Cooperative Extension Service to offer produce safety grower training in April
By Rebekah Hall
U of A System Division of Agriculture
March 19, 2025
Fast Facts:
- Training to take place April 1 in Batesville
- $25 to register, must register by March 29
- Register at formstack.com/forms/psa_batesville
(276 words)
(Newsrooms: With graphic)
BATESVILLE, Ark. — Fruit and vegetable growers will have the opportunity to learn about new health and safety regulations at a produce safety grower training offered by the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture in Batesville on April 1.
The training will take place at the Independence County Extension Office at 1770 Myers Street in Batesville, Arkansas, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. The cost is $25 per person to attend. Participants must register by March 29 at uada.formstack.com/forms/psa_batesville. Attendance is limited to 20 spots, and no walk-ins will be accepted.
Sarah Bakker, extension food systems and food safety program associate for the Division of Agriculture, said the produce safety training satisfies important requirements for farms covered by the Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule.
“For fresh produce farms, the Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule sets mandatory federal standards for growing, harvesting, packing and holding produce,” Bakker said. “Most produce farms will be affected by this rule.”
Topics covered at the training will include food safety plans, postharvest handling, wildlife management and more. The training will also cover the new pre-harvest agricultural water rule, which was released in 2024.
“Growers who sell to wholesale markets, institutions, or other buyers requiring produce safety training should plan to attend, particularly if it has been more than three years since last attendance,” said Amanda Philyaw Perez, extension associate professor of food systems and food safety specialist for the Division of Agriculture.
All participants will receive a certificate of completion.
For more information, contact Sarah Bakker at sbakker@uada.edu, Amanda Philyaw Perez at aperez@uada.edu or visit the Produce Safety Grower Training page on the Cooperative Extension Service’s website.
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 University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture is an equal opportunity/equal access/affirmative action institution. If you require a reasonable accommodation to participate or need materials in another format, please contact Sarah Bakker at sbakker@uada.edu as soon as possible. Dial 711 for Arkansas Relay.
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 three campuses.
Pursuant to 7 CFR § 15.3, the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offers all its Extension and Research programs and services (including employment) without regard to race, color, sex, national origin, religion, age, disability, marital or veteran status, genetic information, sexual preference, pregnancy or any other legally protected status, and is an equal opportunity institution.
# # #
Media Contact:
Rebekah Hall
rkhall@uada.edu
@RKHall_
501-671-2061