Topics to be covered include:  Agricultural water quality assessments

• Ag water includes surface water sources including ponds, creeks, streams, canals, lakes, water storage tanks, and wells. Do you know the quality of the water that comes from these sources? Contaminated agricultural water from these sources, used for irrigation, that come into contact with produce in the field can lead to human food-borne illness. This session will go over the basics of identifying, assessing, preventing, or dealing with potential problems. If your farm falls under Food Modernization Act regulations, the ag water assessments are expected to become requirement (by farm size) probably in 2023-24. Regardless of the regulations, any produce farm using surface water/wells would benefit from learning what factors influence ag water quality.

Tips for improving flow and efficiency in wash/pack facilities

• Open discussion on improving flow and efficiency with harvest through the wash/pack activities and facility management. Tips on process as well as cleaning and sanitizing. Share your experiences and questions no matter what size farm operation.

Cleaning and sanitation updates: Industry information on sanitizers

Yes, harvest bins, fruit picking bags can be cleaned and sanitized as well as other hard to clean things- Faith Critzer - University of Georgia and Laura Straw - Virginia Tech University 

Traceability procedures     If you are following GAPs/HGAPs food safety programs you are already familiar with traceability of produce: one step forward, one step back. FDA will be releasing a new regulation that will require farms to be part of a universal traceability program to aid in the expediting of finding sources of outbreak problems. Note: the regulations will pertain to certain crops for farms where their buyers are required to be covered by the traceability regulation.

-              NY State has created a traceability program that can help growers and buyers be on the same page for produce being grown and sold in NY.  - Steve Schirmer NYS Dept of Agriculture and Markets - Produce Safety Field Administrator

What are the most common food safety issues seen on produce farms - Kristina Sweet Ag Development Chief Vermont Agency of Agriculture

• In this session, information will be shared on barriers or other issues that some farms have faced in meeting food safety practices being implemented fully. The information presented here is equally as important for operations that don't fall under the FSMA regulations as the farms that must meet the regulations.Lots of discussion to answer your questions.

For more information, please contact Robert Hadad CVP 5857394065  rgh26@cornel.edu

Preregistration is required.  The cost is: $15 a person     lunch is provided

Contact Kimberly Cummings kjc259@cornell.edu 315-331-8415 to preregister

pdf of meeting details available below

Farm Food Safety Meeting Poster (PDF; 209KB)