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
Fungi, Forage & Forest
June 12, 2026 : Friday Evening
Buckets, Beds & Totems
Explore mushroom cultivation techniques featuring oyster mushrooms, wine caps, and lion's mane mushrooms.
June 13, 2026 : Saturday Full-Day
Wild Edibles
Learn about edible plants and responsible foraging practices focused on plants only (no wild mushroom foraging).
Agroforestry Talk
Discover how agroforestry systems can support farm diversification and sustainable land management.
Shiitake Inoculation (hands-on workshop at Heartland Organics)
Participate in a hands-on shiitake inoculation workshop and learn the basics of log-grown mushroom production.
2026 Muck Onion Growers Twilight Meeting in Oswego
June 18, 2026
Oswego, NY
Open to all Onion Enthusiasts, the Muck Onion Growers Twilight Meeting will include an onion disease research update from 2025, new fungicide recommendations for 2026, an onion maggot seed treatment update, herbicide demonstration tour, and more. This educational event is immediately followed by a catered dinner; both are FREE thanks to generous sponsors!
2.25 DEC recertification credits available in categories 1a, 10 and 23. CCA credits will be offered too.