Erika Meschkat, Beth Knorr discuss matching dollars programs for EBT at farmers markets at the Ohio Farmers Market Conference 2014

1. Incentivizing use of farmers’
markets through community
partnerships:
snap purchases and produce
prescriptions
Farmer’s market management network conference
march 2013
Erika Meschkat
OSU Extension and Cleveland-Cuyahoga
County Food Policy Coalition
Beth Knorr
Countryside Conservancy

2. Countryside Conservancy
Non profit organization
with several program
areas
 Countryside Initiative
Farms
 Countryside Farmers’
Markets
 Countryside U

3. Snap purchase incentives
carrot cash
 Began accepting
EBT in 2009 with
small incentive
program
 Partnership with
Wholesome Wave
began in 2011
 Matched $20

4. EBT, Debit and Carrot Cash
 Debit tokens have
$1.50 service fee
 Three different
tokens

5. EBT Sales
0.51%, $3,124.
00
Carrot Cash
Sales, 0.39%
$2,375.00
Debit Token
Sales, 5.21%
$31,784.00
Cash/Check
Sales
93.8%
$572,261.51
Howe Meadow EBT Sales
in 2011 were $1412
Reached $3124 in 2012,
plus $2375 in Carrot Cash
matching dollars
EBT Sales Impact

6. Highland Square EBT sales
were $1526 in 2011
Reached $3662 in 2012,
plus $3499 in Carrot Cash
matching dollars
EBT Sales Impact
EBT Sales
$3,662.00
4%
Carrot Cash
Sales,
$3,499.00
3%
Debit Token
Sales,
$3,906.00
4%
Cash/Check
Sales,
$89,586.57
89%

7. Incentive Dollar Amounts
 Reduced incentive
amount to $15 in
2013

8. EBT Sales Impact
While overall sales have
increased, EBT sales have
not kept pace with the
overall market growth
EBT Sales
$3,592.00
1%
Carrot Cash
Sales
$2,417.00
0%
Debit Sales
$38,315.00
6%
$598,126.96
93%

9. Sales remained the same
as a percentage of overall
sales
EBT Sales Impact
EBT Sales $3897
4%
Carrot Cash
Sales
3413
4%
Debit Sales
3825
4%
Cash/Check
Sales
84523.75
88%

10. Data tracking
EBT Revenues
Amount
Buy Back
amount Total % of sales
Wk #1 $ 156.00 $ 167.00 $ 323.00 1.35%
Wk #2 $ 32.00 $ 5.00 $ 37.00 0.16%
Wk #3 $ 44.00 $ 65.00 $ 109.00 0.38%
Wk #4 $ 36.00 $ 28.00 $ 64.00 0.25%
Wk #5 $ 69.00 $ 53.00 $ 122.00 0.47%
Wk #6 $ 91.00 $ 67.00 $ 158.00 0.61%
Wk #7 $ 48.00 $ 20.00 $ 68.00 0.23%
Wk #8 $ 64.00 $ 70.00 $ 134.00 0.50%
Wk #9 $ 78.00 $ 65.00 $ 143.00 0.56%
Wk #10 $ 34.00 $ 41.00 $ 75.00 0.25%
Wk #11 $ - $ - 0.00%
Wk #12 $ 55.00 $ 55.00 $ 110.00 0.41%
Wk #13 $ 105.00 $ 3.00 $ 108.00 0.42%
Wk #14 $ 129.00 $ 107.00 $ 236.00 1.27%
Wk #15 $ 55.00 $ 96.00 $ 151.00 0.50%
Wk #16 $ 21.00 $ 80.00 $ 101.00 0.34%
Wk #17 $ 159.00 $ 39.00 $ 198.00 0.64%
Wk #18 $ 148.00 $ 241.00 $ 389.00 2.75%
Wk #19 $ 144.00 $ 41.00 $ 185.00 0.74%
Wk # 20 $ 41.00 $ 49.00 $ 90.00 0.48%
Wk # 21 $ 130.00 $ 31.00 $ 161.00 0.75%
Wk #22 $ 105.00 $ 20.00 $ 125.00 0.64%
Wk # 23 $ 56.00 $ 155.00 $ 211.00 1.02%
Wk # 24 $ 75.00 $ 32.00 $ 107.00 0.61%
Wk # 25 $ 39.00 $ 148.00 $ 187.00 1.18%
Total $ 1,914.00 $ 1,678.00 $ 3,592.00 0.59%
Carrot Cash Revenues
Amount Buy Back amount % of sales
Wk #1 $ 58.00 $ 54.00 $ 112.00 0.47%
Wk #2 $ 22.00 $ 16.00 $ 38.00 0.17%
Wk #3 $ 42.00 $ 25.00 $ 67.00 0.24%
Wk #4 $ 19.00 $ 6.00 $ 25.00 0.10%
Wk #5 $ 68.00 $ 65.00 $ 133.00 0.51%
Wk #6 $ 27.00 $ 52.00 $ 79.00 0.31%
Wk #7 $ 36.00 $ 37.00 $ 73.00 0.25%
Wk #8 $ 40.00 $ 28.00 $ 68.00 0.26%
Wk #9 $ 63.00 $ 38.00 $ 101.00 0.40%
Wk #10 $ 34.00 $ 30.00 $ 64.00 0.21%
Wk #11 $ - $ - 0.00%
Wk #12 $ 23.00 $ 55.00 $ 78.00 0.29%
Wk #13 $ 59.00 $ 23.00 $ 82.00 0.30%
Wk #14 $ 92.00 $ 85.00 $ 177.00 0.69%
Wk #15 $ 30.00 $ 97.00 $ 127.00 0.68%
Wk #16 $ 8.00 $ 51.00 $ 59.00 0.20%
Wk #17 $ 75.00 $ 42.00 $ 117.00 0.39%
Wk #18 $ 88.00 $ 101.00 $ 189.00 0.61%
Wk #19 $ 119.00 $ 24.00 $ 143.00 1.01%
Wk # 20 $ 5.00 $ 25.00 $ 30.00 0.12%
Wk # 21 $ 58.00 $ 20.00 $ 78.00 0.42%
Wk #22 $ 107.00 $ 35.00 $ 142.00 0.73%
Wk # 23 $ 4.00 $ 130.00 $ 134.00 0.65%
Wk # 24 $ 55.00 $ 37.00 $ 92.00 0.52%
Wk # 25 $ 67.00 $ 142.00 $ 209.00 1.31%
Total $ 1,199.00 $ 1,218.00 $ 2,417.00 0.40%

11. Community partnerships
necessary for success
 Single market management
organization = easy
implementation, consistent
data collection
 Community partnerships
building
 From 2009-2013 only
organization in county
accepting EBT, likely to
change in 2014

12. Cleveland-cuyahoga county
food policy coalition
• City and County focused Food Policy Coalition
– In partnership between state extension (OSUE) and Case Western University’s
Prevention Research Center
– Partners representing many diverse stakeholders in the food system
– Collaborate on innovative programming and policy, backed up by research, to address
barriers to growth in a healthier food system

13. • Packaging Incentives:
• economic incentives (for every $1 spent
$1 received up to $10)
• Developed by Coalition partners &
administered by OSUE
• Piloted with 4 markets in 2009 to 20
markets and two farm stands in 2013
• Increased federal food assistance SNAP
sales by over 40% between 2011-2013
with same # of markets participating
• 2013 sales surpassed 2012 in just 6
months
Snap purchase incentives
produce perks

14. Profile of markets

16. administration
• OSUE fiscal agent
• Markets submit monthly “incentive logs” via Excel
– EBT sales tokens purchased & redeemed
– Last four digits SNAP card
– Incentive tokens distributed & redeemed
– ZIP, How customers heard of the program, traveled to
the market, importance of incentives, first time at a
farmers’ market, markets visited in the past

19. REIMBURSMENT & MARKET
GUIDELINES
• OSUE aggregates incentives redeemed and
reimburses markets monthly
• Guidelines for markets:
– Prominent visuals and promotion
– Encourage and facilitate community connections
Collect data and report
– Train and inform vendors
– Come together for 2 meetings a year

20. program outcomes
• 2013 Season report
– Consumers
• Very important to introducing to markets
• Many repeat customers
– Farmers
• Peaked interest in issues in food access
• Increased sales
– Market managers and partners
• $40K in SNAP sales

21. Referral-based incentives
Produce prescriptions (rX)
• How it works
• Partners involved
• Packaging of incentive:
• economic + social incentives

24. Pilot outcomes
• Almost half (~42%) were first time customers
• 42 out of the 48 participants enrolled came to
the markets
• Effective at filling gaps from DVPP-Orientation
• 310 visits, redeemed over $3,300 from July-
October
• Trouble shooting at the markets (FPC as
customer service)

25. Partnership impact
• Ideal program for convening stakeholders to
support growth and investment in your
market
• Satisfied vendors/farmers and market
managers
• Elaborate on partnerships formed in support

26. NEEDS FOR incentive
PROGRAM EXPANSION
• Comprehensive network and dedicated staff with
capacity
• Understanding market needs, capacity, interest
• Better access to SNAP and farmers’ market data
at many levels
– Emphasis on common metrics to evaluate programs
on a larger scale
• Flexible funding and better agency
communication channels (network priority)
• Innovation for reporting and SNAP transactions

27. Take away considerations
• What are your perceived needs and barriers to
doing this work?
• What does your market(s) look like?
• What kind of partnerships are you building
now-or hope to in the future?
• What could you contribute to a network?

28. Beth knorr
MaRKETS MANAGER
farmersmarket@cvcountryside.org
WWW.CVCOUNTRYSIDE.ORG
@countrysidechix
Erika Meschkat
Program Coordinator, Community Development
meschkat.1@osu.edu
216-429-8200 x212
www.cccfoodpolicy.org
www.cuyahoga.osu.edu
@cccfoodpolicy