RISK MITIGATION
IN EDIBLE HORTICULTURAL PRODUCTION SYSTEMS
CAROL BISHOP
BACKGROUND ON NEVADA: WE GROW
MORE THAN ALIENS
> New Jersey
MARKET ACCESS AND
RISK MITIGATION
• The feds are coming! FSMAhhhh
• Consumer concern
• Certification nation: the assurance matrix
• Market access
• Increased interest in local foods
FORMER PROGRAMMING
• Minimal programming occurring historically
• 2012 Small Farm Conference
• 2013-2014 Las Vegas / Reno / Las Vegas
• Seth Urbanowitz & NDA
• USDA FNS Farm to School Grant
• 2014 Small Farm Conference
• Power point handouts and fact sheets
• Technical assistance
PRODUCE SAFETY SYNERGIES
FORMER SUCCESSES
Understanding of:
• Over 100 participants
• Farmers, public health
professionals and
agricultural professionals
• Partnerships
• Health departments, NV
Dept. of Ag., and farmers
• Transfer of knowledge
• Grant-seeking
Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs)
Risk management in the context of food safety
Food safety regulatory aspects as it relates to
fresh produce
Worker health and hygiene practices
Agricultural water use practices
Soil amendments, manure and composting
practices
How to reduce the risk that wildlife and
animals pose to on-farm food safety
The process of sanitizing tools and equipment
Recordkeeping and traceability methods
Food safety practices for direct marketing
(CSA’s, agritourism, farmers’ markets)
Good Handling Practices (GHPs)
How to complete a food safety plan
The relationship between produce quality and
food safety
BRIDGING THE GAP IN GAP’S
• Two GAP certified producers statewide
• Step from knowledge to action
• Perceived roadblocks to GAP
certification
• Cost share until July 30, 2015
MY INITIAL PLAN
• RME grant
• Mock audits
• Self-assessment
• Workshops for individual plans
• GAP audits
WHAT HAPPENED
• RME grant
• Mock audits
• Self-assessment
• Workshops for individual plans
• GAP audits
WHAT WORKED
• Audit timing & worksheets
• After training (in north)
• Audit locations
• On-farm mentoring
• University of Minnesota –
• Food Safety Plan For You
• Curriculum
WHAT I WOULD DO DIFFERENTLY
• Audit timing
• Food safety plan mentoring first
• Eliminate ‘real time’ audit
• Contact local buyers for
produce needs assessments
to show producers local
market potential
UNEXPECTED RESULTS
• GAP certification not required by buyers
• Most producers practice food safety procedures
• Farm visits
• Survey
• Documentation of these procedures is overly time
consuming
• Initial set-up
• Ongoing record-keeping
FARM OPERATION EXAMPLE
• 2 people attended 2 days of training for 16 hours in
labor costs in additional to travel and per diem costs
• 2 people, 6 hours per day for 36 days in planning and
revising their food safety plan for a total of 432 hours
in labor costs
• $5,824 at $13/hour (not including travel and per diem)
• Ongoing labor costs of 1 hour daily to maintain paper
logs and one-half hour daily to enter log data
electronically
• $6,084 at $13/hour (yearly costs)
CURRENT SITUATION & NEXT STEPS
• The farm operation example on the previous slide, although able
to meet standards to become GAP certified has chosen not to
become certified.
• Four USDA GAP certified producers
• FSMA training
• Longitudinal data on changes of practices and market access
• Costs
• Communicate and advise on cost-effective approaches
• Is it worth it?
• Focused and partnered programming
• Wildlife, composting, water, record keeping
THANK YOU
BISHOPC@UNCE.UNR.EDU