Urban Ag Food Safety
Lori Koenick, Extension Support Specialist
Cornell Vegetable Program

Best practices for food safety—taking active steps to minimize risk of microbial, physical and chemical contamination of food—are important for growers of all sizes to consider. In this handout using an urban ag lens, we describe the 'why' behind food safety, provide a basic overview of the regulatory and certification landscape, and dive into practices managing common sources of contamination on urban farms including people, water, soil, pests, and equipment.
This work is funded by a USDA NIFA Food Safety Outreach Program Grant "Building Foundations of Food Safety for Beginning Produce Growers."
Urban Ag Food Safety (pdf; 739KB)

Upcoming Events
Pest Management for Small-Scale Growers
July 23, 2026
Rochester, NY
Join us for a hands-on field day exploring integrated pest management tools for small-scale growing spaces and the opportunity to build community with local growers! Learn the best practices for using row covers, biocontrols, trapping, and more.
Vegetable Pest and Cultural Management Field Meeting for Auction Growers -- Ontario
July 28, 2026
Canandaigua, NY
A field walk will demonstrate pest management in fresh market vegetables in both field and greenhouse (high tunnel) vegetables, primarily for those growing for wholesale auction. CCE Cornell Vegetable Program Specialist Judson Reid will identify weeds, insects and diseases in vegetables and will go over management options such as inter-row cover crops, grafting, and where appropriate, spray options.
DEC recertification credits available: 2.0 in categories 10, 1a, 23 and 24.
Vegetable Pest and Cultural Management Field Meeting for Auction Growers -- Seneca
July 29, 2026
Romulus, NY
A field walk will demonstrate pest management in fresh market vegetables in both field and greenhouse (high tunnel) vegetables, primarily for those growing for wholesale auction. CCE Cornell Vegetable Program Specialist Judson Reid will identify weeds, insects and diseases in vegetables and will go over management options such as inter-row cover crops, grafting, and where appropriate, spray options.
DEC recertification credits available: 2.0 in categories 10, 1a, 23 and 24.