Produce Bites

Phil Tocco, Emily Hollingsworth, and Morgan Anderson, members of the Michigan On-Farm Produce Safety team, recently met up at the Northwest Orchard and Vineyard Show to discuss what growers need to know about the Agricultural Water Rule. In this episode, they provide an overview of the Ag Water Rule, and discuss what is currently known and unknown about the proposed rule. 

Funding for this podcast was made possible in part by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137. The views expressed in the posted materials do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does any mention of trade names, commercial practices or organization imply endorsement by the United States Government.

In this episode, Landen Tetil and Eli Hopp talk about the Upper Peninsula Food Exchange (UPFE), which is a food hub that supports local food systems in the Upper Peninsula. They specifically discuss what UPFE's food safety policies are for produce vendors and how Michigan Produce Safety Technicians can help farmers meet these expectations. 

Funding for this podcast was made possible in part by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137. The views expressed in the posted materials do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does any mention of trade names, commercial practices or organization imply endorsement by the United States Government.

Produce Safety Technicians are a completely free resource to provide education and technical assistance at your convenience. Technicians can administer a Produce Safety Risk Assessment, help you develop a Farm Food Safety Plan, and describe the expectations and the process of a Produce Safety Inspection, all with complete confidentiality. 

In this episode, Produce Safety Technicians Micah Hutchison and Patrick Gordon interview Jeremiah Palmer with Rennhack Orchards about his experience working with the Michigan On-Farm Produce Safety Team.

Funding for this podcast was made possible in part by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137. The views expressed in the posted materials do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does any mention of trade names, commercial practices or organization imply endorsement by the United States Government.

What are the food safety risks of using harvested rainwater? In this episode, Mariel Borgman and Micah Hutchison  talk with Dr. Rachel Rosenberg Goldstein about her research on harvested rainwater quality and whether or not it's safe to use for irrigation.

Additional Resources

Rachel's article on harvested rainwater quality from a first flush system:
 https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0048969722040736?via%3Dihub

WOW lab website: https://sph.umd.edu/research-impact/laboratories-projects-and-programs/water-quality-outreach-and-wellness-wow-laboratory

Video showcasing harvested rainwater use in Baltimore City urban agriculture: https://youtu.be/r5rXSyu5J0c

Webinar series for Baltimore City Agricultural Irrigation Water Quality Project:

• Water Quality and Food Safety, Nov 16, 2022 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
  Register in advance for this meeting: https://umd.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0ude6sqDMpGteyNMG57Xu3eSodOAsRNauW 
  
  
• Water Treatments, Nov 29, 2022 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
  Register in advance for this meeting: https://umd.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJIvc--opzIuHtAWgnjG3ClrqW5KqJ8agKfu 
  
  
• Rainwater Harvesting at Baltimore Farms, Dec 8, 2022 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)
  Register in advance for this meeting: https://umd.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUpd-6grj8iHdM_g3PAz5YdaTTWyrgFVY_2 

Funding for this podcast was made possible in part by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137. The views expressed in the posted materials do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does any mention of trade names, commercial practices or organization imply endorsement by the United States Government.

This month, Produce Safety Technicians Landen Tetil and Breanna Hannula discuss the cross contamination risks with shared equipment. This could be a tractor used in both livestock and produce areas, or a sink you use to wash both eggs and fresh produce. Listen up on this episode of Produce Bites!

Additional Resources:

Article: Tips On Shared-Use Equipment in The Wash-Pack
Article: Risks of Cross Contamination Via Shared Equipment on Mixed-Use Farms
 

Funding for this podcast was made possible in part by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137. The views expressed in the posted materials do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does any mention of trade names, commercial practices or organization imply endorsement by the United States Government.

In this episode, Jordan DeVries, a Michigan Produce Safety Technician, sits down with Elizabeth Visser, farm manager at Blandford Nature Center. They discuss the produce safety efforts put into place at Blandford, and how Liz communicates the value of food safety to the customers and crew.

Connect with Blandford Nature Center on their website or Instagram!

Website: https://www.blandfordnaturecenter.org/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/blandford.nature.center.farm/?hl=en 

Funding for this podcast was made possible in part by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137. The views expressed in the posted materials do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does any mention of trade names, commercial practices or organization imply endorsement by the United States Government.

In this episode, Michigan Produce Safety Technicians Landen Tetil and Micah Hutchison discuss some of the requirements (the "musts") of the Produce Safety Rule, and some creative ways that growers can go about meeting these requirements.

Funding for this podcast was made possible in part by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137. The views expressed in the posted materials do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does any mention of trade names, commercial practices or organization imply endorsement by the United States Government.

This episode features Gianna Costa, Food Safety Quality and Assurance Manager for Square Roots indoor farm, and Phil Tocco, a statewide Produce Safety Educator with Michigan State University Extension. They talk about how Square Roots works as an indoor growing operation, how they mitigate food safety hazards, and how they build a culture of food safety.


Square Roots website: https://www.squarerootsgrow.com/
SQR Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/squarerootsgrow/?hl=en
SQR Twitter: https://twitter.com/squarerootsgrow
SQR LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/square-roots-urban-growers/

Funding for this podcast was made possible in part by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137. The views expressed in the posted materials do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does any mention of trade names, commercial practices or organization imply endorsement by the United States Government.

Food contact surfaces are extremely important to keep clean in order to reduce the spread of pathogens. When we think of areas that produce comes into contact with, we typically think of a table or a harvest container, but what are some other surfaces that aren't usually considered? In this episode, Produce Safety Technicians Micah Hutchison and Landen Tetil talk about certain food contact surfaces that may be unintentional and how you can keep these areas clean.

Funding for this podcast was made possible in part by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137. The views expressed in the posted materials do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does any mention of trade names, commercial practices or organization imply endorsement by the United States Government.

In this episode, you'll hear from Olivia Smith, a postdoctoral researcher at Michigan State University, and Phil Tocco, an MSU Extension Educator. They discuss the factors that influence the relative risk of birds to food safety.

Additional Resources

Articles Published in Scientific Journals:

• Complex landscapes stabilize farm bird communities and their expected ecosystem services
• Are we overestimating risk of enteric pathogen spillover from wild birds to humans?
• Agricultural intensification heightens food safety risks posed by wild birds
• A trait-based framework for predicting foodborne pathogen risk from wild birds
• Feedlot Association Increases Food Safety Risk Associated with Wild Birds - Photo Gallery

Press Releases:

• Bird-Friendly Agriculture: Finding the Right Balance to Benefit Birds and Farmers (and Everyone Else)
• Not-so dirty birds? Not enough evidence to link wild birds to food-borne illness
• New research reconciles wild bird conservation with farm food safety concerns
• Researchers pinpoint which bird species pose food safety risk to crops
• These bird species are most likely to contaminate our fruits and veggies

Related Podcasts:

• MSU Ag & Wildlife Podcast: Wild birds on the farm

Brief description of Kestrel Grant: 

• Two members receive USDA-NIFA postdoctoral fellowships - Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior (msu.edu)

Funding for this podcast was made possible in part by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137. The views expressed in the posted materials do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services, nor does any mention of trade names, commercial practices or organization imply endorsement by the United States Government.