome! Please let us know if you have accessibility needs.

Eric Wright is extension coordinator for the Etowah County Extension Office.

This article originally appeared on The Gadsden Times: Seniors, producers benefit from farmers market program