Food Safety
Farm food safety begins with Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs): the basic environmental and operational conditions that are necessary for the production of safe fruits and vegetables.
Farmers need to take steps to minimize pathogen contamination during production and harvest of their fresh produce. They should avoid side-dressing with manure, exclude animals near fields, promote proper worker hygiene in the field, test irrigation water quality, select irrigation methods that minimize crop wetting or allows for leaves to dry quickly, clean and sanitize harvest bins, promote cleanliness at U-Pick, and keep produce cool.
As consumers demand safer food, a growing number of retailers are requiring farmers to have independent, 3rd-party inspections of farms, certifying that their fruits and vegetables are being grown, harvested and packaged using Good Agricultural Practices.
More Food Safety Content
Farmers need to take steps to minimize pathogen contamination during production and harvest of their fresh produce. They should avoid side-dressing with manure, exclude animals near fields, promote proper worker hygiene in the field, test irrigation water quality, select irrigation methods that minimize crop wetting or allows for leaves to dry quickly, clean and sanitize harvest bins, promote cleanliness at U-Pick, and keep produce cool.
As consumers demand safer food, a growing number of retailers are requiring farmers to have independent, 3rd-party inspections of farms, certifying that their fruits and vegetables are being grown, harvested and packaged using Good Agricultural Practices.
Most Recent Food Safety Content
Anna Wallis, Tree Fruit and Grape Specialist
Presentations given at the 2017 Eastern NY Commercial Tree Fruit Schools are available by clicking on the following links.
Looking for more information about Food Safety? Follow the links below to find more valuable resources:
EPA Worker Protection Standard Update
Last Modified: May 9, 2018
The updated Worker Protection Standard took effect on January 2, 2017. The NYS DEC has the right toconduct inspections to certify that growers are in compliance with regulations for agricultural pesticides including organics. Inspections include WPS, record keeping, and pesticide storage. Read more about what you need to know to comply with the changes.
2017 Winter Tree Fruit School Presentations
Anna Wallis, Tree Fruit and Grape Specialist
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture
Last Modified: February 16, 2017
Presentations given at the 2017 Eastern NY Commercial Tree Fruit Schools are available by clicking on the following links.
Valuable Resources for Food Safety Information
Last Modified: April 29, 2016
Looking for more information about Food Safety? Follow the links below to find more valuable resources:
More Food Safety Content
Apples
Apricots
Asparagus
Beets
Blueberries
Broccoli
Brussels Sprouts
Cabbage
Carrots
Cauliflower
Cherries
Cucumbers
Dry Beans
Eggplant
Ethnic Vegetables
Garlic
Grapes
Horseradish
Kohlrabi
Leeks
Lettuce / Leafy Greens
Melons
Nectarines
Onions
Parsnips
Peaches
Pears
Peas
Peppers
Plums
Potatoes
Pumpkins / Gourds
Radishes
Raspberries / Blackberries
Rhubarb
Rutabaga
Snap Beans
Squash - Summer
Squash- Winter
Strawberries
Sweet Corn
Sweet Potatoes
Tomatoes
Turnips
Upcoming Events
20 Minute Ag Manager Webinars: Crop Insurance for Diverse Farms
August 14, 2018
12-12:30 PM
20 minute lunchtime webinars will be held on Tuesdays this summer covering farm business management topics.20 Minute Ag Manager Webinars: Flood Insurance and Other Disaster Programs
August 21, 2018
12-12:30 PM
20 minute lunchtime webinars will be held on Tuesdays this summer covering farm business management topics.Fresh Market Vegetable Grading & Packing Workshop
August 21, 2018
2:00 PM - 5:00 PM
Deposit, NY
Are you interested in farm to school or selling to institutional markets? Maybe you'd like to know more about grading and packing your fresh market produce right in the field? CCE Broome County, in partnership with the CCE Cornell Vegetable Program and the Cornell Baskets to Pallets program, is offering a hands-on, on-farm experience designed to prepare farms in NY, both beginning and experienced, to enter new markets.Announcements
Check out the Updated Labeled Insecticides for SWD
Labeled Insecticides for Control of Spotted Wing Drosophila in New York Berry Crops - Quick Guide Compiled by Greg Loeb, Laura McDermott, Peter Jentsch & Juliet Carroll, Cornell University. Updated regularly. Check it out at this link!New Resources from CCE ENYCHP!
We are developing new ways to connect with the CCE ENYCHP team this year! We have a Youtube page located at this link. Check out videos on Table Grape Production, Pest Updates and the 20 Minute Ag Manager - in 4 Minutes series.There are also text alerts available. Fruit and vegetable farmers in 17 Eastern NY counties can now receive real time alerts on high risk disease and pest outbreaks texted directly to their cell phone. The Eastern NY Commercial Horticulture program, which is supported by local Cornell Cooperative Extension associations, will now offer text alerts to those that sign up.
The text alerts will be reserved for important crop alerts that could impact management decisions immediately. For instance, if there were an outbreak of Late Blight in the area, this would be transmitted to vegetable growers.
Farmers can choose the crop for which they wish to receive updates. Additionally they can request that Ag Business Alerts be sent to them. These alerts might include due dates for crop insurance deadlines, market opportunities etc.
Text alerts are easy to access. Just click on the link below and fill out a very short registration form. It takes just seconds to do - access to important information has never been so easy!!
If you have questions, please contact Abby Henderson at 518-746-2553 or email her at aef225@cornell.edu.
Confused by the WPS (Worker Protection Standard)?
Please take note: WPS pertains to all farms-organic and conventional! To be sure that you are complying with these regulations, please view the EPA link below:https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2015-09/documents/comparison-chart-wps.pdf
Eastern New York Commercial Horticulture - Cornell Cooperative Extension
Your Trusted Source for Research-Based Knowledge
Your Trusted Source for Research-Based Knowledge