21-02-2025
Senior farmers market vouchers will be worth less this year, down from $10 each to $5
Vouchers that eligible older adults can redeem for fresh produce at participating farmers markets will be worth half as much in 2025.
The Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program will this year provide county residents ages 60 and older who meet certain income guidelines with up to five $5 voucher checks they can exchange for fruit, vegetables and herbs at participating farmers markets and farm stands. The value of the vouchers is dropping by half, from $10 last year to $5 this year, reducing the overall amount individual voucher recipients have to spend from $50 to $25.
Lackawanna County officials announced the change in a recent news release, attributing it to a reduced legislative appropriation for the program.
The value of the voucher checks has fluctuated in recent years. They increased in 2020, from $5 to $6, before increasing again to $10 in 2023, thanks to expansion funding provided by the U.S. Department of Agriculture and two-year funding provided under the federal American Rescue Plan Act, according to a state Department of Agriculture budget presentation for fiscal year 2024-25.
The document noted the voucher values 'could recede in 2025 without additional federal or state investments.'
The change impacts a program particularly popular among Lackawanna County older adults, who last year redeemed farmers market vouchers at the highest rate in Pennsylvania. It's administered in the county by the Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging.
State figures for 2024 show Lackawanna County recipients redeemed 32,875 of the 36,350 voucher checks issued here, a state-high redemption rate of about 90.4%. Lackawanna was the only county in Pennsylvania to crack the 90% mark.
The value of the redeemed vouchers was $328,750 last year. They would be worth $164,375 this year.
Elsewhere in the region, the Area Agency on Aging for Luzerne and Wyoming Counties administers the Senior Farmers Market Nutrition Program in those counties. State figures list 39,555 vouchers redeemed in 'Luzerne' for a 2024 redemption rate of about 89.1%, though it's likely those figures also include vouchers redeemed by Wyoming County recipients.
Lackawanna County Area Agency on Aging Director Sara McDonald recently attributed the program's local success in the county partly to its in-person distribution process. Reached Monday, McDonald said the reduction in voucher values will be unexpected by those who benefit from them.
'As a partner agency who plays a role in the distribution of vouchers, it's important to Area Agencies on Aging to communicate this to people in advance of the distributions,' she said in a text message. 'Cutting the vouchers in half as food costs continue to increase will impact many income eligible seniors by providing less choice when purchasing healthy produce from the farmers markets.'
McDonald said last month that local officials usually distribute the vouchers in June and early July. The Farmers Market Nutrition Program season runs from June through November, according to the state Department of Agriculture's website.
Information on the 2025 voucher season will be posted online at when it becomes available. Program information is also available via the state Department of Agriculture's website,
