How food safety can be increased through on-farm practices is the focus of a good agricultural practices (GAP) workshop in Riverton.
The sessions are Thursday-Friday, May12-13, in the Intertribal Building Wind River Room at Central Wyoming College.
The workshops benefit producers, retailers and wholesalers in supermarkets, farmers market managers and managers in food service industries, said Jeff Edwards, University of Wyoming Extension educator.
Sessions start 9 a.m. both days and end by noon the second. Snacks and lunches are provided. Early registration is requested by May 11. Register at http://bit.ly/rivertongap.
“The GAP workshops will equip producers with the knowledge to create a written food safety plan,” said Edwards.
Food safety begins with sound practices on the farm, he said, especially with fresh vegetable and fruit produce.
“Many fresh produce retailers now require their suppliers to have third-party audits to verify safe food production and handling practices on the farm,” he said.
Workshop topics include:
* Produce safety risk factors and impacts.
* Post-harvest produce handling.
* Water quality and testing.
* Creating a food safety plan.
* Auditing farms for GAPs/food safety.
* Soil management/manure management.
* Worker health and hygiene.
* Traceability, recall and liability issues.
A binder of materials is provided. All printed class materials and other resources (such as editable templates) are provided on a USB drive.
For more information, contact Edwards at 307-837-2956 or jedward4@uwyo.edu.
UW Extension, University of Nebraska Extension, the Wyoming Department of Agriculture and the Wyoming Farmers Marketing Association are offering the workshop.
Source: University of Wyoming Extension
