Project Description

Project Manager for MarketLink

Amy Crone is the Project Manager for MarketLink, a national initiative developed in collaboration with USDA to increase acceptance of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) at farmers markets and by direct marketing farmers. MarketLink, a program of the National Association of Farmers Market Nutrition Programs (NAFMNP), is the only app-based means of accepting SNAP available, and since its start in 2013 has enabled sales of more than $104m in SNAP and more than $168m nationwide in total sales by farmers markets and direct marketing farmers. The MarketLink team has also developed technology to enable a shift from paper to electronic FMNPs, electronic incentive programs, and for farmers to accept SNAP Online, all of which have been implemented across the country.

Formerly, she was the Executive Director of the Maryland Farmers Market Association (“MDFMA”), a nonprofit organization that she founded in 2012. Prior to her current roles, she was with the Maryland Department of Agriculture as state point of contact for farmers market issues and administered the Maryland Farmers Market Nutrition Program (Seniors and Women, Infants and Children or “WIC”). Crone is a nationally recognized expert on federal nutrition assistance programs, who has experience in speaking to a variety of audiences across the country. She currently serves on the Maryland Agricultural Commission representing the Farm Direct sector, is the Chair of the Anne Arundel County Agricultural Commission, and is a member of the LEAD Maryland Board of Directors. Ms. Crone lives on a diversified farm in Maryland with her husband and two children.