A seasonal WIC benefit for buying fruits and vegetables at farmers markets
Families on WIC may be able to get an extra seasonal benefit that pays for fresh fruits and vegetables at farmers markets. It is called the WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program, and it is handed out through WIC clinics in the states that run it. The quickest way to find out whether it exists where you live is to ask at your next WIC appointment.
Clinic staff do not always bring the benefit up on their own, and in many places the money runs out early in the season. Asking directly, and asking early in the year, gives you a better chance of getting it.
This page covers the WIC version of the program only. Paying at a market with a regular SNAP EBT card is a different topic, covered in the NHPB guide to using SNAP food stamps at farmers markets. A separate seasonal market program exists for lower income seniors, but it runs through aging agencies rather than WIC and is not covered here.
How the program normally works
The federal government funds the program through yearly grants to states, tribes, and territories that choose to run it, and each one manages its own version. The benefit is seasonal and comes on top of the regular monthly WIC benefits a family already gets. It does not replace anything.
Not every state takes part, and the details — who gets it, how much, and when it goes out — differ from one program to the next. Even inside a state that runs it, the benefit may only be offered in certain counties or through certain clinics.
Many states shorten the name to FMNP on their websites, signs, and market apps, and a few may use their own name for it. If the clinic calls it something slightly different, it is normally the same benefit.
Who may be able to get it
The benefit goes to people who are already on WIC — pregnant and postpartum women, infants, and young children. Each state decides which of those groups it serves, so two neighboring states may cover different people. In some states, people on a waiting list for WIC can qualify too.
There is normally no separate application. Clinics tend to hand the benefit out during regular WIC appointments once the season starts, and some areas hold pickup events where families get it in person.
Funds are often limited and given out first come, first served. The benefit can be gone well before the market season ends, which is another reason to ask early.
What the benefit often looks like
Some states still issue paper checks or vouchers for the season. A growing number load the benefit electronically instead — onto the WIC card, into an app, or through a code the farmer scans. The clinic can explain which format your state uses and how to spend it.
The amount is modest and meant to add fresh produce to what a family already buys, not to cover groceries. It is also separate from the monthly fruit and vegetable amount that already comes on the WIC card, so a family may have both at the same time.
The benefit normally expires when the market season closes, and anything unspent is lost. With paper checks, farmers often cannot give change, so it helps to pick out produce close to the full value of each check.
What it normally buys, and where it is often used
The program pays for fresh, unprepared, locally grown fruits and vegetables, and in many states fresh cut herbs as well. Some states limit spending to food grown inside the state, and a few add other fresh items to their list. Hot food, processed food, and anything that is not food are not covered.
Spending only works with farmers, farmers markets, and farm or roadside stands the state has approved to take the benefit. In many states, vendors who only resell produce grown by someone else cannot be approved, so the benefit tends to go straight to the people who grew the food.
Approved sellers usually post a program sign at their booth, and the information table at a market can point out who takes the benefit. Many states also publish a list of participating markets each season, and some offer a phone app that maps them.
The season follows the local growing calendar, often starting in late spring or early summer and running into the fall. Dates shift by state and by year, so treat the season as something to confirm locally.
How to ask for it
Start with your WIC clinic, either at an appointment or with a phone call, and ask whether the Farmers Market Nutrition Program is offered where you live and when benefits go out. If the clinic cannot answer, the state agency that runs the program — often the agriculture or health department — should be able to.
The USDA Food and Nutrition Administration lists every participating state, tribe, and territory, with contact information, on its Farmers Market Nutrition Program contacts page at https://www.fna.usda.gov/fmnp/contacts. Program rules and background are on the agency's WIC Farmers Market Nutrition Program page at https://www.fna.usda.gov/fmnp/wic-farmers-market-nutrition-program.
If your state does not run the program, a market trip can still be paid for in other ways. In many states the regular WIC card works with approved farmers, and many markets around the country take SNAP EBT cards.
If you are not on WIC yet
This benefit is tied to WIC, so for most families joining WIC is the first step. WIC itself helps pay for groceries each month for pregnant women, new mothers, and young children, and it costs nothing to apply.
The NHPB guide to what WIC gives your family and how to sign up covers the monthly benefits, who qualifies, and how to apply. Once a family is enrolled, the seasonal market benefit is one more thing to ask the clinic about.
Program rules, benefit formats, and participating states change from season to season, and each state sets its own schedule. Confirm the current details with your WIC clinic or the agency that runs the program in your state before counting on the benefit.
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