PA Farmers: How To Apply to Accept SNAP and Farmers Market Vouchers

If you’re a farmer wondering how to apply to accept nutrition assistance programs like SNAP and Farmers Market Vouchers, we put together a quick guide with program links and details.

We also put together a guide for how people in NEPA can find and access food and nutrition resources if they’re struggling to afford healthy food, you can find that here.

Programs & Resources for Farmers & Farmers Markets

SNAP Retailer Application: As a farm you’re able to apply to be a SNAP retailer and accept SNAP as a form of payment from customers at farmers markets. Farms may also be eligible for free EBT equipment to be able to accept these payments. First you’ll need a login.gov account, which should be created for the legal owner of the farm that is submitting the application. If you’re an individual farm, you’ll want to want to choose the “Store Retailer” application, not the “Farmer’s Market” application- the latter is intended for a market manager who will be coordinating SNAP for all vendors and customers at the market. It’s worth noting that as part of SNAP’s fraud protections, you really need to dot your i’s and cross your t’s on the application- it took us 3 tries to get the paperwork right. Lessons we learned the hard way: all owners and officers connected to your farm’s LLC need to be listed on the application and they all need to sign the application! Careful proofreading is highly recommended as there is a waiting period before you can reapply if you make a mistake. You can sign up here.

Farmers Market Nutrition Program: if you’ve had customers at the market ask you if you can accept “Farmer’s Market Vouchers” they’re most likely referring to voucher checks sent to recipients of The WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) or Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program (SFMNP) through the Farmers Market Nutrition Program. You can apply to accept these vouchers via this form, found on the Farmers Market Nutrition Program website. Once approved to accept vouchers, you’ll want to submit this form on the program website in order to list your farm and the markets at which you plan to accept vouchers so that people know where they’re able to use their vouchers. You can see which farms are registered and approved via this interactive map.

Food Trust Food Bucks Program: The Food Trust works with neighborhoods, institutions, retailers, farmers, and policymakers across the country to ensure delicious, nutritious food for all. Their Food Bucks program allows farmers markets to provide Food Bucks to help extend the spending power of anyone paying with SNAP.