Specialty crop growers interested in food safety certification and risk management for their farms should plan to attend a Mock GAP Audit Workshop Aug. 26, 1-4 p.m. at Feed Iowa First packinghouse, 1506 10th St SE, Cedar Rapids.
Iowa State University Extension and Outreach is hosting the three-hour workshop to provide growers with a better understanding of the auditing process for GAP -- Good Agricultural Practices -- certification. Participants will tour a new packing shed in an unused commercial building as well as an urban garden space. They will discuss harvest protocols with volunteer labor, review the basics of a farm food safety plan, observe how a farm food safety plan has been implemented, and review the USDA GAP/GHP Audit Checklist and learn how to apply it to their farm setting.
The program is funded through a grant from the USDA Agricultural Marketing Services Specialty Crop Block Grant Program.
The key instructors will be ISU Extension and Outreach specialists Angela Shaw and Teresa Wiemerslage. The fee for the workshop is $20 per participant and registration is online at http://bit.ly/12sLsxE. For more information, please contact Angela Shaw at 515-294-0868 or email at angelaml@iastate.edu.
