He pulled out his wallet and flashed his Long Island Farm Bureau card.

“We just love this thing,” says Ira Freiband, of Hampton Bays, Long Island. “It gets us a ten percent discount for fresh produce at roadside farm markets.”

It’s all part of Long Island Farm Bureau’s “preferred providers” program, and it’s not just farms that offer the discounts to Farm Bureau members. At last count, there were four wineries, nine service providers (like electricians, pest control, and auto repair), seven retail stores (such as household appliances, clothing stores, and auto parts), three restaurants, three tourist attractions, and twelve farm fresh markets.

“Most of our discount users come in May and June,” says Howard Johnson, whose family farm has been operating on Cedar Road, in East Northport (Huntington) for 105 years. “They come for the flowers and bedding plants, mostly.”

The 10 percent discount that Johnson offers Farm Bureau members seems bigger on these more expensive items (compared to a dozen ears of corn, which he also sells).

Although he may lose a little potential income on the transaction, he says, it’s worth it because of the promotional programs that Long Island Farm Bureau puts into the program, such as being listed on the Long Island Farm Bureau Web site and the radio promotions.

“I think being in the ‘preferred providers’ program helps get people in the door,” says Johnson. “Then it’s my job to keep them coming back. If I don’t, I am doing something wrong.”