Snapshot Week 2017
It's time to sign up for Snapshot Week 2017! Signup takes just a few minutes - click here to start. Participating markets will receive a toolkit packed with things to give away and advice about planning an easy but memorable Snapshot Week market day. Participating in Snapshot Week provides your market a straightforward way to both celebrate National Farmers' Market Week (August 6-12) AND advocate for Maine's farmers' markets (by sharing data and photos).
Market managers: We'll send out some short, simple getting-started info during the last couple of weeks of June and the first week of July. Then your toolkit will arrive, with everything you need. At this point, consider these steps:
- Recruit at least one volunteer, but ideally 2 or more, to help out during your Snapshot Week market. (Volunteer tasks could include 1) Taking photos. 2) Asking shoppers to complete surveys. 3) Operating a kids' table at market. 4) Customer counts.
- Think about special events that might be simple to host that week, such as face-painting, a "Taste of the Market" event, or a unique guest vendor.
- Remember to use the two hashtags that are ALWAYS appropriate for Maine farmers' market news:
#lovemainemarkets
#mainefarmersmarkets
|
|
|
Changing Roles at MFFM
For more than a year, there were two Emilies working in the MFFM office. Then there was one, and now there are none. Emily Buswell (above) has changed roles on the MFFM team, and is now our Outreach Coordinator. She'll be training new Maine Harvest Bucks markets, providing outreach support in the greater Bangor region, conducting summer surveys, and more. We'll miss her at the office, but it's exciting to be able to broaden our reach by sending Emily "into the field"! (Hereafter, to reach Emily directly, use outreach@mffm.org.)
Meanwhile, we've welcomed a new person to the team, Joan Burke (below), who will be working in the office a couple days per week in the role of administrative assistant. Joan brings years of experience, a can-do attitude, and a passion for gardening. She's quickly learning the ins and outs of the farmers' market scene, and will be fielding calls and emails sent to assistant@mffm.org going forward.
|
|
Maine Harvest Bucks Updates
Last week (June 8th) we received the long-awaited check to start the new MHB season. (Though we had submitted all of our paperwork in April, it turns out one or two other subawardees too longer to complete the documents, which delayed the first disbursement for all.) We began sending out checks the next day, and all markets that have signed and returned their contracts to MFFM should either have their first check by now, or it is en route.
Our new SNAP Program Coordinator, Jimmy DeBiasi, sent out some MHB reminders in an email earlier this week. Among other things, now is the time to start using social media platforms to remind SNAP shoppers about the program. We've made a few simple graphics (available on our website and on our Facebook page) to make it easier.
|
|
|
Wine-tasting Bill Becomes Law
LD1536, An Act to Allow Maine Manufacturers to Sell Spirits at Farmers' Markets and to Allow Taste Testings at Farmers' Markets, was signed into law by Governor LePage on June 8th. We've been following this bill since early April, as it worked its way through the Veteran's and Legal Affairs Committee. Rep. Craig Hickman (a Democrat from Winthrop, and owner of Annabessacook Farm) sponsored the bill, and was diligent about collecting input from farmers' market vendors and the Federation. This new law will have a positive impact on farmers' markets, and we appreciate Rep. Hickman's work to craft the bill.
"It is hard to sell a $15-18 bottle of hard cider without being able to sample it. Allowing beer/wine producers to sample will add a little excitement to a market, it will be something a market can advertise to potentially bring in new customers, and it will most likely increase sales for those producers. Markets do work as a whole unit, if legislation helps a certain type of vendor and increases their ability to do business, it will affect the whole market positively," according to Johanna Burdet of Moodytown Gardens (and member of the MFFM Board of Directors). Events such as wine-tastings will attract and engage shoppers, benefiting the entire market.
One caveat is that the law doesn't go into effect until 90 days after the Legislature adjourns later this month, so we'll need to wait a bit longer to see tastings widespread at farmers' markets. In the meantime, MFFM will be delving into the details of the law, so stay tuned for more information about how this law will work. ( Read the text of LD1536 here.) |
|
MFFM's Contributing Markets
|
|
Houlton Community Market Partnerships
This summer we'll be piloting a brand new project to offer WIC incentives to shoppers at the HCM. Shoppers will receive vouchers directly from farmers to double the value of their WIC FMNP checks. (This is a model we hope to expand to other areas in 2018, although the Trump administration's budget proposal would eliminate the WIC FMNP program.) The folks at the Aroostook Community Action Program are not only helping us promote this new project, but are also helping us connect with some program participants in the area for discussions about implementation and outreach.
This spring we've also been partnering with the Department of Health and Maine SNAP-Ed to orchestrate an outreach campaign in the greater Houlton area. Thanks to support from Lee Auto Malls, we'll be giving away 100 free copies of the cookbook, Eat Well on $4/Day: Good and Cheap to SNAP/WIC shoppers at the HCM! This beautiful cookbook features fun, healthy, and affordable recipes. We're very enthusiastic about partnering with SNAP-Ed and the DHHS to promote Houlton's Maine Harvest Bucks program. This project is all the more exciting since we can offer program participants such an interesting and useful gift. |
|
|
Farmers' Market Signs
When farmers' market researcher Vance Corum analyzed the growth potential of 5 Maine markets last winter, one commonality that he found among all 5 was a dire need for more signage. He touted the value of street banners, permanent signs, and moveable sandwich board signs. The challenge is that Maine state law and many local laws place extensive restrictions on signage. (We're learning about that first-hand as we work through the process of getting a sign for the MFFM office.) We love to see signs like these pictured, when markets have successfully collaborated with their local municipality or a landowner. (That is the case for the Dexter FM, which sets up on private property, the owner of which helped them install the sign.)
Remember, MFFM has lawn signs with metal legs on hand at our office. If you belong to a contributing market, stop by anytime for a pair of new signs for this season. We've also heard from markets that have signs on hand, but the legs have broken. Problem solved: We just purchased a box of lawn sign legs, and will provide these free of charge.
Speaking of signs, we have fantastic new sandwich board signs for the Maine Harvest Bucks markets that requested them in April. They come with heavy-duty A-frames, and the signs are branded, colorful, and durable. We can't wait to see these babies in action, and will be hand-delivering them to markets in the coming weeks!
|
|
|
Other Nutrition Incentive Projects
This summer we are continuing the pilot project we began last fall, to implement incentive programs at markets that do not have SNAP/EBT equipment, but want to make healthy, local food available to SNAP shoppers. Auburn, Dexter, and Fort Fairfield are among the markets that will roll out the program this year.
Operating a SNAP program at a farmers' market can be daunting. Sometimes, for markets that are small, or for markets that serve a small number of families in the SNAP program (including markets that may serve relevantly affluent communities), another approach may be more manageable and cost-effective. We're piloting this project in both of those types of markets. Using funds raised from private foundations and local contributors, we'll be partnering with the markets to give out vouchers for bonus produce to families that receive SNAP benefits, with no purchase necessary.
Some markets (such as Bath and Yarmouth) have already found success with fundraising locally for this type of effort. Given the turbulence in the current federal budget, demonstrating the effectiveness of locally-funded programs seems particularly important now, so we are happy to be continuing this program in 2017 (largely due to a grant from Wholesome Wave).
|
|
|
Food Donations and Income Taxes - A Complex Matter
Gleaning programs are becoming more common at farmers' markets around Maine, and we often hear questions about whether or not food contributed to such a program is a tax-deductible donation. It is essential to consult a trained tax professional for a definitive answer for your particular situation. However, this article may help reveal some of the issues to consider when deciding whether to calculate a deduction and how to do so.
|
|
|
Maine SNAP-Ed Status Update
You may have heard that the LePage administration was seeking a waiver from the USDA to allow Maine's DHHS to use the federal SNAP-Ed funds for other food-related work. (This request was tied to another requesting permission to "ban junk food" from the program in Maine.) There are currently SNAP educators in every county, teaching classes to kids, families, and seniors, helping them to eat more nutritious meals on the $4/day allocated by the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. SNAP-ed frequently intersects with farmers' markets, since SNAP educators often give farmers' market tours, cooking demos, and taste testings.
Even when SNAP educators aren't right at the markets, their work is still vital, since they teach people how to turn whole foods into meals, a skill that many Americans are not learning elsewhere. Fortunately, the program has been given a reprieve, in the form of a one-year contract renewal.
According to Elizabeth Pratt, MPH, the SNAP-Ed Program Manager at the University of New England: "The University of New England's Maine SNAP-Ed contract has been extended for FY 2018. Maine SNAP-Ed will continue to address obesity through evidence-based approaches to provide low-income Mainers with easy ways to shop, cook and eat healthy food on a limited budget."
The good news that the program's budget has been renewed unfortunately is not without a downside: It sounds like there were significant budget cuts. There has been no public confirmation of the cuts yet, but we may expect to see a reduction in SNAP education services in Maine in the fiscal year that begins next month.
|
|
|
One of our more popular social media graphics:
|
|
|
|
|
|
