Jan Walters is the owner of Jan Walters’ Consulting Services, LLC. The company provides technical assistance and support for Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and WIC (Women, Infants & Children) EBT and farmers markets. She believes that everyone should have the opportunity to purchase fresh, locally grown produce at farmers markets. Most farmers markets currently lack the ability to accept SNAP debit cards.
As the former SNAP EBT director for Iowa, Jan has thirty-seven years of government experience, including contracts, budgeting, and administration of the SNAP EBT program.
Jan created and implemented the nationally recognized Iowa EBT Wireless Project in 2005. (Checkout www.dhs.ia.us/foodassitance/farmersmarkets) Under her direction, this program enabled 167 individual farmers, each year, to utilize wireless technology to accept SNAP and commercial debit and credit cards at farmers markets, as well as on their own farms. Jan instituted a customer and farmer survey form in order to obtain results which are documented in the project’s Annual Report. Iowa farmers have been able to increase gross sales from 10-25% per year using the wireless technology. In 2009, SNAP EBT transactions increased by 48% for farmers markets.
Jan is also co-owner of Tarre De’ Amore farms in Iowa. Besides running a cow/calf operation, Jan grows several acres of produce and sells them at farmers markets. She specializes in heirloom winter squash, pumpkins, gourds, ornamental corn as well as tomatoes, and potatoes. Jan is a certified FNS retailer and an authorized WIC retailer (WIC and Senior FMNP, WIC CVV). Jan uses wireless technology for her farmers market operation.
For more information on Jan Walters’ Consulting Services, LLC, go to www.ebtmarketsolutions.com