Coming off a weekend where we basked in the glow and temperatures that ranged from the upper-60s to mid-70s is there ANYTHING better to do on a morning like that than pick out some fresh veggies and more at a local farmer s market? There s just something about the fresh morning air and that bright ball in the sky while being surrounded by local vendors, local produce local everything, that just hits different.
And with more Mainers getting vaccinated and COVID restrictions changing, farmer s markets are getting back to the days of old (if at this point you consider days of old as 2019) where masks can be ditched and you can actually look someone in the eyes and know WHO it is you re looking at and talking to.
Generous Mainers Paid it Forward at the Saco Farmers Market wcyy.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from wcyy.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
By Staff
Maine agricultural producers and farmers markets can get equipment at no cost to handle transactions with customers using Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Electronic Benefits Transfer cards.
The state’s Farm Food Access Program provides reimbursement for the equipment, helping agribusinesses easily sell to the roughly one in eight Mainers who receive federal SNAP benefits, according to a news release last week.
The FFAP, developed by the Maine Bureau of Agriculture, Maine Department of Health and Human Services, and Maine Federation of Farmers’ Markets, launched in 2020 to provide more opportunities for individuals and families to purchase local foods through SNAP. Families, seniors and income-eligible individuals in Maine spend more than $200 million with SNAP benefits.
May 6, 2021
For more information contact: Jim Britt at:
Jim.Britt@maine.gov
AUGUSTA- Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) Electronic Benefits Transfer card (EBT) equipment is available to agricultural producers and farmers markets in Maine. Interested producers and farmers markets should visit the Farm Food Access Program (FFAP) website or call the Maine Federation of Farmers Markets
(MFFM) to learn about the options for cost-free equipment. By accepting SNAP/EBT, producers and farmers markets help feed approximately one in eight Mainers participating in the SNAP Program.
The FFAP, developed by the Maine Bureau of Agriculture, Maine Department of Health and Human Services, and MFFM, launched in 2020 to provide more opportunities for individuals and families to purchase local foods with their federal SNAP benefits. FFAP positively benefits Maine s economy by increasing the number of farms and farmers markets in Maine accepting SNAP benefits. More than $200 milli
Lawmakers Renew Efforts to Protect Animals in Government Labs
Bipartisan legislation builds on current policies at the Defense and Veterans Affairs departments, Food and Drug Administration and National Institutes of Health.
A pair of bipartisan senators reintroduced a bill earlier this week that would facilitate the retirement or adoption of animals used in federal agencies’ research.
Sens. Susan Collins, R-Maine, and Gary Peters, D-Mich., introduced the Animal Freedom from Testing, Experimentation and Research Act on Tuesday. About 20 agencies use animals for research, according to the Government Accountability Office. The federal government experimented on about 38,000 animals (mainly cats, dogs, monkeys and rabbits) in fiscal 2019 for research purposes and many agencies currently don’t have formal retirement or adoption policies for animals that aren’t needed anymore. As a result, many are killed, said the senators in a press release.