News story with new Florida Ag Commissioner talking about markets, machines and incentives.

Posted: April 4, 2011 – 11:40pm

By David Bauerlein

On Monday, state Agriculture and Consumer Protection Services Commissioner Adam Putnam visited Glennette Produce and other vendors who have embraced the card-swipe machines. Putnam said the machines enable people in low-income neighborhoods, where grocery stores are scarce, to use the farmers market for the purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables.

That in turn helps Florida farmers by giving them a bigger market for their products, he said.

Putnam didn’t make any announcements during his visit. He said he mainly wanted to learn more about how the Jacksonville Farmers Market operates.

“They’re really got a lot to teach us as we ramp this up on a statewide basis,” he said. “It’s part of a larger effort of nurturing our small farmers.”

He said the state helped a farmers market in Miami form a partnership with a private foundation that has a goal of improving the health of low-income people by giving them access to fresh produce. In that partnership, the private foundation will match on a dollar-for-dollar basis whatever a Florida resident spends at the farmer’s market using the state’s Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program.

For instance, a resident who spends $10 using a SNAP card would be able to purchase an additional $10 of fresh produce because of the private foundation’s support.

Putnam said he wants to help establish similar partnerships with other farmers markets in the state, including Jacksonville.
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