CAROL BISHOP RISK MITIGATION IN EDIBLE HORTICULTURAL PRODUCTION SYSTEMS

BACKGROUND ON NEVADA: WE GROW MORE THAN ALIENS > New Jersey

MARKET ACCESS AND RISK MITIGATION The feds are coming! FSMAhhhh Consumer concern Certification nation: the assurance matrix Market access Increased interest in local foods

FORMER PROGRAMMING Minimal programming occurring historically 2012 Small Farm Conference Las Vegas / Reno / Las Vegas Seth Urbanowitz & NDA USDA FNS Farm to School Grant 2014 Small Farm Conference Power point handouts and fact sheets Technical assistance

PRODUCE SAFETY SYNERGIES

FORMER SUCCESSES Over 100 participants Farmers, public health professionals and agricultural professionals Partnerships Health departments, NV Dept. of Ag., and farmers Transfer of knowledge Grant-seeking Understanding of: Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Risk management in the context of food safety Food safety regulatory aspects as it relates to fresh produce Worker health and hygiene practices Agricultural water use practices Soil amendments, manure and composting practices How to reduce the risk that wildlife and animals pose to on-farm food safety The process of sanitizing tools and equipment Recordkeeping and traceability methods Food safety practices for direct marketing (CSA’s, agritourism, farmers’ markets) Good Handling Practices (GHPs) How to complete a food safety plan The relationship between produce quality and food safety

BRIDGING THE GAP IN GAP’S Two GAP certified producers statewide Step from knowledge to action Perceived roadblocks to GAP certification Cost share until July 30, 2015

MY INITIAL PLAN RME grant Mock audits Self-assessment Workshops for individual plans GAP audits

WHAT HAPPENED RME grant Mock audits Self-assessment Workshops for individual plans GAP audits

WHAT WORKED Audit timing & worksheets After training (in north) Audit locations On-farm mentoring University of Minnesota – Food Safety Plan For You Curriculum

WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY Audit timing Food safety plan mentoring first Eliminate ‘real time’ audit Contact local buyers for produce needs assessments to show producers local market potential

UNEXPECTED RESULTS GAP certification not required by buyers Most producers practice food safety procedures Farm visits Survey Documentation of these procedures is overly time consuming Initial set-up Ongoing record-keeping

FARM OPERATION EXAMPLE 2 people attended 2 days of training for 16 hours in labor costs in additional to travel and per diem costs 2 people, 6 hours per day for 36 days in planning and revising their food safety plan for a total of 432 hours in labor costs $5,824 at $13/hour (not including travel and per diem) Ongoing labor costs of 1 hour daily to maintain paper logs and one-half hour daily to enter log data electronically $6,084 at $13/hour (yearly costs)

CURRENT SITUATION & NEXT STEPS The farm operation example on the previous slide, although able to meet standards to become GAP certified has chosen not to become certified. Four USDA GAP certified producers FSMA training Longitudinal data on changes of practices and market access Costs Communicate and advise on cost-effective approaches Is it worth it? Focused and partnered programming Wildlife, composting, water, record keeping

THANK YOU