Farmer’s Favorites: Cleaning Tools

As part of our SCRUB Project, we have been demonstrating a wide range of Cleaning Tools for Produce Farms, on-farm with growers. This has opened up the question, “Which one(s) should I buy for this specific cleaning task?” Based on our experience and feedback from partner farms, here are some of our favorites that we’d …

Patient Pursuit of Packshed Happiness at Ananda Gardens

Patrick Sullivan and Melisa Oliva have been farming for 5 years at Ananda Gardens, a CSA Farm in Middlesex, Vermont. They have been working to grow their farm and improve their wash-pack area as they renovated the 1950s dairy barn that stood on the property. They have 150 CSA members between the fall and spring …

Building a Better Greens Bubbler

Introduction Leafy greens are a popular crop among consumers seeking a healthy and nutritious diet year-round. As a crop that is grown close to the ground in a variety of systems, often it is important to remove soil from the leaves before marketing. A relatively high volume dunk tank with several, typically lower volume, follow-on …

Cleaning Tools & Supplies for Produce Farms

Table of Contents Brushes BroomsScrapersSqueegeesMops, Sponges & ScrubbersBuckets & CaddiesAccompanying ToolsLabelingColor CodingPurchase LocationsVideo OverviewA PDF of this resources is available here. Farms of various sizes all have tools and equipment that need to be cleaned and sanitized. This equipment varies in how well it has been designed to be cleaned; its level of hygienic design. …

Sharpening the Edges: Wash/Pack Efficiencies in a New Farm Building at Small Axe Farm

A video version of this case study is available here and a printable PDF is available here. Evan Perkins & Heidi Choate own and operate Small Axe Farm in Barnet, Vermont. Together, they have been farming mixed vegetables for over 20 years and have been running Small Axe Farm since 2008.  About Small Axe Farm …

Safely Dispensing Sanitizers

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 …

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 …

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 …

Improving Handwashing Stations

A downloadable PDF of this blog post and assembly guide is available here. A video overview of a DIY Handwashing Station can be seen 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 …

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