February 27, 2013
Founders of the new Truro Agriculture Fair, Randolph, Rein and DeWitt told Ag Board Chair Fred Dabney of the early success of the first new Massachusetts Ag Fair to be started in decades (in Truro), a fair which attracted some 7,500 visitors. They also apprised him of the recent town approval of the new Truro Agriculture Commission, chaired by Dewitt-Krieger of Dave’s Greens Farm. Randolph says that Truro recently approved the establishment of a new pilot Educational Farmer’s Market on town-owned land. The initiative is unique in that farmers will work with Sustainable CAPE to educate shoppers on issues about health or sustainability that farmers selling at the market feel are important to share…Randolph and her colleagues plan to make the new market accessible to all income levels through a wireless EBT machine that accepts SNAP benefits. They are considering instituting their own incentives program which would make local fresh produce even more affordable for SNAP customers. Such nutrition benefit incentives would be similar to Wholesome Wave’s Double Value Coupon Program. They are also considering installing a prominent donation box for all to donate fresh fruit and vegetables to the local food pantry; a possible future collaboration with Health Centers to offer Healthy Prescriptions – a program that funds vouchers for at-risk patients for fresh food; and a potential coupon program for schoolchildren to bring their parents to the new Educational Farmer’s Market…Click to view the full story!
