Kansas Farmers Union and the Farmer Veteran Coalition of Kansas are offering new and aspiring farmers an opportunity to visit nine Kansas and Missouri farms and learn from educators, producers and other experts about topics ranging from on farm food safety to business planning.

The Summer Fun Farm Tour Series runs every other Monday beginning July 22 and includes stops across the northeastern region of the state, a local foods lunch, networking, and an educational session. The series wraps up on August 26 with a Produce Safety Alliance Growers Training workshop.

Each farm tour day begins at 8:00 a.m. at the National Agricultural Center and Hall of Fame in Bonner Springs, KS. After visiting the three farms, participants return to the Center’s Smith Event Barn by 12:30 p.m. for a local foods lunch sponsored by the Farm Credit Associations of Kansas. The featured afternoon ag education session concludes by 3:00 p.m. each day. There is no cost to participate, but registration is required.

Navigating the Food Safety Modernization Act can be daunting without assistance.

Produce Safety Rule — the first mandatory federal standard for growing, harvesting, packing and holding of fresh produce — is one of seven that comprise the Food Safety Modernization Act, the most sweeping reform of the nation’s food safety laws in over 70 years.

To assist producers in understanding how the rule will affect them as well as providing a basic outline on good agricultural practices (GAPS) for post-harvest handling, harvesting, washing, storage and packaging produce for safety and quality, Kansas Farmers Union and the Kansas Beginning Farmers Coalition has partnered with K-State Extension, and the Kansas Department of Agriculture  to bring a series of training sessions throughout the state.