Fewer older adults and low- to moderate income mothers and children will receive farmers market food vouchers this summer because of federal cutbacks.
The state Department of Agriculture notified distributors May 28 of the cutbacks and a delay in delivering vouchers. The cutbacks affect recipients eligible for the Women, Infants and Children and Senior Farmers Market Nutrition programs.
Each WIC agency will receive only about half of requested vouchers, and each Area Agency on Aging can expect to receive only about three quarters of its requested number, according to a joint statement by the state Departments of Aging, Agriculture and Health.
The state received less than half the funding that Congress appropriated for the 2025 fiscal year, causing the decrease and delay, according to the statement.
“The federal government has given no explanation or reason for the delay in funding,” the statement said. “Cancellations and delays of this and other federal funding streams, along with drastically reduced staffing at the federal agencies who manage funding contracts have left the question of whether funds will eventually be received up in the air.”
U.S. Rep. Rob Bresnahan, R-Luzerne, blamed the state for the cutbacks.
“The recent decision to reduce benefits for the Farmers Market Vouchers for Seniors program was made at the state level. While I do not control those decisions, I am actively working at the federal level on a bipartisan bill to expand local food purchasing from our farmers to support those most in need. I look forward to announcing that legislation in the coming weeks,” he said in a statement.
Efforts to interview Bresnahan were unsuccessful.
The Department of Agriculture anticipated receiving the vouchers by the end of May. Some distributors received them by June 3.
The cutbacks come after funding changes already cut the senior program in half. Older adults can now only receive $25 in vouchers instead of $50 in previous summers.
WIC recipients are eligible to receive three $10 vouchers.
Eligibility for the senior vouchers is based on income.
Impacts of farmers market voucher decrease on Area Agencies on Aging
Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging Director Sara McDonald said distribution delays could confuse recipients.
“I'm frustrated that such a highly utilized and well coordinated collaborative effort has been a priority to cut,” she said. “It undermines the work and coordination done at the local area agencies on aging to make sure older adults receive this benefit.”
She expressed concern for older adults who might not receive vouchers.
“The community is not responding well to learning the vouchers were being reduced from $10 each to $5 each this year,” said McDonald. “With an increase in food costs, they were already taking a hit by receiving less resources. There will be some eligible seniors who do not receive a voucher this year at all due to the limited availability.”
The Departments of Aging, Agriculture and Health encouraged Pennsylvanians 60 and older to visit community senior centers for meals in the case of voucher loss.
Lackawanna County had the state’s highest redemption rate of senior vouchers - 90.4% - in 2024, according to the Department of Agriculture.
Economic concern for farmers due to voucher program disruption
The state reimburses Pennsylvania farmers when recipients redeem vouchers farmers market stands.
McDonald worries the decrease in vouchers will ripple beyond older Pennsylvanians.
“This is an opportunity for older adults to try fresh produce and healthy foods from farmers, without compromising their budgets,” she said. “It supports our local farmers, who work so hard to set up stands and provide fresh food to our community. It's a collaborative effort that has become so popular that we coordinate a large amount of our outreach efforts around the crowds it draws in. I think a lot of people think this is a local decision, but it really demonstrates the trickle down effect federal government has on local communities.”
The state shares McDonald’s concern about farmers.
“The delay will greatly affect farmers with early-season items like strawberries that are a popular item with Farmers Market Nutrition Program recipients,” the departments said. “These farmers will need to find new buyers for items they expected to sell with vouchers or take a loss and waste food.”
Impacts of farmers market voucher decrease on WIC distributors
Maternal and Family Health Services describes itself as the largest WIC agency in Pennsylvania, serving a quarter of the state’s participants.
The organization anticipated 182,001 vouchers but only received 88,512, president/CEO Maria Montoro Edwards said. The agency distributes vouchers out of 32 offices and centers in 17 counties.
The delays in getting vouchers caused cancellations of “pop-up markets” where recipients can get and cash vouchers on site.
WIC recipients, including children, are eligible to receive three $10 vouchers from June to November for farmers markets. Montoro Edwards said a WIC-eligible family including a mother and two children would be eligible for $90 in farmers market vouchers.
The agency's WIC director Erica Bozentka said voucher demand might exceed supply by the end of summer.
“This is very concerning for us, because we're already dealing with a very fragile population within the WIC program,” Bozentka said. “Their dollars are just not stretching as far as they had in the past. It is a concern, because our families are already in a difficult situation. The way it is, this is a very bad time to be cutting something where there are families who won't be able to receive these benefits.”
The Departments of Aging, Agriculture and Health said WIC distributors are prepared to help eligible people enroll to receive nutrition services, breastfeeding support, health care and social service referrals and healthy foods if they receive fewer vouchers or the vouchers are delayed.
Bozentka said the WIC redemption rate for the voucher program is about 40%, but her agency has taken steps to increase that.
“In 2023, we were around 36,000 in farmers market vouchers redeemed. Last year we were around 92,000. We were really gearing up for this third year to grow and to be even more successful for the families. This is a little bit disappointing,” she said.
Maternal and Family Health uses the program to educate families.
“It's an experience when you go to a farmers market,” Bozentka said. “There's learning opportunities, and there's the ability to talk about how the produce is grown with the local farmers. So it's more than just $30 because there's a lot more that goes into it, and $30 for families is a lot in fresh produce.”
Montoro Edwards cannot understand the logic of reducing a program that promotes nutrition.
“We understand one of the tenets for the current administration is to 'Make America Healthy Again,'” she said. “What could possibly contribute more to making seniors, children and pregnant nursing women healthier than by providing fresh fruits and vegetables?”
