Happy Spring!

Happy Spring!

april is national garden month

APRIL IS GARDEN MONTH 

The Market will be open every Saturday in April with a special focus on gardening. 


Opportunities
Please read below for several upcoming trainings and grant opportunities. 
 
Farm Bill Listening SessionMake your voice heard! Join this VIRTUAL Farm Bill Listening Session. 
Wednesday, March 29th at 11:30 am 

RSVP

ZOOM LINK

CFAP Payments Extended

Deadline March 31

Another round of Coronavirus Food Assistance Program payments are available. 

*-You must apply for additional payment by March 31. *To apply, you must
fill out the CCC-860 form attached below (it is really short!!) and send
that to your local county FSA office.
-Underserved, beginning, limited resource, and veteran producers are all
encouraged to apply. CCC-860 is a form that certifies that you are one of
these producer types. Definitions for each of these producer types
(socially disadvantaged, limited resource, beginning, or veteran) can be
found in the CCC-860 form.
-Any producer can complete a CCC-860 (and therefore be officially
recognized as a socially disadvantaged, etc. producer in the future), but
only those who have already signed up and been approved for prior CFAP
payments will receive the additional CFAP funds.

Farmers Market Vendor Training

Tuesday, April 11th
5 to 7 pm 

The LSU AgCenter is offering a food safety training for farmers market vendors on Tuesday, April 11, with a focus on market day food safety and cottage foods.  The in-person location will be the AgCenter’s Northeast Research Station conference room in St. Joseph.  The training is from 5 PM to 7 PM.  A catered meal from the Walking Pig will be served to all in-person participants.  There is no cost for the training or meal as these are covered by a grant from the LSU AgCenter’s CDC HOP grant/Healthy Communities Coalition. 
Those who cannot attend in person may attend via a virtual link.

USDA Value-Added Producer Grant 

Deadline May 11th

The USDA has a grant opportunity for farmers who produce value-added products for both planning grants up to $75,000 and working capital grants up to $250,000. This requires a Federal DUNS number.


Reminders

Pet Policy 

We recognize that pets at the market create strong feelings on both sides of the issue. Red Stick Farmers Market has had a no pet policy for 15 years. Lately, there has been an increase in pets at the market. Several people have noted that they asked vendors and they said it was ok. We would like for everyone to have consistent messaging. Due to past issues with elderly people tripping over leashes, dogs at eye level with kids in strollers, and health concerns with pets using the restroom in the marketplace with fresh food, it creates liability for health and safety reasons. We appreciate your help with this issue. 


New Token Policy

BREADA’s SNAP Match limit has been increased from $15 to $50. This is due to a new funding source for SNAP Match from the Louisiana State Budget, called Greaux the Good. This exciting new program means increased revenue for our vendors! We have introduced a new $5 SNAP Black Token for this. If you missed the February 4th Vendor Training, you must contact Lisa or Darlene to get trained before you can turn in the new tokens. The funding requires a signature from each vendor certifying you have been trained and acknowledge the rules.  Two very important rules: 

All SNAP tokens and SNAP Match tokens can only be redeemed for SNAP-eligible food products. 

No cash can be given as change for SNAP or SNAP Match tokens. 

Please review the Token Guide below to get the full details about token protocols. We have laminated copies for every vendor to keep handy at your booth. Please let us know if you need one. 


RED STICK FARMERS MARKET HOURS

An outside, producer-only market featuring locally grown fresh produce.

Thursday
8 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Pennington Biomedical

Saturday
8 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Main Street Market

MAIN STREET MARKET HOURS

Downtown Baton Rouge’s public marketplace featuring breakfast, lunch, and local shopping.

Monday – Friday
7 a.m. – 2 p.m.
Main Street Market

Saturdays
7 a.m. – 12 p.m.
Main Street Market