Do farmers markets want low-income customers?

It's Saturday morning at your local farmer's market: Rows of sun-kissed organic farmers peddle baskets full of fresh veggies, honey and pies. Customers from Worthington or Clintonville funnel through the market, picking up locally grown pesticide-free strawberries.

What's been missing from the scene-until recently-is the 207,940 low-income residents of Franklin County with about $147 burning holes in their pockets, looking for a decent place to spend their food dollars.

Ohio Department of Job and Family Services is teaming with the Ohio Department of Agriculture to connect low-income families with local farmers. Fifty-two farmers markets around the state-including seven in Franklin County-have agreed to accept Ohio's New Direction card, which distributes payments from federal food assistance programs like a debit or credit card.

"Low-income shoppers gain better access to nutritious, locally grown food," said ODJFS spokesman Ben Johnson. "The markets and farmers benefit from increased business and exposure to a diverse customer base within their communities."

Thanks to economic conditions, the ranks of the government-assisted are growing. This year in Ohio, there are 1.8 million households near the poverty level. The new program provides this group, which has notoriously limited access to fresh food, a new shopping option and offers farmers a broader customer base. Letters went out to recipients earlier this year to let them know about the option.

There's a huge amount of federal food dollars available in Ohio, said Laura Zimmerman, manager of the Clintonville Farmers Market.

"A very small percentage go to farmer's markets, and yet, that's a place where people can get really wonderful food."

Some farmers speculate that markets might not be interested in broadening their customer base-at least socio-economically.

"Most of our customers are middle- to high-income earners," said Howard Crum, a strawberry farmer from Marion who sells at local markets and serves as president for the Pearl Alley Grower's Association, which runs a handful of markets in the region.

In fact, most market directors lure farmers to their strip of land along High or Broad streets with the assumption that it is overrun with disposable income, he said. And anyway, "Markets might not be the place to go if you are on a tight budget-grocery stores might be their best bet."

Smaller-scale producers have difficulty competing with large grocery store chains that have the means to ship produce in from all over the globe, Crum said. His products are fresher and maybe even healthier, but "by the time you figure in the costs of gas, insurance, booth rentals," and other expenses required for the homegrown "roadshow," it's tough to compete.

Your Questions About Ohio Foreclosure Help | Short Sale ...

Questions about foreclosure in the state of Ohio.?

I’ve owned my house for seven years. I do not have an adjustable rate mortgage, and, in fact, my house payment is not too unreasonable as it is pretty comparable to most of the area rents in this area. My problem is that I have a job that doesn’t pay very much … actually less than $10 an hour, and my income has not increased with the cost of living. I also have two teenagers and the support money I use to make my house payment will end in three years. At the time I bought the house, I was making slightly more than I am now, and, of course, I thought my income would increase with time, which it hasn’t. Also, I’ve tried to find a better job for the past four or five years, and although I’m called for interviews, I never get the job. I’ve also tried to find a part-time job, but the part-time jobs I’ve interviewed for don’t want to work around my full-time hours. Also, my daughter, the oldest, works a part-time job to pay her car insurance, but lately, her income has actually been going towards car repairs. At the present time, we’re sharing my car. Also, I might add that I’m within the poverty income guidelines and would have to make another $585 a month not to qualify for such things as HEAP and insurance for my kids. I’ve also been placed on the waiting list for low-income housing … I even qualify for that.

Recently, a mobile home became available for rent in my area. The rent is half as much as my house payment. Although it is only a two bedroom and I have a boy and a girl, I could sleep on the couch … I could make this work because I could actually help my kids out. Both are talking about education past high school, and I worry that if I’m unable to help them out once they’re out of high school, they’ll become discouraged and quit to get a mediocre job like I did when I was young.

At the present time, I have difficulty in buying groceries and keeping up with my utilities. I cannot save money because I don’t make enough to save. Each time I attempt to put money away, I have to help my daughter buy a part for her car or something around the house breaks.

I’ve attempted to refinance. Chase told me I didn’t have enough equity in my home and I barely made enough money to qualify.

Ohio direction card record, know your balance

Fare policies, structures and technologies, update

The Smart Card Report

Project Blacksheep, The Book of Burton

Official gazette of the United States Patent Office