Iowa State University (ISU) Extension and Outreach in Iowa and Johnson County along with the Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship (IDALS) are cooperating to provide training for local food and farmer’s market producers. The training is for producers who would like become certified to participate in the Women, Infants and Children (WIC) Farmers Market Nutrition Program (FMNP) and Senior FMN. This is the first time Extension offices in Iowa have offered the training to farmers so that they are certified to be able to accept FMNP checks.

“I am excited that Extension offices are supporting this program, as it is helpful to local farmers, farmers markets, young families and the seniors who benefit from the program,” said Gene Mohling, Region 15 Director for ISU Extension and Outreach. “We are proud that we can offer the use of county Extension office space to provide easy access to this training.”

For the 2018 season, there will only be webinar training options, replacing all previous video training methods. Individuals are able to attend any of the webinars from their home, library, or family computer. Throughout the state, ISU Extension and Outreach is partnering with IDALS to deliver these webinars through April to those who wish to view the webinars at Extension locations and those with limited access to a computer or internet connection. Webinars through April will be available for viewing at county Extension offices. Individuals must sign in at the office to account for their attendance.

Below is a listing of the dates, times and registration URLs of each webinar available at ISU Extension and Outreach offices. It is recommended that people register at least 24 hours prior to the training session.

Thursday, March 22

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Registration URL: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/8947869995481495553

Tuesday, April 10

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Registration URL: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/8947869995481495553

Wednesday, April 25

10:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m.

Registration URL: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/rt/8947869995481495553

Iowa and Johnson County Extension are two of the twenty ISU Extension and Outreach locations across the state that is showing the webinars.

In 2017, WIC recipients in the state of Iowa redeemed $383,000 dollars in certificates and seniors redeemed $477,000 in certificates. The funds are spent only at farmers markets and with local farmers for locally grown fruits and vegetables.

Each webinar will last around 45 min. – 1 hour. If you have questions, you can contact Stephanie Groom at 515-725-1179 or stephanie.groom@iowaagriculture.gov