HEAL Food Alliance Webinar: Sowing the Seeds of Liberation

US agriculture’s roots in colonization and enslavement mean that Black and Indigenous and communities of color still have limited access to capital, financial support, and markets—this is changing, slowly but surely, thanks to the work of food and farm organizations, leaders and communities that are dismantling racism and white supremacy, and imagining alternate ways to be in relationship with land, nature and each other. Hear from some of these leaders and HEAL members in this webinar!

Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets: Webinar on Vendor Practices during Covid-19

Farmers’ Markets have dramatically changed their layout and rules to fall in line with the Governor’s emergency declarations and the Maine Department of Agriculture’s guidance for farmers’ markets. This webinar is an orientation for Maine farmers’ market vendors to learn what best practices they must be following. Topics covered include: Pre-ordering, booth setup, payment processing, product handling, and how best practices pertain to every aspect of your booth’s operations.

Growing Your Grassroots: Employing Local Community Leaders for SNAP & Incentive Outreach

Presenter: Food Navigator and Fresh Link Ambassador programs

Interested in engaging community members with outreach, promotion, and education for your market’s nutrition incentive program? Experts will present on two different community outreach programs: FreshLink Ambassadors and Food Navigators that employ community members to spread the word about how to access fresh, healthy, locally grown food. 

FreshLink

FreshLink Ambassadors is a peer-to-peer marketing and outreach approach to spread the word about farmers’ markets to support the use of SNAP and nutrition incentives. Developed and evaluated through community-engaged research at Case Western Reserve University, Prevention Research Center for Healthy Neighborhoods in Cleveland, Ohio, the FreshLink Ambassador approach leverages social connections, trustworthiness, and capacity of community champions who raise awareness about and build social connections to farmers’ markets located in their neighborhoods. The FreshLink Ambassador Technical Assistance team now seeks to share learnings with individuals, organizations and communities interested in implementing this approach in their local context.  

Participants in this webinar can expect the following:

• Learn more about the core components of the FreshLink Ambassador approach.
• Understand the impact FreshLink Ambassadors has on individuals, communities, and farmers’ markets.
• Hear testimonials from a former FreshLink Ambassador and Farmers’ Market Manager about their experiences and the benefits of this peer-to-peer outreach approach.

Food Navigators

The Michigan Farmers Market Association in collaboration with the Michigan Fitness Foundation created the Food Navigator program which operates in farmers markets that accept food assistance benefits and are located in underserved communities. Food Navigators work to increase access to fresh, affordable food and help shoppers eat healthy.

Click the image below for recording of the webinar.

Presentations and FAQ can be found here:

• FMC and Hub Introduction
• Main Presentation- Food Navigator
• Main Presentation- Freshlink Ambassador
• Q&A

Webinar: Pickup and Order Options at Farmers Market: Create Resilience, Not Legal Vulnerability

WEBINAR: As Farmers Markets add curbside pickup, take advance orders, and offer bundled market purchases, customers are getting fresh, local foods in the midst of a pandemic. But, these innovations can also bring legal risk as well. With some advance planning, market managers can address these risks and create a program with strength beyond COVID-19. We’ll cover issues including increased liability risk, shifting insurance needs, potential licensing obligations, and concerns under site agreements. Your webinar presenters have expertise in farmers markets, legal obligations, and insurance. Join us to learn where legal risk lies and what to do to resolve it.

Presenters: 

• Rachel Armstrong, Farm Commons
• Darlene Wolnik, Farmers Market Coalition
• Emily Spiegel, Center for Agriculture and Food Systems Vermont Law School
• Chris Van Leeuwen, Food Liability Insurance Program

ILFMA: 10 Tips for Marketing Your Farmers Market During COVID-19

WEBINAR: Market managers are presented with the difficult task of marketing their market’s upcoming opening while also making sure they’re communicating to vendors, staff volunteers, and shoppers a myriad of new rules for operating a market during COVID-19. So, how do market managers make it all happen…and still sound hopeful and excited for the upcoming season? In this webinar, ILFMA will cover 10 tips for marketing your farmers market that you can incorporate into your PR and communications efforts right now.

CA Alliance of Farmers’ Markets: Practices at Market in Response to COVID-19

WEBINAR: The California Alliance of Farmers’ Markets hosted a COVID–19 Response/Best Practices webinar. We had a panel of speakers that represented farmers‘ markets across California.

Our Call to Action: Market operators and managers everywhere, we invite you to join forces as we ~UNITE~ and ~RISE~ to the occasion of keeping our markets OPEN and SAFE.

Go here to find up-to-date COVID–19 farmers’ market resources/best practices.

Farmers Market-Tested Sales Platforms for Shopper Pre-Orders Webinar

BYOD: The 2020 FNS EBT Equipment Grant Program

Presenter: Amy Crone , Kate Fitzgerald, Eileen Emory

*BYOD stands for Bring Your Own Device which is the system that this round of grants will feature 

Did you know the USDA has an EBT Equipment Grant for farmers and farmers markets? The National Association of Farmers Market Nutrition Programs received this grant in October of 2019. Through their MarketLink program, they offer farm direct outlets an opportunity to accept SNAP/EBT, debit, and credit card payments from customers via wireless technology. Join us for this webinar as they discuss how to sign up to accept EBT at your site. Before registering, please review MarketLink’s FAQs and add in additional questions you have when you register.

This webinar also covered states who offer no-cost EBT machine programs.

Click the image below for recording of the webinar. You will have to enter your information to access:

Presentations and FAQ can be found here:

• FMC & Hub Introduction, State Map of state EBT contracts
• Marketlink- Amy Crone
• Q&A

The Big Picture of SNAP/EBT Processing and Technology

Presenter: Peter Relich

Join FMC to learn more about the world of federal and state level EBT processing and technology. Expert Peter Relich will share a short history of the development of EBT, then walk through how EBT transaction processing works within FNS, at the state agencies, and for processors. The webinar will also include information on state SNAP contracts and how to collaborate with your state agency. With examples specific to farmers markets and other farm direct outlets, attendees will learn where to go when questions arise with their contract, processor, or grant.

Click the image below for recording of the webinar. You will have to enter your information to access:

Presentations and FAQ can be found here:

• FMC and Hub Introduction
• Main Presentation- Peter Relich
• Q&A

Webinar: Farmers Markets Physical Redesign for Covid-19 Mitigation

Farmers market operators are among those leading for how local food is meeting this historic moment including “drive-thru” models, delayed entry, pre-bagged goods, new layouts and more. For this webinar, market operators shared how they actually implemented a new COVID-19 practice through the physical redesign of market spaces. It did not cover online platforms that some market leaders are using to build new, off-site purchasing systems; that topic will be covered in future webinars.

Panelists:

Watch the full recording of the webinar here.

Market operators should also fill out the survey with questions and comments about market redesign during the COVID-19 mitigation.