Produce Safety Training in St Johnsbury April 11

By Terence Bradshaw

Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) Grower Training Course

Hosted by University of Vermont Extension & Vermont Agency of Agriculture

Date: April 11, 2018

Time: 7:30 AM–5:00 PM

Location:

The Summer Room at Springfield College St. Johnsbury
347 Emerson Falls Rd, St Johnsbury, VT 05819

Registration Link: https://www.regonline.com/builder/site/?eventid=2251020

Who Should Attend

Fruit and 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.

Benefits of Attending

This training satisfies the FSMA 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. §112.22(c)).

Click here to determine whether your farm may be covered by the FSMA Produce Safety Rule.

Growers that wish to participate in an On-Farm Readiness Review conducted by the Vermont Agency of Agriculture and University of Vermont Extension should complete a this training prior to scheduling an OFRR. (An On-Farm Readiness Review is a voluntary, non-regulatory assessment to help farms prepare for PSR compliance.)

Cost to Attend

$20 Registration fee includes coffee, tea, and other beverages, lunch, and snacks; PSA Grower Training Manual ($60 value); and Certificate of Course Attendance from AFDO ($35 value).

After attending the entire course, participants will receive a certificate from the Association of Food and Drug Officials (AFDO) that verifies they have completed the training course. To receive an AFDO certificate, a participant must be present for the entire training and submit the appropriate paperwork to their trainer at the end of the course.

What to Expect at the PSA Grower Training Course

The trainers will cover the content contained in these seven modules:

§ Introduction to Produce Safety

§ Worker Health, Hygiene, and Training

§ Soil Amendments

§ Wildlife, Domesticated Animals, and Land Use

§ Agricultural Water (Part I: Production Water; Part II: Postharvest Water)

§ Postharvest Handling and Sanitation

§ How to Develop a Farm Food Safety Plan

In addition to learning about produce safety best practices, key parts of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirements are outlined within each module. There will be time for questions and discussion, so participants should come prepared to share their experiences and produce safety questions.

Additional Information

This course will be delivered entirely in English, and participants must easily understand English to complete the course. Participants will receive an English-language PSA Grower Training manual.

For more information about scheduled PSA Grower Training Courses, please visit the PSA website at http://producesafetyalliance.cornell.edu.

Please note that smoking is prohibited on the Springfield College St. Johnsbury Campus, including the building, entrances, parking lots and grounds.

In addition, the campus is a fragrance-free environment. Please respect the health of others by refraining from using scented lotions, shampoos, hair spray, perfumes and colognes.

Please note that we will not be accepting cash or check payments for this training. Registration fees will only be accepted by credit card using the RegOnline link above.

UVM Extension helps individuals and communities put research-based knowledge to work. Issued in furtherance of Cooperative Extension work, Acts of May 8 and June 30, 1914, in cooperation with the United States Department of Agriculture. University of Vermont Extension, Burlington, Vermont. University of Vermont Extension, and U.S. Department of Agriculture, cooperating, offer education and employment to everyone without regard to race, color, national origin, gender, religion, age, disability, political beliefs, sexual orientation, and marital or familial status.

To request a disability-related accommodation to participate in this program, please contact Rachel Schattman at 802-651-8343 ext 509 by March 21, 2018 so we may assist you.

For questions about this course, please contact: Rachel Schattman, rschattm, 802-651-8343 extension 509

Funding acknowledgement

Funding for this event was made possible, in part, by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137. The views expressed in written materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does any mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organization imply endorsement by the United States Government.

Funding for NECAFS was made possible, in part, by the Food and Drug Administration through grant 1R01FD005686, views expressed in written materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does any mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organization imply endorsement by the United States Government.

Where trade names or commercial products are used for identification,

no discrimination is intended and no endorsement is implied.

Always read the label before using any pesticide.

The label is the legal document for the product use.

Disregard any information in this message if it is in conflict with the

label.

The UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Program is supported by the

University of Vermont Agriculture Experiment Station, a USDA NIFA E-IPM

Grant, and USDA Risk Management Agency Funds.

PSA_GrowerTrainingCourse180411.pdf

Final mention for now: A succinct guide to FSMA compliance for small farms

By Terence Bradshaw

Only when describing a new Federal initiative can we say the a 35-page guide is succinct, but this is an excellent resource that should answer many questions about implementation of the Food Safety Modernization Act and how it applies to your farm:

http://go.uvm.edu/fsmashortguide

-Terry

Where trade names or commercial products are used for identification,

no discrimination is intended and no endorsement is implied.

Always read the label before using any pesticide.

The label is the legal document for the product use.

Disregard any information in this message if it is in conflict with the

label.

The UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Program is supported by the

University of Vermont Agriculture Experiment Station, a USDA NIFA E-IPM

Grant, and USDA Risk Management Agency Funds.

Food safety meeting November 7 & 8

By Terence Bradshaw

I have received a number of questions regarding the November 7&8 Food Safety Training hosted by UVM Extension that I mentioned in a post this week. Below I summarize some quick answers from myself and UVM Extension’s Hans Estrin to the more common ones:

1. Will this training be offered again?

This training is offered again and again across the country and world (see Produce Safety Alliance schedule). It is unlikely, however that Vermonters will ever find a course SO close and almost fully subsidized!

2. What farmers need to take this?

Farms covered under the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) produce rule MUST take it. That means any farm that sells more than $25,000 annually in ‘covered produce’, which includes fresh produce. If you sell less than $25,000 in edible produce. Producers who sell between $25k and $500k may fall into a ‘qualified exemption’ category, but the producer must still comply with rules surrounding the exemption. A quick chart regarding exemptions is available here. It is recommended for any other produce grower, and especially growing farms or farm somewhere near the 500K cut –off or those with sales below that who utilize wholesale markets.

3. Will CAPS suffice (no, if you’re not exempted or qualified exempt)?

No. This refers to the UVM Extension / VT Vegetable and Berry Growers Association Community Education for Produce Safety program. CAPS and Produce Safety Alliance training are different things. CAPS is a comprehensive program and with a certificate. PSA grower training is an extended education (standardized) presentation with mandatory attendance for covered farms. SO….CAPS is a good foundation for FSMA compliance, but does NOT substitute for the official grower training.

Answers to many Frequently Asked Questions regarding FSMA may be found here.

I will offer a word of warning passed on from Hans: this is, unfortunately, going to be a fairly bureaucratic training that is required for many producers as this Federal law continues to be implemented. It may be difficult to sit through, but the trainers are doing their best to make the information as useful as possible to growers. -TB

Where trade names or commercial products are used for identification,

no discrimination is intended and no endorsement is implied.

Always read the label before using any pesticide.

The label is the legal document for the product use.

Disregard any information in this message if it is in conflict with the

label.

The UVM Tree Fruit and Viticulture Program is supported by the

University of Vermont Agriculture Experiment Station, a USDA NIFA E-IPM

Grant, and USDA Risk Management Agency Funds.