Progress 09/01/19 to 08/31/23
Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audience wassmall-scale, limited-resource, historically underserved, and new and beginning farmers seeking access to the high-value markets for local foods in Carolina communities. Changes/Problems:COVID-19 caused initial challenges and delays at the beginning of the project due to "stay-at-home" orders, then restrictions on in-person gatherings, and people not wanting to attend in-person workshops. However, we were able to transition our workshops into webinar formats quickly. During the time "stay-at-home" orders were in place, our staff was identified as essential food and agriculture employees, enabling CFSA to continue conducting in-person site visits helping farms implement food safety plans and navigate through safety concerns associated with the pandemic. Due to university restrictions on employee travel, it took longer for our university partners to get back to conducting in-person workshops and site visits. We had a lot of challenges getting NCA&T to invoice for work they did on the project. We collaborated with NCA&T to conduct workshops, review and modify existing training material and curriculum, and develop technical fact sheets to meet the needs of historically underserved and organic farmers. We've reached out directly by phone and email to their grants office in 2020, 2021, and 2022 and never received an invoice for their work. We met with Jimo Ibrahim (NC A&T Farm Management Specialist), whom we were collaborating with on this project on July 7, 2022, and revised NC A&T's budget. The revision was included in our prior approval request letter sent in June 2022. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?CFSA staff participated in the national HGAP Working Group meetings, SC Task Force Meetings, NC Fresh Produce Safety Task Force meetings, attended the Southeastern Fruit and Vegetable Expo, attended the SC Black Farmer Conference, attended FSOP Director's meetings, and participated in racial equity training provided by CFSA in 2022. Keisha Rainey has been participating in South Carolina's Palmetto Leadership Program for the Environment, Agriculture and Forestry (PLEAF). This two-year intensive academic, experiential learning and networking curriculum is designed to facilitate personal and professional growth and success while sharpening character and leadership skills for each participant. She also attended the Bridging the GAPs: Approached to Treating Irrigation Water On-Farm training in January 2023 and PSA train-the trainer training in May 2022 Sara Runkel also attended Bridging the GAPs: Approached to Treating Irrigation Water On-Farm training in January 2023 and IFPA GAPs Harmonized Standard Auditor Training in February 2023. SCSU/SBDC Staff, including Jim Johnson, Brian Wheat, and Sloan Steedley, participated in a racial equity challenge and participated in one equity training/workshop to inform the development of curriculum and training materials for workshops conducted relative to Objectives 2 and 3. Training materials, curricula, delivery modes, and modes of outreach have been improved to increase access and quality of content for small-scale, historically underserved farmers. Regular communication with the project team has allowed collaborative growth toward more equitable and accessible resource provision. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Project information and resources were disseminated to: Presented a project poster at the FSOP Director's Meeting in Tampa, FL., May 2023 Provided training and resources to the South Carolina Department of Agriculture's (SCDA) GAP consultant from Sept 2022 - May 2023 which included how to conduct on-farm site visits and prepare growers for audits Share food safety considerations at the SCDA's regional meetings to discuss the Local Food Procurement Agreement Provided training, fact sheets, and food safety templates to the Gullah Cooperative Spoke about our food safety work/approach at the SCDA Food Safety Task force on December 5, 2022 What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?
Nothing Reported
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1. We updated our Food Safety Plan Template and training curriculum better to meet the needs of historically underserved and organic farmers. The template and curriculum were revised in 2021 after the USDA updated the HGAP Standard. We created the following technical fact sheets: Differences Between Cleaning, Sanitizing, and Disinfecting: Food Safety Best Practices & COVID-19 Considerations Antimicrobial Use in Produce Wash Water Is my on-farm water source safe? Post Harvest Wash Stations: Simple Infrastructure & Sanitizer Guidance Cross-Contact: Food, Farming, & Allergens Get a Head Start on This Year's GAP Certification To-Do-List Cold Storage for Quality Control & Food Safety: Food Contact Surface & Sanitation Program for Post Harvest Facilities Fresh Produce Contamination Wildlife and Domestic Animals Risks to Produce Safety Water Quality Considerations For Produce Farms Ten Steps to Safe Produce Understanding Cross-Contamination in Produce Operations Reducing Post-Harvest Losses Best Produce Safety Practices for Boutique Farms: A Self-Assessment Tool Objectives 2 and 3: When we originally wrote the project proposal, we were following a food safety training plan that included a three-pronged approach; workshops covering the Principles of Fresh Produce Safety and Navigating the GAP Audit, followed by workshops covering Food Safety Program and Plan Development and culminating with direct technical assistance on Food Safety Program and Plan Development for farmers needed additional help obtaining GAP certification. However, due to several factors, including COVID-19, the need for training on other food safety topics, and increased demand for direct technical assistance in developing a food safety plan, we conducted workshops and webinars on a broader range of issues while still being able to provide farmers with the assistance they need writing and implementing food safety plans and obtaining GAP certification. Therefore, we modified Objective 2 (Principles of Fresh Produce Safety and Navigating the GAP Audit workshops) and Objective 3 (Food Safety Program and Plan Development workshops) into one object of providing 24 workshops on food safety (this modification was approved in July 2022). Through this project, we conducted 31 workshops for 649 participants (combined CFSA staff and South Carolina State University): 6/10/2023 Farm Food Safety, Pittsboro, NC (15 attendees) 4/17/2023 Whitaker Small Farm Group-Food Safety Plan Writing, Enfield NC (25 attendees) 3/8/2023 Navigating the GAP Audit Training- HGAP+, Webinar (9 attendees) 3/2/2023 Hands-on Food Safety for Small Farms, Alexander, NC (6 attendees) 3/2/2023 Navigating the GAP Audit Training- Postharvest, Webinar 12 attendees) 3/1/2023 Food Safety for Small Farms, Webinar (13 attendees) 3/1/2023 Navigating the GAP Audit Training- Field, Webinar (29 attendees) 2/27/2023 Navigating the GAP Audit Training- General Questions, Webinar (31 attendees) 2/22/2023 Navigating the GAP Audit Training - GAP 101, Webinar (38 attendees) 1/31/2023 Business Planning \ Marketing for Small Scale Producers Workshop, Spartanburg, SC (28 attendees) 9/21/2022 Farm Food Safety, Webinar (25 attendees) 8/30/2022 GAP 101, Lexington, SC (45 attendees) 7/22/2022 HGAP, Johns Island, SC (24 attendees) 6/29/2022 GAP 101, Spartanburg, SC (10 attendees) 5/19/2022 Navigating the GAP Audit: Part 5, Webinar (11 attendees) 5/19/2022GAP 101 Farm Development and Market Opportunities, Spartanburg, SC (10 attendees) 3/7/2022 Navigating the GAP Audit: Part 4, Webinar (9 attendees) 3/2/2022 Navigating the GAP Audit: Part 3, Webinar (27 attendees) 2/28/2022 Navigating the GAP Audit: Part 2, Webinar (30 attendees) 2/23/2022 Navigating the GAP Audit: Part 1, Webinar (36 attendees) 2/19/2022 Farming Essentials: Tools to Help You Grow, Farmers and Ranchers of Color, Webinar (61 attendees) 1/26/2022 GAP 101, Conway, SC (13 attendees) 6/16/2021GAP 101 & Farm Market Opportunities, Bamberg, SC (9 attendees) 4/7/2021Agritourism and Food Safety on the Farm, Johns Island, SC (8 attendees) 6/3/2020 GAP Webinar (12 attendees) 7/21/2020 Gullah Farms GAP, Twn, SC (9 attendees) 7/21/2020Gullah Coop GAP 101, St Helena Island (9 attendees) 11/5/2020 Food Safety Auditors Q&A, Webinr (11 attendees) 11/5/2020 Beginning Farmer GAP/FSMA Webinar (11 attendees) 11/6/2020 Foodborne Illness v Non-Foodborne & the Science of COVID-19, Webinar (45 attendees) 11/6/2020 On-Farm Food Safety: Farmer & Farmworker Safety & Best Practices, Town, NC (28 attendees) Additional workshops were conducted by our partners at N.C. A&T State University throughout the project period, but they were never billed to CFSA. Therefore, we have not included them in this report. Objective 4: CFSA and South Carolina State University provided direct technical assistance on food safety programs and planned development to 137 farms; 34 in North Carolina and 103 in South Carolina. N.C. A&T provided technical assistance to additional North Carolina Farms but did not bill them for the project. Therefore, those numbers are not included. Objective 5: Through this project, we conducted 22 PSA trainings for 215 participants. North Carolina State University conducted 16 PSA workshops for 134 participants. One was conducted in Spanish; a second was planned but canceled due to lack of registration, and one was for American Indian farmers. 12/16/2021 Mills River, NC (6 attendees) 1/26/2022 Clinton, NC (10 attendees) 2/15/2022 Lillington, NC (14 attendees) 3/24/2022 Mills River, NC (7 attendees) 3/29/2022 Raleigh, NC (5 attendees) 4/21/2022 Mills River, NC (2 attendees): Spanish audience 5/5/2022 Winston-Salem, NC (2 attendees) 8/25/2022 Virtual (22 attendees) 9/7/2022 Greensboro, NC (26 attendees) 12/20/2022 Raleigh, NC (5 attendees) 2/2/2023 Smithfield, NC (11 attendees) 2/14/2023 Barco, NC (9 attendees) 3/29/2023 Mills River, NC (6 attendees) 3/29/2023 Burlington, NC (6 attendees) 4/18/2023 Rockingham, NC (3 attendees) CFSA conducted 6 PSA workshops for 81 participants. 3/16/2023 Anderson, SC (12 attendees) 2/20/2023 For the Catawba Nation Rock Hill, SC (10 attendees) 10/18/2022Webinar (16 attendees) 9/15/2022 Webinar (17 attendees) 7/12/2022 Webinar (16 attendees) 2/19/2022 Webinar (10 attendees)
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Progress 09/01/21 to 08/31/22
Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audience is small-scale, limited-resource, historically underserved, and new and beginning farmers in North and South Carolina. Changes/Problems:The COVID pandemic had a drastic impact on our ability to fully launch this project in 2020. Therefore, the Carolina Farm Stewardship Association has requested approval for a no-cost extension through August 31, 2023, and to amend the budget Award No. 2019-70020-30351, Local Produce Safety Initiative. We have collaborated with NCA&T to conduct workshops, review and modify existing training material and curriculum, and develop technical fact sheets to meet the needs of historically underserved and organic farmers. However, we experienced challenges getting them to invoice us for any work on this project. We've reached out directly by phone and email to their grants office since 2020 and have still not received an invoice for their work. We met with Jimo Ibrahim (NC A&T Farm Management Specialist), whom we have been collaborating with on this project on July 7, 2022, and revised NC A&T's budget. When we originally wrote the project proposal, we were following a food safety training plan that included a three-pronged approach; workshops covering the Principles of Fresh Produce Safety and Navigating the GAP Audit, followed by workshops covering Food Safety Program and Plan Development and culminating with direct technical assistance on Food Safety Program and Plan Development for farmers needed additional help obtaining GAP certification. However, due to several factors, including COVID 19, the need for training on other food safety topics, and increased demand for direct technical assistance in developing a food safety plan, we have conducted workshops and webinars on a broader range of issues while still being able to provide farmers with the assistance they need writing and implementing food safety plans and obtaining GAP certification. Therefore, we combined objective 2 (Principles of Fresh Produce Safety and Navigating the GAP Audit workshops) and objective 3 (Food Safety Program and Plan Development workshops) into one object of providing 24 workshops on food safety. Workshops titles have included 1) Principles of Fresh Produce Safety, 2) Navigating the GAP Audit, 3) Q&A Session with Lead Auditors in North and South Carolina, 4) The Science of COVID: What Makes COVID Different from Foodborne Illnesses, 5) On-Farm Best Practices in the Age of COVID, and 6) HGAP. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?We conducted 21 workshops for 467 participants on food safety. Workshops titles have included 1) Principles of Fresh Produce Safety, 2) Navigating the GAP Audit, 3) Q&A Session with Lead Auditors in North and South Carolina, 4) The Science of COVID: What Makes COVID Different from Foodborne Illnesses, 5) On-Farm Best Practices in the Age of COVID, and 6) HGAP. We provided direct Food Safety Program and Plan Development assistance to 127 small-scale farms seeking GAP certification. We conducted 17 PSA workshops for 132 participants. Two have been conducted in Spanish. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest? Food Safety Materials have been distributed at workshops and tabling events Food Safety updates at the SARE Meetings Food Safety Partners have handed out materials and manuals Food Safety Partners have made connections with area farmers on-site visits and made referrals for TA What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals? GAP and Farm Food Safety Workshops and Webinars HGAP 2023 Updates Webinar On-Farm Technical Assistance Program Promotion at Conferences Continued Collaboration with our Food Safety Partners Program patterns will review technical fact sheets
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
Objective 1: Reviewed and modified training material and developed technical fact sheets that will be reviewed by our partners. Objectives 2 and 3: Conducted 21 workshops for 467 participants. Objective 4: Provided direct Food Safety Program and Plan Development assistance to 167 small-scale farms seeking GAP certification. Objective 5: Conducted 17 PSA workshops for 132 participants. Two have been conducted in Spanish.
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Progress 09/01/20 to 08/31/21
Outputs
Target Audience:Our target audience is small-scale, limited-resource, historically underserved, and new and beginning farmers in in North and South Carolina wanting to establish food safety programs at their operations in order to access high-value markets for local foods Changes/Problems:Due to pandemic-related delays in obtaining a fully executed contract, our three land grant program partners did not begin billing work on this project until late in 2021. What opportunities for training and professional development has the project provided?All of our work related to this project is aimed at better educating farmers and their employees on the principles of food safety. Every time we assist a farmer in getting GAP certified, that farmer is responsible for training his or her employees on basic hygiene, harvest practices, and post-harvest procedures. This past year our Food Safety team assisted in that effort by training 39 employees of farms on food safety practices. All farmers getting GAP certified must first be formally trained in food safety through one of our GAP workshops or a PSA Grower Training. The workshops that we developed and presented under this grant in 2021 educated 152 producers, many of whom will educate others. How have the results been disseminated to communities of interest?Our direct technical assistance is advertised through our workshops, listservs, website, word of mouth, and social media. Once we are working one-on-one with a farmer, they have access to our library of documents and resources that assist in the GAP auditing process: our food safety template, checklists to keep farmers on track, and resources to complete key aspects of the GAP audit. For example, farmers are assisted in mock recalls and given an example "script" they can use when communicating with their buyers about this process. Any producers that attend our workshops are also given an array of resources, including our Food Safety Plan templates. The food safety blog posts we write are first disseminated via a CFSA subscription electronic newsletter that we send out monthly. This newsletter, the Grower's Toolbox, is aimed at farmers and written exclusively by members of our Farm Services team members. The newsletter is opened by 900 producers on an average month. What do you plan to do during the next reporting period to accomplish the goals?During the next, and final reporting period, we will be continuing to develop and host workshops. We will hold 11 workshops in 2022, for at least 90 producers. With our partners at NC Extension and NC A&T, we will continue to host PSA Grower Trainings as we are able, considering the pandemic. We will also be producing more fact sheets and disseminating those through CFSA's Grower's Toolbox electronic newsletter. Topics for these include: (1) Water Use, (2) Approved Supplier Lists, and (3) Sanitizer Use.
Impacts
What was accomplished under these goals?
1. Food Safety Instructional Curriculum continued to be revised so that it best meets the needs of historically underserved farmers and organic farmers. After the USDA issued their updates to the Harmonized GAP Standard in February of 2021, we completed updates to our Food Safety Plan Template with all the new changes, easier to navigate records, options to use google docs or hard copies, and simplified many of the SOPs to procedures more suited to small scale farming operations. 2. We conducted six food safety workshops for 152 producers. Three of these were in-person, full-day workshops covering the principles of food safety and how to navigate a GAP audit. Three of the six were webinars, presented virtually. In these webinars, food safety was a portion of the agenda alongside other relevant topics. 3. See above? 4. We provided direct food safety assistance to 24 producers. This assistance includes a mock-audit on-site, help drafting the Operation's Food Safety Plan, pre-audit administrative support and audit day support as well. 5. We participated in one PSA Grower Training in Goldsboro, NC. Attendance was limited to 10 people due to the ongoing pandemic.
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