Cooperative Extension Service to offer produce safety grower training in April

BATESVILLE — 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.