Farmers’ Market Growers:
Sign up to Accept WIC Vouchers

Since summer 2009, fruit and vegetable growers selling at farmers’ markets in Oklahoma have an important new group of customers.  The USDA Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants and Children, known as the WIC Program, has expanded its list of eligible food products to include fruits and vegetables.

Participating low-income pregnant women, new mothers, and their children are now allowed and encouraged to purchase fruits and vegetables using the special paper WIC vouchers they receive each month. 

In the past, WIC benefits have not been provided for fruits and veggies, but rather have been limited to cereals, dairy products, eggs, beans, juice, and infant formula.  But this all changed with the historic rewriting of the regulations governing WIC food packages late in 2007.  The changes reflect the dietary and nutritional needs of this at-risk population, in accordance with recommendations from the National Academies’ Institute of Medicine.

Furthermore, each state now has the option to allow farmers at farmers’ markets (as well as participating grocery stores and supermarkets) to accept the new WIC fruit and vegetable vouchers.  In Oklahoma, staff from the Kerr Center and the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture met with WIC Program leaders at the Oklahoma State Department of Health to explore options for including farmers’ markets as approved sites.

As a result of these meetings, Oklahoma farmers selling fruits and vegetables at farmers’ markets can now be approved to accept the new WIC fruit and vegetable vouchers.  Here’s how it works:

Each of the approximately 100,000 participating women, infants and children in Oklahoma receives a $6, $8 or $10 paper voucher each month for purchasing fruits and vegetables.  They can choose frozen or fresh items from any of over 500 approved retailers, and they can also choose fresh produce from any approved farmers at registered farmers’ markets in the state. 

Approved farmers accept the vouchers, stamp them with their assigned numbers,  and deposit them in their bank accounts just like personal checks. That’s it!

Here’s how farmers can get approved:

1. 1. Be part of a registered farmers’ market in OK.  Check www.okgrown.com/markets for a current list of registered markets, or call Justin Whitmore at the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, 405.522.6194.
2. Visit the WIC Vendor website (username = wic; password = oklahoma)
   OR call 1.888.655.2942, x14765 to request a farmers’ market packet.
3. Review the Vendor Handbook and Sample WIC Farmers Agreement.
4. Complete and return the Farmers Application Form.
5. Once approved, each farmer will be sent a Farmers Agreement and an order form for a stamp.

The more growers who become approved, the easier it will be for the WIC Program and County Health Departments to promote farmers’ markets and to connect their clientele with nearby markets.

For more information about the WIC Farmers’ Market Program, call the WIC Vendor office at the phone number above.  Or contact Justin Whitmore at the Oklahoma Department of Agriculture, Food and Forestry, 405.522.6194, or Doug Walton with the Kerr Center, 918.686.6939.

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