Newer Farmers tomorrow, on-farm sales, marketing, accept SNAP

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Pennsylvania Veteran Farming Project
www.troopstotractors.org pavetsfarm@gmail.com
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Read on for: What Newer Farmers Need to Know--tomorrow; on-farm sales regs, social e'newsletter marketing, free equipment to accept SNAP.

Marketing:

Savvy social marketer? If you answered 'not so much', see our 3 minute video, "Best Practices to Get your Posts Seen on Facebook & Instagram Now." Then, register for free May 19th "Webinar: Social Media Marketing for Farmers" at 3 pm PA time.

Beyond social: Did you know that only about 2% of your followers will see the typical post if you aren't paying for ads ("organic reach")? Offering a farm newsletter may be a good use of your scarce marketing time outlay.
Mailchimp and wix.com are two frequently free or low-cost options that are easy to use. Check out Hershberger Heritage Farms' newsletter. Some best practices Nathan and Sheilah demonstrate: Link your logo to your website; use high quality photos with people in them; use a consistent fontor no more than 2 contrasting fonts; calls to action like "go sign up" and "click the link" work; keep it short.

Considering opening an on-farm stand in for raw produce, shelf stable packaged foods like jams and jellies, or baked goods, or your own eggs here in PA? You do not need a food safety license for an on-farm stand. If you're producing non-temperature controlled items such as jams and jellies or stable bakery items, you do not need a commercial kitchen, but you do need to comply with sanitary guidelines and be registered with the state. Learn more.

Growing produce? Want to accept SNAP?
Free wireless point-of-sale equipment for farmers markets and direct-marketing farmers is now available at no cost. 1. Apply to be an authorized SNAP retailer through FNS.https://www.fns.usda.gov/snap/apply-to-accept 2. Once authorized. contact Conduent at 1-888-736-6328 to request free wireless EBT processing equipment, set-up costs and one year of SNAP transaction fees.

Farm Planning
Living on a Few Acres webinar Tue., May 26, 2020, 7-9 pm. Register by 6 pm May 26, 2020 FREE. This introduction to beef, sheep or goat production is designed for people who are interested in the fundamentals of starting a beef, sheep or goat enterprise.

Free tomorrow evening; register here no later than 5 pm Tuesday.

We gratefully acknowledge the support of the USDA 2501 Program and Disabled American Veterans Chapter 8 (Pittsburgh). We serve AD, Guard, Reserve, and their spouses; we have adopted the VA definition of veteran eligibility. Information in this newsletter and on our website is for informational purposes only. Please complete due diligence before entering into any legal or financial agreements. We do not share your email address with anyone.