Industry Newsletter from Mass Farmers Markets

MFM News

MFM's 2025 Managed Market Applications are OPEN!

For more information, click here.

Find vendors for this upcoming season!

Mass Farmers Markets and SBN’s Local Food Program are proud to collaborate on a project to bring together farmers markets and vendors looking to sell at farmers markets in the summer 2025 market season! We're compiling two lists - one with farmers markets and one with vendors - with all the information they'll need to find each other so that shoppers can experience the best in local food this summer. Find the lists here: Connecting Farmers Markets and Vendors.

Want to be included on these lists? Click on the links below:

Vendors looking to sell at farmers markets

Farmers markets looking for vendors

Please feel free to forward this information to your vendors, so they can be listed and have a full and successful market season!

Market Managers: Join MFM as a Member Market in 2025!

Mass Farmers Markets is here to support all farmers markets across the state.

But, markets that join MFM as a Member Market get additional benefits and support:

• Discounts on liability insurance
• An extensive library of resources, including information on food access programs, legal issues, fundraising and grants, marketing and more 
• Grant, marketing, and other opportunities available only to MFM members
• Discounts on Constant Contact, Manage My Market, and Marketspread
• Free membership to Farmers Market Coalition (a $40 value)
• And more!

Just as importantly, you’ll be supporting Mass Farmers Market in its statewide work supporting and advocating for farmers markets. Mass Farmers Markets works year-round to support ALL Massachusetts farmers markets. Among our many initiatives:

• Regular Market Manager Zoom Calls
• Annual Farmers Market Conference
• Research and write-ups on topics affecting farmers markets
• Development of lists of farmers market and vendors
• Promotion of Massachusetts farmers markets through print and radio ads, our interactive map, and presence at events
• Administration of the Senior and WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program Coupon program
• Advocacy for farmers markets with lawmakers and state agencies

Check out the benefits of membership, and join or renew for 2025, by clicking the button below.

Eat Fresh Coupon Program

Mass Farmers Markets' Eat Fresh Coupon Program is a program that allows businesses, health care providers and wellness programs to provide coupons that can be used to purchase fresh fruits and vegetables at any local farmers market. The program is modeled after FMNP WIC and Senior coupons. Coupons can be used by shoppers to purchase fresh fruits, vegetables, honey, cut herbs and herb plants, and are redeemed directly with farmers. Like FMNP coupons, Eat Fresh coupons expire on October 31st. Should shoppers ask where they can use their Eat Fresh coupons, please direct them to any farmer that takes WIC and Senior coupons.

MFM has designed the Eat Fresh program to allow sponsoring organizations such as businesses, municipalities and wellness providers to provide access to fresh local produce for their constituents. This could act as an employee benefit, wellness program, customer appreciation program, or more. If you know of any organizations that would be interested in providing this benefit to their constituents next year (making more money available to be spent at farmers markets!), please refer them to our website: Mass Farmers Markets Eat Fresh Coupon Program, or email eatfresh@massfarmersmarkets.org.

Industry News

Re-certify for the Farmers Market Nutrition Program

2025 is a recertification year for ALL certified farmers markets that participate in the Farmers Market Nutrition Program. To re-certify your farmers market you must complete a market agreement by May 15, 2025. Once completed your farmers market will be certified to participate for the next three seasons, through 2027. If you have any questions please contact Jennifer.Donnelly@mass.gov .

Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) Virtual Training

Training is required for:

• Farmers Markets who are looking to become certified to participate in the Farmers Market Nutrition Program
• New Market Managers at certified farmers markets already in the program

Upcoming Dates:

April 22, 2025, 12 pm – 1 pm

May 12, 2025, 9 am – 10 am

May 15, 2025, 12 pm – 1 pm

Trainings are approximately 1 hour in length and are held several times a month from March – October 2025. You only need to attend one training session.

Please email Jennifer.Donnelly@mass.gov to register. Once registered, participants will receive a calendar invite with the link to join the meeting on the scheduled date via Microsoft Teams. 

The Campaign for HIP Funding

The House Ways and Means fiscal year 2026 budget proposal was released yesterday and included $20 million in funding for HIP. Rep. Hannah Kane has filed Amendment #20 to raise the amount for HIP in the House budget to $25 million. Please ask your state representative to cosponsor this amendment. Keep in mind Reps are currently reviewing the budget, and have until Friday evening to file amendments, so they may be waiting until next week to cosponsor. 

While $20M is not full funding, this is still a big win for HIP, as it is an increase from what the program was funded at for fiscal year 2025, and also an increase over what the Governor put in her proposal for FY2026.

For more information, and to be kept up to date, visit the Campaign for HIP Funding. Please reach out to Becca Miller (rebecca@mafoodsystem.org) at the MA Food System Collaborative if you have any questions.

EBT Processor and TotilPay Updates

On April 27th, the MA Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) will be transitioning its EBT (SNAP and HIP) processor from Conduent to FIS. Clients will not be able to use their EBT cards to access their benefits between 11 p.m. on April 26, and mid-day on April 27. Find more information on the changeover on DTA’s website: EBT Vendor Change: Important Information

Along with this change, there are new equipment options available, as well as actions that markets may need to take. Keep an eye out for emails from DTA which will detail your options and required actions, depending on your current equipment and whether you take HIP or not. There is more information on SNAP processing equipment options here: Equipment Options for Processing SNAP and the Healthy Incentives Program (HIP).

Separately, the TotilPay app and MarketLink are now both part of a new nonprofit, Farmers Food Assistance Bureau. There should be no changes to the functioning of TotilPay, and MarketLink will continue to support farmers markets in becoming authorized as a SNAP retailer and providing grants for equipment and service.

HIP Enhancements

Based on feedback from HIP vendors, including farmers markets, there are a number of exciting changes coming to how HIP is processed!

On April 27th (concurrent with the change to the new EBT processor described above), it will be possible to process HIP returns. 

The following changes are forthcoming, though there is no exact ETA:

• HIP-Enabled merchants will be able to check HIP available using SNAP Balance Inquiry. It will show: SNAP balance, HIP Available this Month, and HIP Used this month.
• When shoppers call DTA to access their SNAP balance, the script has been updated to more clearly state the amount of HIP used and HIP remaining for the month.
• SNAP receipts will more clearly show HIP used and HIP remaining for the month.
• Single swipe! HIP users will be able to access their entire HIP balance with a single swipe, regardless of their SNAP balance, so long as the SNAP balance is greater than zero. 

DTA (and MFM) will notify about these changes when they are available.

Interested in Being a Summer Eats Site?

On March 17th, the state published a press release on the 2025 Summer Eats Program. Summer Eats provides children 18 years of age and younger with free, nutritious meals over the summer months when they no longer have access to school meals. Summer Eats is administered by sponsors throughout the state at distribution sites.

Project Bread has partnered with the Massachusetts Department of Agriculture (MDAR) to support the administration of the 2025 Summer Eats program. MDAR and Project Bread are looking for more sponsors to act as distribution sites. If you are interested in expanding access to healthy, locally sourced meals, please contact Project Bread by calling 617-239-2543 or emailing the Child Nutrition Outreach Team at cnop@projectbread.org. To learn more about Summer Eats you can find the press release here or more information on Project Breads website.

Upcoming Events

POP Club Discussion

April 29th, 2025, 11:00am-12:30pm

The Mass. Farmers Markets Management Facebook group is hosting a discussion over Zoom about implementing POP Club at your farmers market. The meeting will take place on Tuesday, April 29th 2025 from 11am to 12:30am. Please contact Hal Shubin from the Belmont Farmers’ Market for Zoom details (hal@halshubin.com)

The Mass. Farmers Markets Management Facebook group is a forum for teams that run farmers' markets, to discuss common problems and solutions, ideas to bring in more shoppers, the business side of creating and running markets, vendor selection, and more. New members are welcome; click on the link above for more information.

Market Manager Zoom Call - ICE at your market ⭐️

May 1st, 2025, 10-11am

Mass Farmers Markets has scheduled a Market Manager Zoom call for Thursday, May 1st from 10am to 11am. Attorneys Jason Gerrol and Rachel Winkler from Nixon Peabody will present on issues around immigration enforcement at farmers markets. And as always, we'll leave space for conversations, questions, and brainstorming. All are welcome, but registration is required. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to memberservices@massfarmersmarkets.org.

Market Manager Zoom Call - MDAR’s Agricultural Food Safety Division

May 15th, 12-1pm

Mass Farmers Markets has scheduled a Market Manager Zoom call for Thursday, May 15th from 12pm to 1pm. MDAR's Agricultural Food Safety Division will present on requirements for pet food and treats registration and produce labeling. As always, we'll leave space for conversations, questions, and brainstorming. All are welcome, but registration is required. If you have any questions or comments, please reach out to memberservices@massfarmersmarkets.org.

Project Bread's The Walk for Hunger

May 1st, 2025, 9:00am-12:00pm

Join MFM on May 1st for Project Bread's annual #WalkforHunger – a 3-mile walk on Boston Common with music, activities & more! Can't make it to The Common? Don't Worry! You can walk your 3-miles from anywhere: at your local track, around the block, or on your favorite hike. This is a great event to support MA families facing food insecurity AND enjoy a great day out!

Webinar Recording: Empowering Your Community’s Farmers Markets: Data-Driven Marketing Insights

Community, Local and Regional Food Systems recently hosted a webinar presenting the results of a nationwide survey of farmers market shoppers, including shoppers’ motivation to attend as well as barriers to attendance (#1 barrier to attendance - they forget about the market!). The webinar also presented the results of a project testing different social media messages.

Find the materials here:

Webinar Recording

Webinar Slides

About Mass Farmers Markets

For 45 years, MFM's been working on behalf of farmers markets throughout the state. We help create, sustain, and promote farmers markets and the many benefits they bring. We help connect more individuals to local and healthy food through farmers markets systems. At the core of MFM's mission, we support social and economic development and the health of individuals statewide - collaborating extensively with community partners and other stakeholders.