Developing Extension Competence in Good Agricultural Practices and Farm Food Safety Planning for Fruit and Vegetable Growers in Kansas and Missouri

Developing Extension Competence in Good Agricultural Practices and Farm Food Safety Planning for Fruit and Vegetable Growers in Kansas and Missouri

Summary

The goal of this project is to train a group of extension educators who work with fruit and vegetable producers in order to develop a better-coordinated effort to raise grower knowledge of food safety practices, and GAPs (Good Agricultural Practices) in particular. Due to recent activity surrounding food safety outbreaks, food safety concerns are high among consumers and GAPs certification is required for wholesale markets. The immediate audience for this project is agricultural professionals (primarily extension agents/educators, Department of Agriculture, personnel, and other grower-educators) in Kansas and Missouri who producers turn to for information and assistance as they attempt to develop and implement farm food safety plans. A Farm Food Safety Plan is a critical piece of documentation that is required by GAPs certification, and this could be an important barrier for small-acreage and diversified growers. In particular, several extension educators in KS and MO work with Amish and Mennonite growers, and one of the goals of this project is to provide education for our agricultural professionals that can serve the needs of this important and growing group of vegetable producers. Professionals educated under this project will gain competence and confidence and will serve as valuable resources both for serving producers and for education other agricultural professionals.

Objectives/Performance Targets

• Agricultural professionals in Kansas and Missouri knowledgeable about farm food safety planning and certification procedures for GAPs.
  Agricultural professionals that can assist producers to achieve Good Agricultural Practices and Good Handling Practices (GAPs/GHPs) certification in order to meet requirements of wholesale markets.
  Strengthened, safer local food systems as a result of expanding access to markets and increased adoption of farm food safety practices.
  Short-term Outcomes: 28 trainees in farm food safety requirements and resources for certification and the capacity to assist producers, including those with limited access to technology
  Medium term Outcomes: Training of at producers by agricultural professionals that participated in the project workshops/training, and increasing producer awareness of GAPS, even by those not seeking certification as a result of producer interactions with knowledgeable professionals.
  Long-term Outcomes: stronger, safer local and regional food systems in Kansas, Missouri and the surrounding region.

Accomplishments/Milestones

In 2011, several milestones were made towards accomplishing the goals of the project. A GAPs/Food Safety training was conducted in Olathe, Kansas, and it was attended by 20 Horticulture/Agriculture Extension Agents from Kansas in addition to 8 K-State faculty/staff and 2 educators that work in non-governmental organizations. Workshop participants were equipped with a number of educational materials to use as they begin to assist producers in the development of their Farm Food Safety Plans. These materials were sourced from the National GAPs Program and from Rutgers University. The workshop was led Cary Rivard and speakers included: Jennifer Smith (K-State Extension Educator, Douglas County), Lynn Brandenberger (Extension Specialist, Oklahoma State University), and David Markwardt (Federal GAPs/GHPs program Manager, USDA-AMS). Topics covered include: relevance of GAPS for growers in Kansas, potential sources of foodborne illness on the farm, developing a farm food safety plan, and what to expect during a GAPs farm audit. We also toured the Liberty Fruit Company in Kansas City, KS, which is a large food distributor, fresh-cut and re-packing facility. The tour was led by Chris Ream, Quality Assurance Manager for the company, and he detailed the procedures they take in order to ensure safe food handling in the warehouse/re-packing facility in addition to answering questions on why local producers should become compliant with GAPs. Participants were surveyed for background information and program evaluation and a follow-up survey will be conducted in 2012.

Impacts and Contributions/Outcomes

The food safety workshop held in Kansas had significant impacts as we were successful at training 30 agriculture professionals who interact with and train growers. A survey was conducted to assess educator knowledge about food safety and GAPs and to determine how this information would impact their programming.
• 70% of the audience members surveyed indicated that the information presented was very useful and 30% thought it was moderately useful.
• 50% agreed or strongly agreed that information indicated that they would incorporate new ideas into current and regular programming and this information was utilized in at least 40 programs.
• 100% of participants indicated that they would pass this information along to growers in their counties and the total number of growers that was estimated was 159.
• 100% of participants agreed that they felt better prepared to answer growers questions about GAPs and food safety issues.

Collaborators: