Take your farm to the next level of safe and efficient vegetable handling systems with Sanitizing and Cleaning Resources for your Business
Why this Program?
The SCRUB program builds upon systems that growers may already have in place or have been planning to implement. It aims to assist and improve those systems using a “flow management” approach – following how you move and flow from the field, through the pack shed, and out to market – by providing tools and technical advice to analyze and maximize the capacity of your farm. The focus will be on “lean” operating systems to improve the cleanliness, efficiency, organization, and profitability of your farm.
Who should participate?
This program focuses on meeting the needs of small and medium scale farms, though it will be of benefit to all types and sizes of farms, and is aimed at growers who want more than a “one-off” workshop experience. If you are a commercial vegetable grower with the ability to implement and commit to changes to your farm’s vegetable handling systems, then this program is for you. It’s free, the only costs being your time. Vegetable farms in any state are welcome to participate, though on-site farm visits may be limited to the regions where the project partners work.
What Will You Get by Participating?
- Access to technically advanced and practical information about affordable, efficient and safe methods for handling fresh produce. This includes case studies about real farms, fact sheets on best practices, videos of equipment and infrastructure use and maintenance, and templates to up your record keeping game.
- Over several years, attendance at in-depth, small-group workshops that will provide steps you can take to implement specific changes to your operating system and a plan for how to move forward.
- Individualized technical support from our project team via web calls, on-farm visits, phone, e-mail or text.
What’s expected of participating farms?
A desire to critically examine your produce-handling operations and a willingness to adopt improvements, large and small. Participants will be asked to provide basic information about your farm and the areas that you think could use improvement. Over time, you’ll be asked to describe and document changes you make to your systems. All information provided will be combined with other growers and remain confidential.
Want to learn more?
Visit our project web site at www.go.uvm.edu/scrub to meet our project partners, see some of the educational resources we have already developed, and sign up for project updates.
Acknowledgements
This program is led by University of Vermont Extension, the National Farmers Union Foundation, and Cornell Cooperative Extension, as part of the Food Safety Outreach Program. Grant number 2020-70020-33003 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. It is offered without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, or any other category legally protected by federal or state law.
