OSU Extension, Hamilton County is excited to be part of the Produce Perks program and to receive funding from Interact for Health. This $24,000 grant is a one year planning grant from Interact for Health, a non-profit in Hamilton County, to work on expansion of the Produce Perks program.  The picture features Kim Martini and Chris Olinsky from OSU Extension, Hamilton County; Tevis Foreman from Creating Healthy Communities /Cincinnati Health Department; Debbie Serenius, R.D. and consultant to the program; and Matt Stephens, Spectrum Labs and private funder as well as Jaime Love, Program Office, Interact for Health.  Next year it will expand to Warren, Butler and Clermont in Ohio and four counties in KY.  We also have been in conversation with Greene and Montgomery counties as well.

‘Produce Perks’ Incentive Helps Improve Fresh Food Access Through Six Area Farmers’ Markets
Six farmers’ markets in Hamilton County are participating in a new pilot program that offers incentive dollars to customers already utilizing the Ohio Direction Card, according to Ohio State University Extension, Hamilton County.

The Produce Perks program increases affordability and accessibility to healthful foods for low-income populations, focusing on access to healthy fruits and vegetables.

The program supports local economies and seeks to expand throughout the county and across the state in the future.

How it works:

Produce Perks are 2-for-1 incentive tokens given to customers at participating farmers’ markets who use an Ohio Direction Card (Electronic Benefits Transfer or EBT card) to purchase food.
A customer wishing to use food assistance benefits can swipe their card at one central terminal, located at the information booths, and ask to withdraw a desired amount.
The market provides tokens for the transaction and additional Produce Perks that can be spent on fruits and vegetables.

The incentive is a dollar-for-dollar match for up to $10 using an Ohio Direction Card at the market.
As the name suggests, Produce Perks are only good for purchasing fruits and vegetables. All other tokens purchased with the Ohio Direction Card are good to use on eligible items at the market.

There is no minimum purchase amount to qualify for the incentives; and Produce Perks tokens can be used at all six participating markets.

The Produce Perks incentive is modeled after a similar program in Cuyahoga County.

It is administered by OSU Extension, Hamilton County as a partnership of OSU Extension, Hamilton County, the Cincinnati Health Department and the City of Cincinnati Creating Healthy Communities initiative.

Participating markets:

Northside Farmers’ Market
Lettuce Eat Well Farmers’ Market
College Hill Farmers’ Market
Wyoming Farmers’ Market
Findlay Market
Findlay Market Farmstand @ Roberts Academy

For more information visit: http://produceperks.org/

Or Contact:

Jenny Even – Ohio State University Extension, Hamilton County
5093 Colerain Ave., Cincinnati OH 45223
Olinsky.1@osu.edu
513-946-8989

Tevis Foreman, MA – Cincinnati Health Department Urban Farming Program
Creating Healthy Communities
3101 Burnet Ave., Ste. 201, Cincinnati, OH 45229
Tevis.Foreman@cincinnati-oh.gov
513-357-7428

The 4-H Agri-Science in the City, Chick Quest at Rothenberg Preparatory Academy was very successful.

The students thoroughly enjoyed their experience engaging with the chicks.

Additionally, they learned about the life cycle and what it takes to take care of life.

For a short video outlining the learning objectives and demonstrating the enjoyment the students felt, watch below or visit: http://go.osu.edu/ChickQuest2015

OSU Extension, 4-H Agri-Science in the City and Rothenberg Preparatory Academy are excited, for a second year in a row, to incubate and hatch baby chicks.  The process began on February 19^th, amid a series of snow days, and will hatch around March 11^th.  The six dozen eggs (72 eggs) are housed in incubators on three floors at Rothenberg.  One incubator is on the ground floor with the Preschool and Kindergarten Students.  On the second floor two incubators are in the science lab, the students from the 1^st and 2^nd grades are helping take care of those eggs.  On the third floor the 3^rd, 4^th and 6^th grade science classes are taking care of incubators in each room.

Once the chicks hatch they will stay in the school for one week and then will make it to their new home in Butler County with a 4-H family.  The Chick Quest project is done in conjunction with the Life Cycles lessons going on in various classrooms.  Student are able to identify that living things require energy, water and a particular range of temperatures in their environment; that living things interact with their physical environments as they meet those needs; and that living things impact the environment in which they live, the environment also impacts living things.