Cornell Cooperative Extension

Sullivan County
food safety

Farm Food Safety

Farm food safety begins with Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs): the basic environmental and operational conditions that are necessary for the production of safe fruits and vegetables.

Farmers need to take steps to minimize pathogen contamination during production and harvest of their fresh produce. They should avoid side-dressing with manure, exclude animals near fields, promote proper worker hygiene in the field, test irrigation water quality, select irrigation methods that minimize crop wetting or allow for leaves to dry quickly, clean and sanitize harvest bins, promote cleanliness at U-Pick, and keep produce cool.

As consumers demand safer food, a growing number of retailers are requiring farmers to have independent, 3rd-party inspections of farms, certifying that their fruits and vegetables are being grown, harvested and packaged using Good Agricultural Practices.

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The Sullivan County Food Safety Outreach Program expands existing Food Safety educational and outreach efforts by working with our stakeholders to increase technical assistance to producers exempt from the Produce Safety Rule, increase food safety training opportunities available to small and medium-sized farms, provide additional resources to producers covered by the Produce Safety Rule, and provide training and consulting opportunities for producers seeking a third-party Good Agricultural Practice (GAP) audit, by building the capacity of CCESC.

The long-term goals are to increase:

  • # of producers with food safety knowledge,
  • # of food safety training and workshop participants,
  • # of producers with Food Safety Plans and GAP audits,
  • # of producers participating in the NYS Grown and Certified program and the number of producers selling to the Catskills Food Hub.

The end result will be an increase in retail and wholesale markets for producers, while providing a safe, nutritious, and secure food supply for consumers to purchase farm-fresh products; preventing foodborne illnesses, protecting public health, and providing access to safe and nutritious food for low-income communities.

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FSMA/GAP RESOURCES

Produce Safety Alliance Website

Grower Training Course Information

Upcoming Grower Trainings

Farm Food Safety Plan Writing Resources

Approved Water Testing Facilities for FSMA/GAP map

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We want to highlight that we have funding available to provide consulting to farms to prepare for a third-party Good Agricultural Practices (GAP) audit.

If you are interested in working with CCE Sullivan to gain compliance, obtain further certifications or reach additional wholesale markets available, we are here and trained to help you.

Please contact the CCE Sullivan office at 845-292-6180 and ask to speak with someone from the Ag Department or email, Michelle Proscia, Ag Educator, at mml249@cornell.edu

Contact

Michelle Proscia
Agriculture Production Program Manager
mml249@cornell.edu
(845) 292-6180 Ext. 129

Last updated March 19, 2024

Agriculture

USDA Good Agricultural Practices Good Handling Practices Audit Verification Checklist

USDA Good Agricultural Practices Good Handling Practices Audit Verification Checklist

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Records Required by the FSMA Produce Safety Rule

Food Safety Modernization Act and Produce Safety Alliance - Required Records Documents Templates for your Farm.

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Sullivan County Food Safety Outreach Program

Are you a fruit, vegetable, sprout or mushroom farm that has produce sales of over $25,000 per year?

Or

Do you sell to a market that is NOT a qualified end user? (QEU = local restaurant or direct to consumer)

Or

Do your farm’s sales fall below $25,000 per year, but your market still requires a Food Safety Plan?

Cornell Cooperative Extension of Sullivan County applied and received a USDA NIFA grant. We are working in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Delaware County, to respond to the need for increased food safety outreach and education for both counties’ produce farms, to assist farms in compliance with the new law.

The goal is to assist farms within our region who not only are subject to follow the Produce Safety Rule as mandated through the FDA but also to farms who may be exempt due to income threshold.


CCE Sullivan is currently offering vegetable and produce Farms within Sullivan and Delaware counties:

Educational programming including:

□ Produce Safety Alliance Grower Trainings- to become FSMA compliant on your farm

□ Farm Food Safety Plan writing workshops

□ Farmworker Training for yearly FSMA compliance

□ Wholesale and Recordkeeping Training

□ Farm Composting methods for FSMA compliance

Technical assistance and farm visits to assess each farm's understanding of the Produce Safety Rule and their plans to adapt

□ Assistance to farms with recordkeeping compliance

□ Assistance to farms to complete their farm food safety plan

□ Assistance to farms to participate in NYS Grown and Certified program

□ Assistance to farms to sell product through the Catskill Food hub