Extension to offer two-day remote produce safety training May 29-30
By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture
May 15, 2024
Fast Facts:
- Two-day remote training May 29-30
- Training to cover best practices, worker health and hygiene, more
- Registration closes May 22
- Register at uada.edu/producesafety
(341 words)
(Newsrooms: With flyer)
LITTLE ROCK — To help Arkansas fruit and vegetable growers across the state learn practices to reduce the risk of foodborne illness, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture will offer a remote, two-day produce safety training workshop via Zoom from May 29-30.
The training will provide attendees with important information on best practices, worker health, hygiene and training, soil amendments and more.
Registration is $25 per person for Arkansas residents and $100 per person for out-of-state residents. The deadline to register is May 22, and there are 20 seats available in the training. Participants must have access to Zoom software, a web camera, microphone and stable internet access. Register at uaex.uada.edu/producesafety.
Rip Weaver, extension program technician for local, regional and safe foods for the Division of Agriculture, said his team looks forward to hosting the remote training.
“We know this is a busy time for Arkansas growers,” Weaver said. “We hope that by splitting the training into two half-days, attendees will still have a good portion of their days to tend to their responsibilities on their farms and food businesses.”
Participant attendance and engagement will be monitored during the training. Participants are only eligible for PSA/AFDO Certificate of Course Completion if they are present for all modules of the course.
“This program is targeted to commercial produce growers, but small or beginning farms can learn valuable information for building their operations,” said Amanda Philyaw Perez, extension associate professor of food systems and food safety specialist for the Division of Agriculture. “Farmers who have previously attended this training should plan to attend a training about every three years to stay up to date on the latest regulatory information.”
The training, developed by the Produce Safety Alliance and presented by the Cooperative Extension Service’s Arkansas Produce Safety Team, teaches growers about regulatory requirements of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule. FSMA is the first federally regulated standard for growing, harvesting, packing, and holding fresh produce.
For more information, contact Rip Weaver at rweaver@uada.edu or 501-671-2388.
To learn about extension programs in Arkansas, contact your local Cooperative Extension Service agent or visit www.uaex.uada.edu. Follow us on X and Instagram at @AR_Extension. To learn more about Division of Agriculture research, visit the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station website: https://aaes.uada.edu. Follow on X at @ArkAgResearch. To learn more about the Division of Agriculture, visit https://uada.edu/. Follow us on X at @AgInArk.
About the Division of Agriculture
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture’s mission is to strengthen agriculture, communities, and families by connecting trusted research to the adoption of best practices. Through the Agricultural Experiment Station and the Cooperative Extension Service, the Division of Agriculture conducts research and extension work within the nation’s historic land grant education system.
The Division of Agriculture is one of 20 entities within the University of Arkansas System. It has offices in all 75 counties in Arkansas and faculty on five system campuses.
The University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs to all eligible persons without regard to race, color, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, or any other legally protected status, and is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity Employer.
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Media Contact:
Rebekah Hall
rkhall@uada.edu
@RKHall_
501-671-2061