April 20, 2007

To meet USDA requirements, the Nebraska Department of Agriculture (NDA) has implemented changes in the Senior Farmers' Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) administered by NDA. These changes will affect all fresh fruit and vegetable producers who participate in the SFMNP.

The SFMNP, established as a pilot program in 2001 and authorized in the 2002 Farm Bill, provides low-income senior citizens with coupons that can be exchanged for fresh produce at farmers' markets, roadside stands and U-pik operations.

SFMNP Administrator Casey Foster said the program changes will affect all producers who plan to accept the SFMNP coupons at their operations this year.  To meet new USDA rules, producers now must attend a training session conducted by NDA to become a certified vendor and to receive their vendor certification number. The certification number is necessary for producers to cash the SFMNP coupons.

To enable broad participation for each training session, NDA has scheduled video conferencing at locations across Nebraska. The training session will last approximately two hours and will cost $8. Producers will need to contact NDA at 800-422-6692 to reserve a seat.

Producers with questions about the training are encouraged to visit the NDA Web site or contact NDA at 800-422-6692.

April 19, 2007 News Release
Nebraska Department of Agriculture