NYS Farm Stand EBT
Pilot Program
NYS Dept of Agriculture & Markets
Farmers Market Federation of NY
NYS Office of Temporary & Disability
Assistance
What does the Food Stamp Program Mean
for Farm Stands?
• Current farmer participation is low due to
misconceptions:
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Sales not likely to be significant
Farms do not qualify as a Food Stamp retailer
Excessive or complex paperwork to apply/qualify
EBT equipment is expensive or difficult to use
Food Stamp customers won’t buy fresh produce or
travel to farms
– Wireless connections are slow and inconsistent
– Training cashiers is time consuming
– Food stamp sales are tracked as income
What does the Food Stamp Program Mean
for Farm Stands?
• Economic opportunity is potentially significant
– Statewide, March 2009
• 1,219,139 households
• $307,568,883
– Wayne County, March 2009
• 4075 households
• $937,220
– Chautauqua County, March 2009:
• 9497 households
• $2,370,266
What does the Food Stamp Program Mean
for Farm Stands?
• Economic opportunity is potentially significant
– Supermarkets have readily adopted the food stamp
program and reap $$$ benefits
– The Farmers Market Wireless EBT Program has
shown food stamp customers
will purchase locally grown, fresh
foods
• 86 farmers markets in 2008
• Over $420,000 in sales statewide
in 2008
How can you become a Food Stamp/EBT
Authorized Retailer?
http://www.fns.usda.gov/FSP/retailers/register.htm
Retailer Application
• To access the application:
– Apply for user name and password using the link and
click on “registration”
– With confirmation email, return to original USDA FNS
link and click “sign in”
– Enter user name and password.
– On Online Application Process page, click on “click
here for acknowledgement agreement”.
– Click “Accept”
– Return to Online application process page and click
“Next”
Basic Store Information
Ownership Information
• Choose ownership type:
– Privately held corporation
– Publicly held corporation
– Sole proprietorship
– Partnership
– Limited liability company
– Nonprofit cooperative
– Government owned
The page will change depending on the type you
choose.
Social security numbers are required
Sales Information
• Sales information for full season
• Will ask for information on all types of
products sold, not just food stamp eligible
products
Supplemental Information
• Be sure to indicate that you are seasonal
• Indicate days and hours you are open
Submit
• When you click submit, you will receive an email
with your FNS Authorization number.
• You must follow up with a cover letter and
documentation before it is finalized
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Document Cover Sheet
Certification and signature page
Copy of business certificate
Copy of photo identification and SSN for all owners,
partners, corporate officers
The sooner the documentation is received, the sooner
your certification is finalized. Must be within 45 days.
How can you become a Food Stamp/EBT
Authorized Retailer?
Processing Option 1: State Sponsored EBT
Only Terminal
• JP Morgan provides service
• Requires access to electricity and phone
lines
• $100 monthly sales requirement (flexible
for seasonal merchants
• No cost to participate
• Cannot add debit/credit to terminal
How can you become a Food Stamp/EBT
Authorized Retailer?
Option 2: Add EBT to your own Db/Cr POS
terminal
• Some, but not all service providers can add EBT
to your current service
• Inquire about availability and costs
– No EBT transaction charges are allowed under FNS
regulations
– Any other costs would be at retailer’s expense
• Allows debit and credit on same POS terminal
with EBT
How can you become a Food Stamp/EBT
Authorized Retailer?
Processing Option 3: Wireless EBT Service – Pilot Project
• To introduce farm stands to the benefits of participating
in the Food Stamp/EBT program
• For those with no access to electricity or phone lines
• For those who cannot otherwise access the state
sponsored EBT ONLY terminal or add EBT to your own
POS terminal
• There are costs involved – monthly wireless and EBT
transaction fees
• Pilot program will support the fees for 2009 -10 while the
farm builds its food stamp customer base.
Participation in the Wireless EBT Program
• Applications due to NYSDAM no later than 7/17
• Participation restricted to 20 farm stands per
county, based on:
– Limited access to electricity and phone lines
– Widest diversity of fresh produce and locally grown
foods
– Located in areas with least access to retail food
stores
– Longest season of operation
– Most days of operation per week
Participation in the Wireless EBT Program
Those accepted will:
• Be required to participate in a program training
• Be required to sign a participation agreement
• Receive a wireless EBT terminal to use for the
duration of the project
• Receive fee reimbursement during the project
timeframe
• Be required to participate in post season surveys
• Be required to allow sales data to be tracked for
program evaluation
Promotion and Outreach
• Signage “Food Stamp/EBT Benefits
Accepted Here”
• Media Kit, suitable for farm stands, CCE,
community partner use:
– Billboard design
– Consumer flyer
– Print ready ads
– Press releases
Tracking and Evaluation
• Sales data collected
– Follow increases in food stamp usage at farm stands
– Track customer sales trends
– Individual farm data kept confidential and all reporting
done in the aggregate
• Season-end Surveys
– Customer response to opportunity
– Value of program to farm income
– Effectiveness of promotional materials
Contacts
Farmers Market
Federation
Diane Eggert
315-637-4690
Diane.eggert@verizon.net
NYS Dept of
Agriculture &
Markets
Jonathan Thomson
518-457-7076
Jonathan.thomson@agm
kt.state.ny.us