Sanitizers used for treating post-harvest agricultural water on produce farms often come in 2.5, 5, or 10 gallon totes. These totes can be cumbersome to pour from resulting in splashing and spilling. These chemicals are also shipped in concentrations that can cause injury. Here are some simple ways of increasing the safety and accuracy of […]
Category Archives: Post Harvest
Shedding Some Light in the Shed – Lighting for Indoor Work on the Farm
As the days shorten and we turn the clocks back, it may be a great time to think about installing or improving lights in some of our indoor spaces. Maybe you could use a bit more light to see the drill size marking in the workshop. Or, perhaps, you’d like to be able to sort […]
Giving a Dairy Barn New Life at New Leaf Organics
A video version of this case study is available here and a printable PDF is available here. Jill Kopel owns and operates New Leaf Organics in Bristol, Vermont and has over 19 years of farming experience. After many years of growing crops and growing the business she made the decision to invest significantly in her […]
Project Planning for Postharvest Efficiency, Profitability & Food Safety (Free 8-Part Packshed Webinar)
The UVM Extension Produce Safety Team has developed a video series focused on postharvest upgrades for your farm. Whether your project is organizing a relatively simple outside wash station or building a full packshed from scratch, we share the principles and practice with examples to help you make the most of it. An outline of […]
The Ag Engineering Podcast
Where we talk tools, tips and techniques to improve the sustainability of your farm Andy was awarded a 2019 Northeast SARE Grant to produce The Ag Engineering Podcast. In this podcast, we share tools, tips and techniques to improve sustainability on your farm. It was launched in December 2019. This podcast features short-format, easy to […]
Safe and Efficient Drying and Curing of CBD Hemp
UVM Extension Agricultural Engineering, Resource Innovation Institute, Efficiency Vermont, and VT Division of Fire Safety recently teamed up to provide a webinar as part of the UVM Extension NW Crops and Soils Team Hemp and UVM Extension New Farmer Project series. This session focused on safely and efficiently drying and curing hemp to support customer […]
Washing Machine Greens Spinners: Cleaning Tips
Washing machine greens spinners are often used for drying greens on small farms. They do require attention to cleaning and maintenance in order to keep them in sanitary working condition. This blog post highlights some tips to cleaning your greens spinner and provides links to six videos that focus on how to best clean these […]
Necessity is the Mother of Invention: Across The Fence TV Segment on DIY Handwashing Stations
Across The Fence recently featured one of the latest projects we’ve been working on: “Improving Handwashing Stations“. This project focuses on a hands-free, mobile handwashing station for use on farms, at farmers’ markets, or in other public spaces. This work was also highlighted in the Bennington Banner on June 9, 2020.
Improving Handwashing Stations
A downloadable PDF of this blog post and assembly guide is available here. Handwashing has been shown to be one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of transmission of human pathogens between people. But, sometimes we are inconveniently far from the closest wash room and sink. Hand washing stations provide a portable […]
Spray Tables for Produce Farms
If we apply the principles of hygienic design to a spray table it becomes clear that we should think about the cleanability of the materials and the assembly while also thinking about how the materials will hold up over time with repeated use.