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Turnip for what?!
Search for and subscribe to "The Farmers Beet" on iTunes or Spotify
Community Alliance with Family Farmers (CAFF)
has released a new podcast that features family farmers throughout California sharing their stories about the food they grow. In this series, CAFF highlights the innovative ways small-scale farmers are keeping food safe to eat. These farmers share their techniques and the ways they incorporate food safety into their operations- farmer to farmer.
Not only are these podcast episodes a free, easy, and short listen on your morning walk out to the farm, but CAFF has made all the tools and resources mentioned in the podcast available on their website.
Questions, comments, or interested in being on the podcast? Get in touch by emailing thefarmersbeet@caff.org.
Search for and subscribe to "The Farmers Beet" on iTunes or Spotify
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Practical Tools for Success
LCCDC partnered with Local Food Safety Collaborative, Montana Farmers Union and ATTRA NCAT to create a free, simple-to-use Evaluation Tool
designed to help Montana growers understand what federal, state, and local food safety regulations apply to their farms.
LCCDC went a step further to help farmers assess risks in their operations. Regardless of how regulations apply to you, you can use this free Self-Assessment Template to calculate food safety risks on you farm and plan how to mitigate them. Bonus: Once you have filled out the assessment, you can use the template to communicate your food safety practices to your buyers.
These tools are useful to farmers outside of Montana too, and will certainly give you some food [safety] for thought!
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Project Presence
The
Local Food Safety Collaborative (LFSC) presently funds 17 subrecipients in Year 3 of its grant from the FDA to conduct outreach, education, and training to enhance the fundamental knowledge of food safety, and to help these local producers and processors comply with applicable Food Safety Modernization Act regulations.
Subrecipients are on the ground or holding food safety workshops, trainings, and conferences in 41 states across the country. LFSC represents a network of organizations that are committed to providing direct assistance to growers.
Looking for resources or contacts in your state? Check out our interactive
Resource Map
!
Our subrecipients are working hard to benefit growers across the nation! Here's what one grower had to say about a recently attended training.
- "I have attended several food safety workshops/trainings and find myself walking away from them feeling overwhelmed and nervous, but your workshop was empowering and made me feel like I really could make changes on my farm that would be compliant with standards but not require a complete overhaul of my system or cost me tons of money. Wonderful!"- Young, female, beginning New York farmer
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Do you need a PSA Grower Training or food safety workshop near you?
Do you need
some help finding FSMA or food safety resources in your region?
Would you like the Local Food Safety Collaborative
to speak at your conference?
Please complete LFSC's
request form and we'll respond to you!
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March is Women's History Month-
a time to share stories that deepen our understanding of the contributions that women make to farming, the food system, and the world.
She agreed to talk to the Local Food Safety Collaborative about the obstacles she has overcome and practical tips for small farm success. She shares a whole lot of inspiration in this month's "From the Farm" blog series!
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- Strategy: In case you missed it... the FDA released a report on its Strategy for the Safety of Imported Foods at the end of last month. Imported produce is also required to meet Produce Safety Rule requirements.
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Constituent Update:
FDA Publishes Final Rule Extending Compliance Dates for Agricultural Water Provisions.
- Comment Period Scheduled to close in April: If you'd like to submit comments about the Produce Safety Rule Draft Guidance, visit the regulations.gov website and search for Docket No. FDA-2018-D-3631. You can also send comments to: Docket Management Staff (HFA-305) Food and Drug Administration, 5630 Fishers Lane, Room 1061, Rockville, MD 20852.
- Statement from FDA: FDA is taking new steps to strengthen and modernize the process for issuing a public warning about a voluntary recall and for notification of recalls.
- Update for the Industry: Paving the Road to Produce Safety Rule Inspections from Scott Gottlieb, M.D., Frank Yiannas, MPH, and Melinda Plaisier, MSW.
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There will be a Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training course offered in conjunction with
on-farm learning April 8-9 at
historic
White Oak Pastures. Registration is only
$35.00 and includes breakfast and lunch on both days!
This 1.5 day PSA Grower training will be taught by instructors from around the South with experience working with small and mid-size vegetable growers. Along with the traditional Produce Safety Alliance training, both days will feature farm tours of the compost operation, the organic vegetable farm, and livestock production areas.
Learn more about the course and register
here.
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LFSC works with a team of trainers, farmers, and experts across the country to conduct outreach and bring educational opportunities that enhance fundamental food safety knowledge and help local producers and processors comply with applicable Food Safety Modernization Act regulations.
PSA Grower Training: 3/
29
PSA Grower Training: 3/
29
Wichita, Kansas
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Farmers Union Scholarship Applications Close April 1!
awards several scholarships to eligible college students. There are three available awards:
Learn more about the scholarships and how to apply
here .
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Beginning Farmer Institute (BFI) Applications Close April 15!
National Farmers Union's BFI is a free training program for new producers of all ages and operation types/sizes. Participants attend three in-person learning sessions over the course of the year, one each in Washington, D.C., Northern California, and Savannah, Georgia. The sessions include farm tours as well as seminars on a variety of beginning farmers issues, such as business planning, USDA programs, and acquiring land.
The deadline for the 2019-2020 BFI cohort applications is
April 15. Learn more about the program and how to apply
here.
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