Alert Date: 5/30/2012
Pest: Cucurbit downy mildew
Location: Cucurbit downy mildew has been confirmed on cucumber in areas near Swedesboro/Glassboro (Gloucester County). This is the first report of cucurbit downy mildew in the mid-Atlantic region this year. [Read more…]
Archives for May 2012
Vegetable Alert: Cucurbit Downy Mildew on Cucumber
Farm Food Safety: Compliance Documentation – Harvest Logs
Part 6 of Preparing Your Farm Food Safety Plan
-Meredith Melendez and Wes Kline
The USDA Good Agricultural Practices audit requires that certain activities on the farm be documented. These logs should accurately reflect what you have done on the farm to ensure food safety. If you do not write your activities down the auditor will assume that the activity never happened. This documentation may be new for many growers, so making it as easy as possible for you to comply will ensure that the documenting happens in a manner that is acceptable to an auditor.
What harvest logs will you need to have as a part of your farm food safety plan?
Vegetable Alert: Late Blight on Potato
Alert Date: 5/23/12
Pest: Late Blight on potato
Location: Burlington County, NJ [Read more…]
Farm Food Safety: Compliance Documentation – Field Operations Log
Part 5 of Preparing Your Farm Food Safety Plan
– Meredith Melendez and Wes Kline
The USDA Good Agricultural Practices audit requires that certain activities on the farm be documented. These logs should accurately reflect what you have done on the farm to ensure food safety. If you do not write your activities down the auditor will assume that the activity never happened. This documentation may be new for many growers, sample logs are available on the Plant & Pest Advisory On-Farm Food Safety section under manual forms.
What field operations logs will you need to have as a part of your farm food safety plan?
Farm Food Safety: Traceback
Part 4 of Preparing Your Farm Food Safety Plan
-Meredith Melendez and Wes Kline
Part 4 continues the Answering General Questions portion of your farm food safety plan, which covers the broad details of:
- Who is responsible for the farm food safety plan and how to reach them
- Worker health and hygiene education
- Pesticide usage
- Traceability
Suggested wording for traceback, which may work for your farm food safety plan, is given in this installment. [Read more…]
Farm Food Safety: Plan Responsibility and Worker Health, Hygiene Education
Part 3 of Preparing Your Farm Food Safety Plan
-Meredith Melendez and Wes Kline
The purpose of the Answers to General Questions portion of your farm food safety plan is to cover the broad details of your plan. Who is responsible for plan implementation and how to reach them; worker health and hygiene education; pesticide usage; traceability; and self-auditing are topics that should be covered. Below is an outline along with suggested wording that may work for your farm food safety plan – traceability and self-auditing are discussed in part four.
- Food Safety Plan Responsibility – Personnel and Contact Information
- Farm Worker Health and Hygiene Education
- Pesticide Use