On-Farm Food Safety Section

Keep up with the latest news on this dynamic topic that impacts growers on multiple levels. Developing a farm food safety plan is a good idea for all growers, and may be required as part of food safety audits if you sell to certain buyers.

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April 27, 2020

Dealing with Stress on the Farm During Trying Times

This is a stressful time for many people in our country and especially on the farm. With constant updates from government officials and media sharing new about the pandemic and the fear of the unknown for the future, it is understandable to feel overwhelmed, stressed and anxious. Seeing other farmers around the nation struggling with crop losses and distribution nightmares makes other farmers wonder what is yet to come. You are not alone and there are resources to help if you are struggling with stress and anxiety.

For assistance contact the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) Disaster Distress Helpline at 800-985-5990, the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 or text MHFA to 741741 to talk to a Crisis Text Line counselor.

Farmers often feel they may be mentally and physically tougher than most people. That may be true. However, it is understandable if you are feeling depressed or anxious right now, just like the millions of people across the country who are facing the same worries and challenges. It’s perfectly understandable since most people have never experienced times like we are facing now. It’s extremely important to take care of your mental health. Helping yourself means you will be able to help others in the future.

While times may not change as quickly as we would like, there are easy self-care strategies that can help reduce feelings of depression and anxiety, or prevent anxiety before it even starts.

Here are some tips that may help:
1. Eat healthy foods to keep your body in top working order and avoid foods/beverages that cause issues with underlying health conditions.
2. Exercise reduces symptoms of depression and anxiety. Exercise is not the same as regular activity at work. Take a brisk walk or jog down a farm road, ride a bike, lift weights (even if you need to make your own out of what you have around the farm and start light).
3. Practice relaxation therapy. Focusing on tensing and relaxing muscle groups can help you relax voluntarily when feeling overwhelmed, stressed or anxious. Concentrate on the shoulder and neck regions of the body, where stress often builds.
4. Be kind to yourself. Treat yourself with the same compassion you would a friend and allow others to help as you would help them.
5. Stay connected. Even if you can’t get together face-to-face, you can stay connected to friends, family and neighbors with phone calls, text messages, video chats and social media. If you’re feeling lonely, sad or anxious, reach out to your social support networks – all is kept confidential. Share what you are feeling and offer to listen to friends or family members about their feelings. We are all experiencing this scary and uncPerson holding a fishertain time together.
6. Monitor media consumption. While you might want to stay up-to the minute with COVID-19 news, too much exposure can be overwhelming. Balance media consumption with other activities you enjoy, such as playing with pets, reading, cooking, fishing at the farm pond, playing games with family or listening to music.

Adding small changes to your routine each day can make a big difference to your overall mood and well-being. Just remember, if you need help, help is available.

Filed Under: Blueberry, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Disease Forecasting, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Nursery, Organic Production, Plant Diagnostic Lab, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Turf, Uncategorized, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape Tagged With: ,
April 24, 2020

Face Coverings and Gloves Required in Packinghouses

The Executive Order 122  “Requires workers and visitors to wear cloth face coverings, in accordance with CDC recommendations, while on the premises, except where doing so would inhibit the individual’s health or the individual is under two years of age, and require workers to wear gloves while on the premises.  Businesses must provide, at their expense, such face coverings and gloves for their employees.”  

We must do everything to protect workers and growers!  Think about if a worker contracts COVID-19 and it moves through your workforce.  Who is going to harvest the crop?  Prevention is the best course for us all.

Filed Under: Food Safety
April 20, 2020

Covid-19 and Wholesale Grower Questions

The CDC, FDA and USDA have no reports at this time of human illnesses that suggest coronavirus can be transmitted by food or food packaging.

What should an operation do to protect their workers and themselves? Growers should inform employees concerning the importance of following recommended guidelines for their own health, the protection of co-workers and to keep the farm running.  Anyone getting sick with COVID–19 will have a significant impact on continued operation of the farm!
Transportation
1. Do not pack too many workers in a vehicle. Ideally there should just be two individuals in a pickup. If using buses have one individual per seat.
2. If bringing workers in from another country or another part of the United States, consider quarantining them for up to 14 days. It is especially important if one in the group is showing symptoms.
Labor Housing
1. Social distancing inside labor housing with a common bunk room may be a challenge. Consider installing temporary/permanent screens/walls between bunks, separating bunks as far as space allows, or divide bunks into individual beds if practical/possible.
2. Plan for what would happen if someone contracted Covid-19. There should be a separate area set aside for that individual, whether it is a separate room or in another house. The original camp should be cleaned and sanitized following CDC guidelines before any workers return. [Read more…]

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Food Safety, Fruit, Vegetable Crops
April 14, 2020

“Ask the Ag Agent” 7:00PM Weekly – Every Wednesday – Farmer Video Conference/Call-In Forum

By, William Bamka, Stephen Komar, Michelle Infante-Casella and Meredith Melendez

“Ask the Ag Agent” weekly 1-hour sessions for farmers will be hosted by Rutgers Agricultural Agents working with commercial farmers, on Wednesday April 15th and continue each Wednesday. The online conferencing/call in events will begin at 7:00PM with an open forum to discuss ag-related questions about production, marketing, regulations and any other topics farmers wish to discuss. All are welcome.

To access via WebEx on a computer go to https://go.rutgers.edu/rc9n3kxt

Join by phone
+1-650-429-3300 USA Toll
Access code: 799 743 872

Filed Under: Blueberry, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Disease Forecasting, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Organic Production, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Uncategorized, Vegetable Crops, Wine Grape
April 13, 2020

Marketing Tip: Consider Pre-Bagging Produce at Farm Markets

By, Michelle Infante-Casella and Meredith Melendez, Agricultural Agents

Farm marketers can learn from recent behaviors observed in supermarkets and other food outlets as we start the produce season in New Jersey. Besides facilitating social distancing and having employees and customers wear masks and other protective gear, farm owners and workers can help ease shopping anxiety by pre-bagging items.Person grabbing an orange from a bag with a glove

To date there is no scientific evidence to support the transmission of COVID-19 through food, but customer buying patterns have shown that packaged produce is selling better than loose produce. Customers are fearful of virus transmission from many different sources regardless of the science. Most people are very suspicious when touching every object around them whether it be door handles, shopping carts, checkout counters, credit card machines and also on the list – loose fruits and vegetables on shelves that may have been handled by other people. These fears are certainly understandable.

Some food stores are reporting bagged items are selling faster than loose items. The public sentiment is wrapped produce has a barrier that acts as a safety measure against contamination. Produce items in pre-packaged containers, such as bagged lettuces, bagged broccoli, bagged cucumbers, bagged peppers, packaged tomatoes and other items wrapped in plastic have increased in sales over their unpackaged counterparts. In addition, items in highest demand tend to be more shelf-stable produce like potatoes, apples, onions, unpeeled carrots, winter squashes and cabbage.

The media has been publicizing milk dumping from tanker trucks, in-season produce fields being plowed, and issues with food distribution across the country due to issues from COVID-19. Consumers are questioning many issues right now. Is the U.S. food supply safe? Will there be enough food to go around? Will the food stores be closing? Is it safe to buy fresh produce? Should I worry when I see empty store shelves?

To ensure a domestic food supply in the future, it is more important than ever for customers to buy local and US farm products. This is a message the entire agriculture industry can share with the public.

Some questions about food and COVID-19 can be answered by reading the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s website https://www.fda.gov/food. This is also a good site to send your customers to help answer their questions. Resources specific for the agricultural community are listed on the Rutgers On-Farm Food Safety COVID-19 website.

In summary, farm market proprietors may want to keep produce displays well stocked with plenty of bagged and packaged produce items. This will also help facilitate having customers in the market for shorter periods. Customers can just pick up bags and go rather than pick through a pile and taking extra time to bag their own items. In addition, pricing bags ahead of time, that don’t need to be weighed, can also quicken check out times. Shoppers are in a hurry to get in and out of stores to ease fears of potential virus transmission. Making it as easy as possible to help facilitate shopping and check out may go a long way to lessen customer anxiety in current times. Keep engaged with customers for suggestions on what they may need from your market.

Farmers and farm markets will be playing a major role in food distribution and food security in the near future and beyond. Thank you to all farmers, farm workers, and other essential workers in this time of crisis.

Filed Under: Blueberry, Commercial Ag Updates, Cranberry, Food Safety, Fruit, Organic Production, Strawberry, Tree Fruit, Vegetable Crops
April 9, 2020

Cloth Face Coverings for Retail Employees: Executive Order No. 122

Cloth face masksThe Governor signed Executive Order No. 122 into law on Wednesday, April 8th.  This rule impacts retail sales locations that fall under the Executive Order No. 107 “essential retail business” category.  While many of the items would not be considered new, the requirement of cloth face coverings and gloves for employees is.

Face coverings for employees:
Workers are required to wear face coverings while at the retail location unless the covering would inhibit the individuals health.  Businesses are required to supply face coverings to workers.  The Executive Order does not acknowledge the fact that purchasing facemasks is currently very difficult.  The Executive Order does state that workers can supply their own face covering when preferred by the employee. Guidelines on how to make, wear, and handle face coverings can be found on the Rutgers On-Farm Food Safety COVID-19 webpage.   Printable signage is also available on the website.  Some community organizations are making cloth face coverings. These may be a resource for your workers who are not inclined to make their own if you are unable to provide them. Be sure to train your employees on proper use.  This face covering is not to be worn as a replacement for other personal protective equipment, such as those worn for pesticide applications.

Gloves for employees:
Businesses are required to provide gloves to employees who are interacting with customers and/or handling saleable goods.

Face coverings for customers:
Customers are required to wear cloth face coverings when they enter the retail area. When an individual refuses to wear a face covering for non-medical reasons the business should find an alternative method of shopping for the customer. Options could include pre or outside ordering with pick-up or delivery to the customer outside of the establishment.  Businesses may not ask for proof of a customers medical reason for not wearing a mask.

Visit the Rutgers On-Farm Food Safety COVID-19 webpage for updated resources relevant to your farm operation and COVID-19

Language specific to cloth face coverings and glove use from Executive Order No. 122 is below:

Essential retail businesses that are still permitted to operate under Executive Order No. 107 (2020) must adopt the following policies:
Require workers and customers to wear cloth face coverings while on the premises, except where doing so would inhibit that individual’s health or where the individual is under two years of age, and require workers to wear gloves when in contact with customers or goods. Businesses must provide, at their expense, such face coverings and gloves for their employees. If a customer refuses to wear a cloth face covering for non-medical reasons and if such covering cannot be provided to the individual by the business at the point of entry, then the business must decline entry to the individual, unless if the business is providing medication, medical supplies, or food, in which case the business policy should provide alternate methods of pickup and/or delivery of such goods. Nothing in the stated policy should prevent workers or customers from wearing a surgical-grade mask or other more protective face covering if the individual is already in possession of such equipment, or if the business is otherwise required to provide such worker with more protective equipment due to the nature of the work involved. Where an individual declines to wear a face covering on store premises due to a medical condition that inhibits such usage, neither the essential retail business nor its staff shall require the individual to produce medical documentation verifying the stated condition.

Filed Under: Commercial Ag Updates, Field, Forage & Livestock, Food Safety, Fruit, Landscape, Nursery, & Turf, Vegetable Crops