Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) Grower Training

Passing this on from the VT Agency of Agriculture. All farms subject to the Food Safety Modernization Act are required to have at least one supervisor or responsible party who has completed this or a similar training approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Want to know if you’re covered under FSMA? Here are the guidelines for exemption fromthe Vermont Produce Program:

Exempt Produce Farms

A produce farm is eligible for a qualified exemption under the Produce Safety Rule when:

· The farm’s average annual food sales over the past 3 years are less than $500,000. (Adjusted for inflation, the average 3 year value for 2019–2021 is $584,908.)

AND

· More than 50% of the farm’s average annual food sales over the past 3 years were to qualified end-users, which include the consumer of the food OR a retail food establishment, such as a restaurant or grocery store, located in Vermont or within 275 miles of the farm.

Qualified Exempt farms must meet recordkeeping and labeling requirements to maintain the exemption. Find the Qualified Exemption Self-Certification Form on our website at agriculture.vermont.gov/food-safety/produce-program/exempt-produce-farms.

Excluded Produce Farms

Farms that meet one of the following criteria are excluded and are not required to meet Produce Safety Rule requirements or undergo farm inspections.

· Farms with less than $25,000 in average annual produce sales over the past 3 years. (Adjusted for inflation, the average 3 year value for 2019–2021 is $29,245.)

· Farms that grow produce only for personal consumption.

· Farms that only grow produce that FDA considers “rarely consumed raw.”

Even if your farm is exempt or excluded, this valuable information to know, I have done the training myself and found it very useful. -TB

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The Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM) Produce Program and University of Vermont (UVM) Extension are excited to announce registration for our annual Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) Grower Training.

Here is the registration link.

This training is for all growers, gleaners, farmworkers, and those supporting farms to cover produce safety topics under the FDA Produce Safety Rule including:

  • Introduction to Produce Safety
  • Worker Health, Hygiene, and Training
  • Soil Amendments
  • Wildlife, Domesticated Animals, and Land Use
  • Agricultural Water (Part 1: Production Water; Part 2: Postharvest Water)
  • Postharvest Handling and Sanitation
  • How to Develop a Farm Food Safety Plan

If you or someone on your farm has already completed the PSA Grower Training, consider attending as a refresher or sending another employee. We will be delivering the updated Production Water Module. The course certificate is issued to the individual, rather than the farm. Not only can this training enrich your farm’s produce safety culture and employees’ working knowledge, but it also serves as professional development that your employees can carry with them throughout their farming careers.

This training also satisfies the FDA Produce Safety Rule requirement for covered farms that “at least one supervisor or responsible party” completes food safety training “recognized as adequate” by FDA (21 C.F.R. 122.22(c)).

To receive your certificate, you must attend all components of the training:

  • March 5 from 9AM to 12PM – ONLINE
  • March 6 from 8:30AM to 4PM – IN PERSON at the Berlin UVM Extension Office

We will be providing lunch, refreshments, and snacks for the in-person training. The course will be delivered in English and participants will receive an English-Language PSA Grower Training manual.

AGR.Produce or 802-828-2433.

Warmly,

The Vermont Produce Program

Eastern Viticulture and Enology Forum Webinar Series

Good morning:

The full schedule for the 2025 Eastern Viticulture and Enology webinar series is out: Fifth Annual Eastern Viticulture and Enology Forum Webinar Series. Eastern Viticulture and Enology Forum Series (EVEF) is a collaborative effort between the Penn State Extension Grape and Wine Team and viticulture and/or enology Extension programs from the following U.S. land grant institutions: Colorado State University, Cornell University, University of Georgia, Iowa State University, University of Maryland, Michigan State University, University of Minnesota, North Carolina State University, Ohio State University, and Rutgers University, Texas A&M; University, University of Vermont, Virginia Tech, and University of Wisconsin. As part of the Eastern Viticulture and Enology Forum Webinar Series, this session is a collaborative effort between these viticulture and enology extension programs coordinated for grape growers and winemakers.

The series is delivered free to participants, though pre-registration is required to access the live webinars. All viticulture webinars will be held from 12:00 p.m. to 1:30 p.m. ET and all enology webinars will be held from 1:00 to 2:00 PM ET (dates and topics in the below table).

Date Focus Topic
21-Jan-25 Viticulture Vineyard Nutrient Management: Expert Forum Discussion
28-Jan-25 Enology SO2 Management: Putting Theory into Practice
18-Feb-25 Viticulture Vineyard floor and weed management: Expert Forum Discussion
25-Feb-25 Enology A discussion on piquette, low alcohol wines and value-added products
11-Mar-25 Viticulture Vineyard disease management: Expert Forum Discussion
18-Mar-25 Enology The wine microbiome and native fermentations
15-Apr-25 Viticulture Vineyard Sprayer Best Practices and Technology: Expert Forum Discussion
29-Apr-25 Enology Managing low vs high pH; A Northern vs Southern US perspective

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Terence Bradshaw (he/him)
Associate Professor, Specialty Crops

Chair, Dept of Agriculture, Landscape, and Environment
(formerly Plant and Soil Science)
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

University of Vermont
117/210 – Jeffords Hall | 63 Carrigan Dr
Burlington, VT 05405

(802) 922-2591 | tbradsha
https://go.uvm.edu/pssbradshaw

UVM Commercial Horticulture | UVM Fruit Blog
Horticulture Research and Education Center
Message me on Teams

UVM’s Our Common Ground Values:
Respect | Integrity | Innovation | Openness | Justice | Responsibility

UVM is subject to the Vermont Public Records Act and communications to and from this email address, including attachments, are subject to disclosure unless exempted under the Act or otherwise applicable law.

February 21: 129th VTFGA / UVM Fruit Program Annual Meeting and Winter Webinar series

Happy New Year:

I have news of two exciting educational opportunities coming up in the next few months. First, the Vermont Tree Fruit Growers Association will hold their 129th (!) annual meeting in conjunction with the UVM Fruit Program on Friday, February 21 at the American Legion Hall, 49 Wilson Rd., Middlebury, VT. The agenda and registration form is located at https://go.uvm.edu/25uvmvtfgaagenda, online registration (preferred) is at: https://go.uvm.edu/25uvmvtfgamtg.

Second, we will again be running a series of winter lunchtime webinars this season in conjunction with our partners at the New England land grant universities and Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture Program. More information on those can be found at: https://ag.umass.edu/fruit/news-events/northeast-extension-fruit-consortium

See you soon.

Terry

__

Terence Bradshaw (he/him)
Associate Professor, Specialty Crops

Chair, Dept of Agriculture, Landscape, and Environment
(formerly Plant and Soil Science)
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

University of Vermont
117/210 – Jeffords Hall | 63 Carrigan Dr
Burlington, VT 05405

(802) 922-2591 | tbradsha
https://go.uvm.edu/pssbradshaw

UVM Commercial Horticulture | UVM Fruit Blog
Horticulture Research and Education Center
Message me on Teams

UVM’s Our Common Ground Values:
Respect | Integrity | Innovation | Openness | Justice | Responsibility

UVM is subject to the Vermont Public Records Act and communications to and from this email address, including attachments, are subject to disclosure unless exempted under the Act or otherwise applicable law.

EVEF: Vineyard Nutrient Management webinar January 21

The Eastern Viticulture and Enology Forum Webinar Series is a collaboration among programs from fourteen universities and will offer four educational webinars this winter on important vineyard management topics.

Please join us January 21, 12:00-1:30 PM for a discussion on Vineyard Nutrient Management. Preregistration is free but required. Details are available at: Vineyard Nutrient Management: Expert Forum Discussion

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Terry

__

Terence Bradshaw (he/him)
Associate Professor, Specialty Crops

Chair, Dept of Agriculture, Landscape, and Environment
(formerly Plant and Soil Science)
College of Agriculture and Life Sciences

University of Vermont
117/210 – Jeffords Hall | 63 Carrigan Dr
Burlington, VT 05405

(802) 922-2591 | tbradsha
https://go.uvm.edu/pssbradshaw

UVM Commercial Horticulture | UVM Fruit Blog
Horticulture Research and Education Center
Message me on Teams

UVM’s Our Common Ground Values:
Respect | Integrity | Innovation | Openness | Justice | Responsibility

UVM is subject to the Vermont Public Records Act and communications to and from this email address, including attachments, are subject to disclosure unless exempted under the Act or otherwise applicable law.