April 23, 2010

Fresh fruit, vegetable, herb, and honey producers participating in this year’s Nebraska Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) will need to complete a web-based training session offered by the Nebraska Department of Agriculture.

The Senior Farmers’ Market Program, reauthorized in the 2008 Farm Bill, provides low-income senior citizens with coupons that can be exchanged for locally grown, fresh produce and honey at farmers' markets, roadside stands, and u-pick operations.

USDA requires that producers who are not certified or who were last certified in 2007 must attend a training session to enroll in the program for 2010. Newly trained producers will receive a vendor certification number necessary for producers to cash SFMNP coupons this year.

By offering web-based training, NDA hopes for broad participation in the one-hour training sessions. To view a list of web training sessions and to register on-line, go to the NDA website at www.agr.ne.gov. Contact NDA at (800) 422-6692 with any questions.

SFMNP coupons will be distributed beginning in June. Senior citizens interested in receiving coupons should contact their local senior center or the Nebraska Department of Health and Human Services, State Unit on Aging, at (800) 942-7830.

News Release, Nebraska Department of Agriculture