Enroll. Train. Operate.

An Agriculture Retailer Program for the Twenty-First Century.

North Carolina’s 21^st Century Farmers’ Markets program implements the U.S.D.A., Food and Nutrition Service, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) for N.C.’s agricultural direct farm-to-market retailers. Such retailers include farmers’ markets, tailgate markets, mobile mini-markets, delivery routes, farmer cooperatives, and Certified Roadside Farm Stands. Program services include enrollment, training, promotion, and administration.

Enroll.

Enrollment begins with an application, evaluation and selection process for SNAP eligible agricultural retailers. Complete and submit the N.C. Participation Application for 21^st Century Farmers’ Markets. www.leaflight.org/application. To request applications by mail: attn: 21^st Century Farmers’ Markets, P.O. Box 16081, Chapel Hill, N.C. 27516; by email: programs@leaflight.org; or by fax: (702) 995-8861.

The primary purpose of the N.C. application is to benefit the agricultural retail market toward its establishment as an approved retailer in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) (formerly called the “Food Stamp Program”), for related services, and to facilitate the highest likelihood of retail market success as a potential participant in the 21^st Century Farmers’ Markets program.

Applications are processed in as timely a manner as possible, accepted on a rolling basis, and are “first come, first reviewed”. Applicants are soon after evaluated, and notified. If selected, A USDA FNS SNAP application for permit approval process follows. Retailers may become approved in the USDA FNS program within ninety days and ready to operate within six months. The application is not a contract and in no way obligates anyone to receive or provide services.

Train.

Attend seasonal program training. Program training is held bi-annually in the spring and fall for managers, board, staff and volunteers of SNAP-enrolled farmers’ markets, mini-mobile markets, farm stores, and other agricultural retailers at N.C. Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services locations. Education, equipment and supplies, promotional materials, and payment solution instructions and guidelines with Q & A time are also provided. Attendees also get the opportunity to meet with other participating retail management, share stories.

Operate.

Once ready to operate, all retailers get electronic processing for SNAP electronic benefits transfer (EBT) and optional debit and credit cards services, and select retailers get administration and management services that includes central banking, payment processing, bookkeeping and accounting, reporting and auditing program features; ongoing technical, cashier, manager and vendor support; and participation with N.C.’s largest network of agricultural retailers.

Compared to other States, North Carolina’s 21^st Century Farmers’ Markets program ranks top in quality of retail services offered, and is exemplary of a new national paradigm. The program alleviates retailers’ burdens of cost recovery, making payments, compliance issues, reconciling common discrepancies in accounting, and other time-consuming business that the typical market managers would otherwise take on aftermarket hours. Your program payment solution includes an out-of-the-box system that is simple, easy, and works all season.

Program.

SNAP, our nation’s largest domestic nutrition assistance program, is America’s safety net against hunger and malnutrition supporting limited-resource households, children and families in need of food.

In October 2008, the United States Department of Agriculture (U.S.D.A.) Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) Division renames the Food Stamp Program to Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), and changed the name of the Food Stamp Act of 1977 to the Food and Nutrition Act of 2008. The stated purpose of the program is “to safeguard the health and well being of the Nation's population by raising the levels of nutrition among low-income households while strengthening the Nation’s agricultural economy.”

It’s a SNAP.

By the turn of the twenty-first century, N.C. replaced paper food stamps with EBT technology, issuing a debit-style card for shoppers to use to make food purchases. The switch to electronic processing was supposed to make retailers’ transactions easier, but placed enormous burden of incremental costs on retailers. N.C.’s innovative 21^st Century Farmers’ Markets program provides agricultural retailers with the business and technology solution to implementing SNAP, EBT, debit and credit cards without those burdens. Your program payment solution is an out-of-the-box system that is simple, easy, and can operate all season. Through the program, agricultural retailers quickly get ready to exchange their products with customers adding convenience and courtesy to those wanting additional payment options. Customers may spend additional money at participating retailers too.

About.

The N.C. 21st Century Farmers’ Markets program began in 2004 as an outgrowth of a broad local, state, and federal food security stakeholder process to implement an electronic payment system (including EBT, debit, and credit) at North Carolina’s farmers’ markets. In 2006 all partners successfully operated a two-county pilot. In 2007, State agency efforts in coordination with the N.C. General Assembly, funded the 21st Century Farmers’ Markets for statewide program implementation. In 2009, the N.C. 21st Century Farmers’ Markets program served eleven N.C. counties with expansion to eighteen counties to begin spring 2010. It is expected that one third of all N.C. counties will be served by the N.C. program in 2011, with half of all counties served beginning 2012.

21^st Century Farmers’ Markets ä of North Carolina is developed in cooperation with the U.S.D.A Food and Nutrition Service, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and is a program of the Leaflight, Inc, in partnership with the North Carolina Department of Agriculture & Consumer Services (NCDA&CS), Got to Be NC Agriculture ä, North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS) North Carolina Division of Social Services, Food and Nutrition Services (FNS) program, Physical Activity & Nutrition Branch of the North Carolina Division of Public Health.