NEWS RELEASE
“Good Agricultural Practices Training to be held on May 6 in Ashtabula & Geauga Counties”
FROM: David L. Marrison, Ag & NR Extension Educator
The Ohio State University
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Good Agricultural Practices Training to be held on May 6 in Ashtabula & Geauga Counties
OSU Extension will be offering a training program on reducing microbial contamination on fruit and vegetable farms on May 6, 2015at the Ashtabula and Geauga County Extension offices. The workshop will be offered at the Geauga County Extension Office located at 14269 Claridon-Troy Road in Burton, Ohio from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. and at the Ashtabula County Extension Office located at 39 Wall Street in Jefferson, Ohio from 6:00-9:00 p.m.
Food safety and good agricultural practices, or GAPs, for fruit and vegetable production are the focus of this workshop. In September 2014, the Food and Drug Administration released the proposed supplemental standards for the produce safety rule within the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA). The FSMA produce safety rule encompasses known on-farm routes of contamination, such as: workers, animals, and manure. Whether or not a farm will be exempt from these rules, all growers are responsible for providing safe produce to their consumers.
Ohio State University Extension educators present the 3-hour programs. Participants will receive a recordkeeping binder and a certificate of participation as verification to customers that the grower received training in GAPs.
Attendees won’t actually become “certified in GAPS” by taking the course. That certification comes only through having one of many possible farm audits conducted by USDA or 3rd party company. If you need to become GAPs Certified, find out what your buyer requires. Some may be satisfied with just a class on GAPs, others may require a completed farm food safety plan and audit. Many large grocery chains require their produce suppliers to have a farm food safety plan and audit. For small farms selling at stands and farmers’ markets, learning about GAPs at the OSU 3-hour course is a good way to stay competitive.
If you are interested in attending one of these GAPs training programs, please visit www.producesafety.osu.edu/events to download a registration form under the respective event. Growers must register before April 29, 2015, as there is a 10-person minimum in order to proceed with the class. Registration is $20 per person, payable by cash or check, with checks made out to “Ohio State University.” The registration cost of $20 is greatly reduced thanks to a grant from the Ohio Department of Agriculture Specialty Crop Program, which helps to cover some of the program costs. For more information or to download a registration form, visit www.producesafety.osu.edu or call the Ashtabula County Extension office at 440-576-9008.