FSMA 7 Hour Grower Training Course - Registration Closed

March 16, 2018


Registration Closed - Course Full

Registration & Cost: $70 per farm, maximum of 2 people/farm. When registering please be sure to include all attendees full names (that will appear on the certificate), farm name, address, phone number and email when registering. Lunch & refreshments will be served.
Registration pdf below can also be printed off completed and mailed in with a check.
All of you should be aware of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) signed into federal law by President Obama in 2011. I have been writing about it and offering courses for nearly 2 years. If you are not exempt from the Produce Safety Rule, one of the requirements is to take a 7-hour grower training course. Click here for flowchart to see if you are covered by the produce safety rule Commercial fresh fruit & vegetable growers who gross more than 500K/yr need to be in compliance for most produce by this January, January 2019 for >250K-500K, and January 2020 for >25K-250K. Click here for FSMA Produce Safety Rule Timeline. This training is also for 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. The PSA Grower Training Course is one way to satisfy the FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirement outlined in 112.22(c) that requires 'At least one supervisor or responsible party for your farm must have successfully completed food safety training at least equivalent to that received under standardized curriculum recognized as adequate by the Food and Drug Administration.


What about Processing Growers? If you sell ALL of your fruit to a processor, that receives a "kill step" would be exempt from the training course, but you would need to annually obtain written assurance that the customer has established and is following procedures (identified within the written assurance) that adequately reduces the presence of harmful microorganisms of public health significance. See flowchart above for more details. If >$25,000 in annual sales are for fresh market, you would need to take the course.

What to Expect at a PSA Grower Training Course

The trainers will spend approximately seven hours of instruction time covering 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 produce safety best practices, the 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.

Benefits of Attending the Course

The course will provide a foundation of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and co-management information, FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirements, and details on how to develop a farm food safety plan. Individuals who participate in this course are expected to gain a basic understanding of:

•  Microorganisms relevant to produce safety and where they may be found on the farm
•  How to identify microbial risks, practices that reduce risks, and how to begin implementing produce safety practices on the farm
•  Parts of a farm food safety plan and how to begin writing one
•  Requirements of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule and how to meet them.

After attending the entire course, participants will be eligible to 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.