December 23, 2021
As we come to the end of 2021, it is hard to pick an accurate descriptor since 2021 had just about a little of everything. Seems that is likely true of most years, but the COVID-19 pandemic certainly continues to add layers of confusion, anxiety, and compromise into our daily schedules. I will cover some things you need to know as well as some fun highlights so please keep reading.
The most current big news is that Gretchen Wall is leaving the PSA to become the Director of Food Safety and Quality for the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA). We are all excited for the opportunities this will bring for Gretchen and for IFPA. As is clear to anyone who has worked with the PSA, her departure will leave a big hole to fill. We are thankful that Donna Clements has agreed to move from her SW Regional Extension Associate position to become the new PSA Coordinator and NE Regional Extension Associate. Donna has been with the PSA for over six years and will surely make this position her own. This also means that we are opening another position with the PSA located in the Southwest. Please see the open positions below. If you or someone you know is interested in joining the PSA team, please apply or share these positions. If you have questions about working with the PSA team, please contact me. I am happy to discuss our expectations as well as the benefits and challenges. As seems to be more and more evident to me every day, the PSA team is a great training ground for produce safety leaders (or maybe this is just how I am making myself feel better about people leaving).
I also want to take this opportunity to thank all of the PSA Trainers, Lead Trainers, and Trainers-of-Trainers for another amazing year. We do not have the final attendance totals for all the PSA trainings offered in 2021, but just a peek at the upcoming trainings makes it clear how engaged PSA Trainers continue to be. We know it has not been easy. We know many of you would like to see remote trainings in the rearview mirror, so you could return to in-person trainings. Despite the challenges, we really appreciate your continued focus on providing high quality, PSA trainings throughout the world.
It is also very important to share how hard the PSA team has worked this year to keep the PSA moving forward. When we lose Gretchen in early January, this will make the third, long-tenured departure of a PSA team member in less than a year. In addition, we supported three PSA team members who took maternity or paternity leave this year. That makes for a lot of juggling and covering for each other. The good news is we added Laurie George as our new Mid-West Regional Extension Associate and we will be adding another Spanish-Language Extension Associate in February 2022. We hope to add two more PSA team members in 2022 (NW and SW Regional Extension Associate – position links below). We also had babies Jimmy and Beau join Lander to create the Three PSA Poopketeers. I know pride can be a sketchy thing, but I am so incredibly proud of how the team works together to get it all done. It is my sincerest hope that all of your interactions with the PSA team have been productive, but if not, I welcome your feedback so we can continue to improve our outreach.
Wishing all of you a joyful holiday season and bright 2022!
Take care,
Betsy
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Proposed Subpart E – Agricultural Water Released |
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As many of you may be aware, the FDA released the proposed revisions to Subpart E – Agricultural Water on Thursday, December 2, 2021. On December 7, the PSA e-mailed PSA Trainers, Lead Trainers, and Trainers-of-Trainers to share immediate actions and PSA plans going forward. The PSA team is currently reading the new proposed Subpart E and meeting to determine further impacts to the PSA Curriculum. In the short term, two PowerPoint slides for Module 5 – Agricultural Water have been developed for use in your upcoming PSA Grower Trainings and PSA Train-the-Trainer Courses. Per PSA policy, Module 5.1 must still be presented during PSA Grower Training and Train-the-Trainer Courses. The new Subpart E is proposed and not final. The PSA plans to host several events beginning in January including open meetings for educators to discuss the proposed rule and grower focus groups in English and Spanish to gather comments for the docket. Stay tuned for these learning and engagement opportunities shortly after the New Year.
In the meantime, we encourage everyone to submit comments to the docket. Electronic or written comments must be submitted on the proposed rule by April 5, 2022. Comments that are thoughtful and substantive, containing real life examples and solutions will assist the FDA in creating a document that better suits the needs of fresh produce farmers.
FDA will be holding two virtual public meetings to discuss the recently proposed rule. The first meeting will be held on February 14, 2022 from 11:45am to 7:45pm EST. The second meeting will be held on February 25, 2022 from 8:45am to 4:45pm EST. More specifics, including information on how to register for the virtual meetings, will follow in the Federal Register and on the FDA website.
This information is also available in Spanish.
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Deadline for Application January 3, 2022
Deadline for Application February 11, 2022
We are looking for two dynamic individuals to join the PSA team! These two Regional Extension Associate positions will be responsible for planning, organizing, instructing, and evaluating PSA training programs for produce growers, extension educators, and regulatory personnel in their region.
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Rob Way Receives Cornell AgriTech
2021 Outstanding Employee of the Year
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On December 3, 2021, Rob Way, the PSA’s multimedia developer and database manager, received Cornell AgriTech's 2021 Outstanding Employee of the Year Award. For over 25 years, Rob has contributed to many successful programs at Cornell University and has exemplified excellence in service, teamwork, and commitment to Cornell Agritech’s goals. Rob has been involved with communication services through the majority of his career and is a veteran of the US Navy where he served as a photographer and film/videographer. The PSA was fortunate to lure him away in 2016 and immediately benefited from his diverse skill set. Rob has developed our English and Spanish websites, managed educational material layout and design, built multiple databases to manage course information and PSA Lead Trainer applications, and you may recognize his “buttery” voice on some of our videos and online course content. Rob keeps all aspects of the PSA’s data management and communications running smoothly. Rob also brings the average height of the PSA team up by more than a few inches. Congratulations Rob!
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Upcoming PSA Remote Train-the-Trainer Courses |
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Check out these two upcoming remote PSA Train-the-Trainer Courses in 2022 – one in Spanish and one in English.
Remote delivery course | NY, USA: 2/14/2022 - 2/17/2022
Remote delivery course | NY, USA: 3/7/2022 - 3/10/2022
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Continued Learning Opportunity |
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CONTACT Produce Safety Webinar Series with Dr. Don Schaffner - Risk Assessment in Ag
The CONTACT Team is delighted to bring you “Risk-based Thinking in Agricultural Food Safety”, on January 13th, at 3:30 pm Eastern / 12:30 pm Pacific. This webinar will feature the exciting Dr. Donald Schaffner for a live one-hour presentation/panel, followed by 30 min Q&A. Risk assessments are all the rage these days in agricultural food safety. Unfortunately, the phrase "risk assessment" can mean different things to different people. Dr. Schaffner will provide his perspective on what constitutes a risk assessment and, more importantly, how agricultural producers can use risk-based thinking to improve food safety.
This webinar is free and will be held via Zoom. Registration is required. Produce safety industry, government, and academia are encouraged to come. All are invited!
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The New Year is a great time to refresh your information listed in PSA’s Trainer Directory. Have you changed jobs or moved to a new location?
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