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Assess and Prevent Food Safety Risks in Leafy Greens Production




Event Details

Date

March 18, 2021

Time

6:30 - 9:00pm

Location

Online via Zoom

Host

Cornell Vegetable Program, CCE Broome County, and CCE Yates County

Robert Hadad
585-739-4065



E. coli outbreaks in lettuce grown in the Southwest have made headlines numerous times over the last several growing seasons. In many instances, these outbreaks have led to recalls from coast to coast. Ultimately, the health and financial impacts of these outbreaks have resulted in more attention being paid by buyers and regulators on the leafy greens industry. What do the problems in the Southwest have to do with growers in NY? As leafy greens are a highly susceptible crop to contamination, precautionary lessons can be learned. This training will provide an overview of possible sources of contamination related to soil amendments, wildlife, water, post-harvest handling, transportation and more. This training will emphasize specific risks that leafy greens growers may experience, identify tangible corrective actions that can be taken, and provide participants the opportunity to work through example scenarios as a group. 

Leafy greens growers, with the exclusion of those growing sprouts and microgreens, who sell through any of the following market channels: farmers market, CSA, produce auction, or wholesale, will find this workshop informative in offering real world examples and solutions to all aspects of growing, harvesting and storage of leafy greens grown in NYS.

COST AND REGISTRATION
A basic knowledge of food safety is recommended, but not required, for participation in this remote training opportunity. The cost to attend this virtual training is $10/farm and payment is required at the time of registration. The zoom link will be sent the morning of March 18th to the email used in the registration. Registration is required by March 16th. Register online  

This event is hosted by CCE Cornell Vegetable Program, Cornell Cooperative Extension of Broome County, and Cornell Cooperative Extension of Yates County. For more information, please email Robert Hadad or call 585-739-4065.

NOTE: This is a new date for the meeting. Originally scheduled for March 9, the event was pushed back to March 18, beginning at 6:30pm.



more crops
Asparagus

Asparagus

Beets

Beets

Broccoli

Broccoli

Brussels Sprouts

Brussels Sprouts

Cabbage

Cabbage

Carrots

Carrots

Cauliflower

Cauliflower

Cucumbers

Cucumbers

Dry Beans

Dry Beans

Eggplant

Eggplant

Ethnic Vegetables

Ethnic Vegetables

Garlic

Garlic

Horseradish

Horseradish

Kohlrabi

Kohlrabi

Leeks

Leeks

Lettuce / Leafy Greens

Lettuce / Leafy Greens

Melons

Melons

Mushrooms

Mushrooms

Onions

Onions

Parsnips

Parsnips

Peas

Peas

Peppers

Peppers

Potatoes

Potatoes

Pumpkins / Gourds

Pumpkins / Gourds

Radishes

Radishes

Rhubarb

Rhubarb

Rutabaga

Rutabaga

Snap Beans

Snap Beans

Squash - Summer

Squash - Summer

Squash- Winter

Squash- Winter

Sweet Corn

Sweet Corn

Sweet Potatoes

Sweet Potatoes

Tomatoes

Tomatoes

Turnips

Turnips

more crops

Upcoming Events

2025 New York State Potato School

Event Offers DEC Credits

February 11 - February 12, 2025
Waterloo, NY

This year's program will feature speakers covering critically important topics like disease management, updates in storage techniques, new varieties, and other production management practices. New for this year will be the Processor Panel where guests will have the chance to interact with some of the major chip processors in the northeast. Your participation will also earn you DEC and CCA points.

Remote Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) Training

February 12, 2025

Join Cornell Cooperative Extension of Orange and Oneida Counties, the Cornell Vegetable Program, Harvest NY, and the Eastern NY Horticulture Team on Feb. 12 for a remote Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) training. Good Agricultural Practices is a voluntary food safety audit program requiring minimum standards for the production, handling, packing, and storing of fresh fruits and vegetables, and is required by some buyers. Trainers will cover food safety best management practices related to worker training, preharvest assessments and wildlife management, water testing, postharvest handling, hygienic equipment design and efficient wash-pack setups, how to write a farm food safety plan, and more. The training will follow the USDA GAPs audit checklist so that farms will be prepared for an audit. A NYSDAM GAPs auditor will join us to discuss audit logistics and answer questions from participants. Following the course, we will offer a series of virtual office hours to follow up with course participants to assist them with writing their farm food safety plan, which is mandatory for the GAPs audit. Participants will receive a certificate of course completion after the training.

Food Safety Lunch and Learn Webinar Series

February 11, 2025 : Part One: What's Going on with Food Safety?

NYS Department of Agriculture and Markets FSMA inspectors are expected to step up farm visits this season. Why are they showing up on the farm asking about FSMA? Aren't we exempt? This noontime hour we will discuss the purpose of the farm visits and what produce farmers need to know.


February 18, 2025 : Part Two: What Counts as Food Processing?

In this session, we will discuss what counts as processing and what doesn't. Stories of inspectors coming to farmers markets and auctions telling some growers certain products can't be sold usually without much explanation. We will try to make some sense of things and clear up some misunderstandings so hopefully the upcoming season goes smoothly.


February 25, 2025 : Part Three: Traceability - Benefits for Food Safety and Beyond

Can having a traceback process for your produce (and other farm products) make good business sense regardless of FSMA regulations? We will (try to) make the case for farms to have some sort of traceability mechanism in place.

Announcements

We're Hiring: Vegetable Field Research Technician

Vegetable Field Research Technician (Batavia, NY)
If you enjoy working outdoors and want to gain hands-on experience in research conducted on a diverse set of working vegetable farms, this position is for you! The position (39 hours/week) with CCE Cornell Vegetable Program is available from May through August with possible extension depending on candidate availability. This position will be housed at the Cornell Cooperative Extension office in Batavia, NY. Regular travel throughout our program region will be required. 

To Apply:
External applicants must apply through the Cornell Careers site. Internal applicants (including temporary employees) will need to apply through Workday.

The initial posting will close on February 23, 2025 but may be extended based on the initial candidate pool.

Winter Cover Cropping in High Tunnels

Cornell Cooperative Extension is researching cover crops for high tunnel growers to better manage fertility and improve soil health. Our work has shown that winter cover cropping in high tunnels has the potential to add organic matter, improve soil structure, support microbial activity, and help with nutrient management by scavenging leftover nitrogen and/or fixing nitrogen. This publication, Management Practices for High Organic Matter Soils: Winter Cover Cropping in High Tunnels, shares best practices for winter cover cropping in high tunnels including species selection, planting rates and dates, termination, and cultural management considerations.

Laser Scarecrows to Deter Birds in Sweet Corn

Are you considering the use of a laser scarecrow to deter birds on your farm? Cornell Cooperative Extension and the University of Rhode Island teamed up to test a research laser scarecrow on sweet corn farms.

A laser scarecrow is a device that has one or more laser modules connected to motors. The specifications of the lasers are optimized to the color and motion sensitivity of bird's eyes. When laser beams move across a field, birds become frightened and attempt to move away from the perceived threat. Light from the laser covers an area quickly and moves through the canopy without causing injury to the crop. Research demonstrates that birds do not readily become habituated to the laser.

A laser scarecrow used as the sole deterrent typically results in a significant reduction in crop damage. Combined with an auditory device, damage can be reduced even more. When used as part of an integrated management program for bird control that utilizes habitat management and multiple scare tactics, laser scarecrows can be useful tools for growers of multiple crops. All scare tactics must be deployed before birds find the field. The effectiveness of lasers depends on multiple factors such as bird species, bird populations, habitat and food availability. Lasers are not effective at deterring deer, racoons, coyotes or other mammals.

To learn more, the Laser Scarecrows to Deter Birds in Sweet Corn and Other High-Value Agricultural Crops fact sheet provides background information, research data, FAQs, and Advantages/Limitations on laser scarecrows.

NY Urban Farms Pest Management Fact Sheet Series

Cornell Cooperative Extension has partnered with dozens of urban farms across New York State to demonstrate and evaluate sustainable pest management strategies. Together with farmers, we found success using control methods that prevent or reduce crop losses through exclusion strategies, crop timing, host resistance, the introduction of beneficial organisms, and more. Regardless of management strategy used, common requirements for success include a knowledge of the pest and disease complex, preventative deployment and commitment to the process. The New York Urban Farms Sustainable Pest Management Fact Sheet Series includes case studies highlighting pest management techniques that New York urban farms have found valuable.

NYS Urban Growers Pest Management Needs Assessment

As part of a multi-year project exploring non-spray pest management options that are economically and environmentally sustainable for urban farms, we conducted a needs assessment with urban growers across New York State. The New York State Urban Growers Pest Management Needs Assessment presents findings on current pest management practices, challenges, and topics of future interest.