LOCAL FOOD SAFETY COLLABORATIVE
Specialty Crop Spotlight Farm Tours & Webinar Recordings
Mellowfields Farm
Kansas Specialty Crop Farm Spotlight: Mellowfields Farm At Mellowfields Farm Kevin and Jessi cultivate almost 3 acres of Kansas River bottom soil. After several years of being somewhat nomadic [...]
Simple Abundance Farm
Kansas Specialty Crop Farm Spotlight: Simple Abundance Farm Simple Abundance Farm started as a 4 x 8 foot of plywood in Adam and Maggie Pounds’ basement where they grew [...]
Rommey Farms
Kansas Specialty Crop Farm Spotlight: Rommey Farms In 2016 Susan and Don established Rommey Farms the heart of the Flint Hills, just west of Cassoday. With a half-acre tilled [...]
CHECK OUT UPCOMING EVENTS
SCHOLARSHIPS AVAILABLE FOR PSA GROWER TRAINING
Simple Abundance Farm’s Maggie and Dan share the value of food safety training . . .
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.
WHICH TRAINING IS RIGHT FOR YOUR FARM?
INTRODUCTION TO PRODUCE SAFETY
Half-Day Workshop
Who should attend:
Fruit and vegetable growers and others interested in learning about produce safety and the FSMA Produce Safety Rule. Note that attending this course will NOT meet the training requirements of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule.
This course is a 4-hour, hands on training session that will teach fruit and vegetable growers the core principles of produce safety, the new FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) produce safety rule. Attendees will also receive free water testing after the workshop.
Topics to be covered:
– Produce Safety Basics
– Worker Hygiene
– Soil Amendments
– Wildlife and animals
– Agricultural water
– Postharvest handling
– FSMA requirements and exemptions
– Water sampling and testing
PRODUCE SAFETY ALLIANCE GROWER TRAINING
Full-Day Workshop
Who Should Attend:
Fruit & vegetable growers and others interested in learning about produce safety, the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule, Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), and co-management of natural resources and food safety.
The PSA Grower Training Course is one way to satisfy the FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirement outlined in §112.22(c).
Participants will learn about produce safety practices and key parts of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule as outlined within each of seven modules. There will be time for questions so participants should come prepared to share experiences during discussions in each of these areas:
– Introduction to Produce Safety
– Worker Health, Hygiene, and Training
– Soil Amendments
– Wildlife, Domesticated Animals, and Land Use
– Agricultural Water (Production and Postharvest)
– Postharvest Handling and Sanitation
– How to Develop a Farm Food Safety Plan
PAST FOOD SAFETY EDUCATION EVENTS
CHASING THE FLAVOR: Produce Farm Twilight Tour highlights specialty crop farms and basics of post-harvest handling
“Peaches,” Tom Brown said. “For five years I asked hundreds and hundreds of people in the Wichita area about what kinds of produce they would pay a premium for, and, I’m serious, I think 99 percent of them said fresh peaches.”
That’s because a fresh-picked, straight-off-the-tree peach is a succulent explosion of tangy sweetness that simply cannot be experienced when plucked from grocery store shelves. Like other kinds of vegetables and fruits which have been bred to favor longevity and durability over taste—tomatoes comes to mind—form does not guarantee flavor, and flavor is the ultimate goal for producers like Brown.
Continue Reading…
WHAT IS THE LOCAL FOOD SAFETY COLLABORATIVE?
The Local Food Safety Collaborative is a collaboration between National Farmers Union Foundation and the Food and Drug Administration to provide training, education, and outreach to local producers and processors to enhance the fundamental knowledge of food safety, and to help these local producers and processors comply with applicable Food Safety Modernization Act regulations.
The Local Food Safety Collaborative is led by National Farmers Union Foundation in partnership with Cornell University, Maryland Department of Agriculture, Washington State Department of Agriculture, National Young Farmers Coalition, Deep South Food Alliance, and New England Farmers Union.
FOOD SAFETY EDUCATION RESOURCES
WHO ARE OUR LOCAL PROJECT PARTNERS?
Kansas Farmers Union was selected as a collaborator on the National Farmers Union Foundation’s Local Food Safety Collaborative project funded by a cooperative agreement with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The goal of this work is to provide outreach, education, and training to small local food producers and processors on the Produce Safety and Preventive Controls rules of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). We will particularly focus on organic, sustainable, value-added and diversified farmers and processors. The project will build upon existing available resources and modify the delivery of the required trainings to serve local food producers in particular. It will focus on identifying and better understanding the unique needs of the sector in attaining compliance with FSMA and establishing targeted resources and training to address their needs. Learn More…
Questions? Contact Project Director Mary Howell: kfu.mary@gmail.com