2017 ASHS Annual Conference

Undergraduate enrollment in agricultural production and management programs is growing, primarily because the courses are attracting students from non-farm backgrounds. This trend is based on increased interest in healthy eating, sustainable and organic food production, direct-market sales, and the expansion of local agriculture. Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) courses offered by extension programs provide excellent training for farmers; however, there is little in-depth produce safety training for students on campus. Using grant funds, we developed and added a one-credit module to an existing fruit and vegetable technology course for upper-level undergraduate students. To ensure valuable learning outcomes, students completed weekly assignments. Each student was required to identify and describe a recent foodborne illness outbreak (Week 1), develop Standard Operating Procedures (Week 2), develop a direct-market farm food safety plan (Week 3), perform a risk assessment (Week 4), and prepare a USDA Harmonized GAPs plan (Week 5). Passage of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) has created new food safety requirements for farmers. This curriculum is being modified to incorporate new resources developed to help farmers comply with these requirements. Current resources include a web-based question and answer series and YouTube videos on water sampling and harvest bin sanitation. A direct-market farm case study was also developed. These resources have been particularly valuable to students from a non-farm background interested in sustainable, local food production. Students who have completed this course have used their training to assist urban, suburban and rural growers in food safety planning. This training is a valuable asset for these students entering the workforce, and ensuring the food safety of local farms producing for farmers’ markets, restaurants, community supported agriculture, and consumers.