The Healthy Incentives Program (HIP) is a statewide program to encourage the purchase of fruits and vegetables directly from farmstands and farmers’ markets. If you have SNAP benefits, you automatically have HIP. You do not need to do anything to register, and you can immediately use it to purchase produce! As of December 2024, the monthly amount for each eligible household is $20, regardless of family size.
It’s easy to use: the Healthy Incentives Program gives an instant refund when you buy produce with SNAP from HIP-certified farmers. At the LFM, all four produce farms (Busa Farm, Farmer Dave’s, Kelley Farm and Stillman’s Farm) are HIP-certified.
Here’s an example of how to use your HIP benefit: Select apples and corn at a HIP-certified farmer’s tent. Give the farmer your SNAP/ebt card, and they will swipe it to check how much in HIP funds you have available. If you spend $12, you’ll instantly get $12 back into your account. Note that you must have at least $1 in your account for the farmer to process the transaction.
Each month, you should spend the full $20 before the beginning of the next cycle, as any unspent funds do not roll over to the following month.
Questions? Stop by the Market Manager’s tent to learn more!