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market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] food stamps..wic at market

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  • From: road's end farm <organic101 AT linkny.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] food stamps..wic at market
  • Date: Thu, 5 Jan 2006 10:42:52 -0500


On Jan 5, 2006, at 6:51 AM, Willie McKemie wrote:

With the systems that treat the coupons as bank drafts, I can see great
opportunity for fraud. It Texas, there is a high degree of confidence
that the coupons are redeemed for food at farmers markets.


In New York, each coupon needs to be stamped with the farmer's individual number. They send you a new stamp each year; every year a different number. They also issue an ID card for the farmer to show to the bank; my bank knows me personally well enough that they don't generally ask to see it.

The state apparently tracks the coupons according to the number they got stamped with, as if a large pile accidentally gets added up wrong, the state will send a corrective notice to the bank (which then passes it on via the bank statement, or at least that's how they handled it the time this happened to me).

They descend on anyone suspected of fraud. State inspectors also show up incognito at the markets and try to make illegal buys (e.g. from a stand not signed up, or of an item not included on the program, such as out-of-state produce (at a market allowing this) or honey, eggs, crafts (honey and eggs, even when local food products, are not allowed, at least by the NY program)). One member of our market got cited this year for taking coupons for honey. The first time, for this type of infraction, they just send out warning letters, to the farmer and the market manager (or whoever at the market is in charge of FMNP coupons); but repeat infractions can get the farmer, or the whole market, thrown out of the program. I think for severe infractions (such as buying a whole lot of coupons for cash) they can toss you out immediately.

After processing, maybe a
month, the TDH issues a check to the farmers market
organization/association which then pays its members.

A system that makes you wait a month for your money and makes the market go through all that extra paperwork sounds to me as if it would put off a lot of people. But I guess you get used to it.

-- Rivka; Finger Lakes NY, Zone 5 mostly
Fresh-market organic produce, small scale



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