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Monsters on Your Farm: Wildlife Scat

Extension Team Attends ACF Summit

Food System Resources & Opportunities

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Monsters on Your Farm: Wildlife Scat

Some Very "Scatty" Resources to Help ID Wildlife🦇💩

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Scat & Droppings ID Key & Website

Identification of feces, or scat, can be a difficult task as feces change according to the animal’s diet. However, by asking the right questions you can go a long way to reduce the number of available suspects.

Use this research-based website from the Internet Center for Wildlife Damage Management to help you know what types of wildlife you have on your farm and how to mitigate risk and damage. YIKES!

Everything That Eats, Poops Weblog

It’s fun to spot wildlife in nature, but sometimes we are only left with their evidence in the form of tracks, scat, burrows, holes and more. Use this blog by University of Florida's Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences to identify animals by looking at their poop including what they may have eaten. Now that's creepy!

WATCH OUT! Droppings can carry pathogens that cause diseases in humans. Wear gloves and wash thoroughly after working with or near droppings.

Extension Team Attends ACF Summit

Connecting with the Community

On October 19th, our Extension team -- including Dr. Amanda Philyaw Perez, David Hill, and Rip Weaver -- were honored to attend the Arkansas Community Foundation's affiliate meeting at Camp Aldersgate in Little Rock. Dr. Perez presented on food systems and food safety and the team participated in a food system asset mapping session facilitated by the Wallace Center at Winrock International. The ACF is supporting incredible work in Arkansas to grow local food systems through grants supported by their generous donors.

While Arkansas continues to rank in the top spots for food insecurity, hunger, obesity, chronic disease and access to healthy food, there is more awareness and community-led efforts in local foods (community gardens, farmers markets, school-based programs) and food security (Double-Up Food Bucks incentive, food pantries, and meal deliveries) than a decade ago. This hard work is bound to produce more fruit in the coming years. We hope to see the same growth in small farms as well.

And shout out to Bell Urban Farm for brightening up this event with these beautiful bouquets!

Food System Resources & Opportunities

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VIDEO 🎥

Power Washing Only Spreads the "Evidence"

BOO! Watch this spooky video from Michigan State University Extension that shows how power washing equipment can spread filth onto other surfaces. To reduce food safety risks, use a low pressure washer to wash equipment and follow the four steps to cleaning and sanitizing: 1) Clean the surface, 2) Rinse the surface, 3) Sanitize the surface, and 4) Allow the surface to air-dry.

FACTSHEET 📄

Portable Toilet Placement

This factsheet published by the Deleware Department of Agriculture shares the importance of the placement of portable toilets on farms, maintaining their cleanliness, and the necessary components of handwashing stations in accordance with the FSMA Produce Safety Rule.

WEBLOG/VIDEO 🌐🎥

Managing Humidity and

Condensation in Coolers

Use a cooler for holding produce on your farm? Then be sure to review these resources from UVM Extension to understand potential risks.

Stay safe and Happy Halloween! 👻