In this email: If Produce Safety's got you spooked...Who you gonna call!?

From the desk of

THE PRODUCE SAFETY TEAM

October 31st, 2021

Keep the Ravens out! A fall preventative measure to protect your crops

Patrick Gordon

Produce Safety Technician

As we move further into fall and closer to the end of harvest season, now is the perfect time to begin thinking about off-season improvements to the farm. The addition of bird netting in the wash/pack shed and other out buildings and barns are improvements that could have many benefits in the future.

Netting in the wash pack shed is used to deter flying animals that could potentially contaminate harvest materials and food contact surfaces with fecal matter.

Ghosts in the Machine: Ways to identify invisible farm food safety risks

Jordan DeVries

Produce Safety Technician

Do signs of possible bacterial growth on your food contact surfaces make you feel like you’re seeing ghosts?

Knowing where and why some surfaces harbor bacterial biofilms while others don’t is stressful enough to make just about any mummy roll over in his sarcophagus. Importantly, the answers to when and why bacterial growth occurs helps farm and pack-house managers focus their cleaning and sanitation efforts to save labor and chemical.

Bobbing for Bacteria - Fall festivities that could make you sick

Podcast Episode: Avoiding Food Safety Risks in On-Farm Processing

This episode features Landen Tetil, Produce Safety Technician with the Marquette County Conservation District, and Les Bourquin, Professor in the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition at Michigan State University. They talk about produce safety risks to keep in mind when it comes to on-farm apple cider production.

Listen Here

Who ya gonna call!? The Michigan On-Farm Produce Safety Team!

If you've got questions about Produce Safety, we can help! Here's a list of ways you can connect with The Michigan On-Farm Produce Safety Team!

Catch us at booth 64 at the Great Lakes Expo! We've got resources you can take home, and experts you can talk to. And...you won't want to miss our "Poop Floats" display!

We've got a full season of Farm Supervisor and Produce Safety Trainings set up. Register for one today!

If you're still harvesting a covered crop, we can come to your farm for a FREE and confidential On-Farm Readiness Review. Fill out this simple application to request a visit!

Michigan growers, don't forget, your Produce Safety Technicians are just a phone call away! They are knowledgeable, friendly, and a FREE resource for you.

The PSA Grower Training Course is one way to satisfy the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule requirement outlined in §112.22(c) that requires, "At least one supervisor or responsible party from 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."

This one day course will provide a foundation of Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) and FSMA Produce Safety Rule requirements, and details on how to develop a farm food safety plan. 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. The course Fee is $50 for Michigan residents and $85 for non-Michigan residents.

Click Here to Register

This free, voluntary, and confidential service is your next step towards FSMA compliance

Many growers of fresh produce want to know how ready they are with regards to being FSMA compliant. In an effort to get people ready for a full implementation of FSMA, Cooperative Extension has developed an On-Farm Readiness Review program. This article helps growers walk through the next steps.