LGMA Partners with Stop Foodborne Illness Group

Leafy Green Marketing Agreement Aids Decline in Citations

By Jessica Theisman, Associate Editor

Scott Horsfall, CEO of LGMA

After a severe E. coli outbreak in 2006, California farmers created the California Leafy Green Products Handler Marketing Agreement (LGMA) in 2007 to help prevent foodborne illness. Scott Horsfall, LGMA CEO, addressed the critical role LGMA currently plays in California agriculture, “If you are going to be in the leafy greens business, in particular, you are going to have to invest in what it takes to put a food safety program in place.”

“LGMA has partnered with a group called Stop Foodborne Illness, a national nonprofit, public health organization dedicated both to the prevention of illness and death from foodborne pathogens and to its victims. These two groups collaborated to create a video that is used in all training workshops. The video not only tells them why food safety is important, it shows them.”

Citations for foodborne pathogens in recent years have declined. Most of the citations are noted as minor infractions or minor deviations.

“They are not threatening public health; sometimes they indicate an oversight in having some documentation on hand, or something along those lines,” Horsfall said.

“Yet, there are still a handful of major deviations that are more significant and are treated differently,” Horsfall said. “Auditors are required to go back out, but if [the situation] is flagrant, they will go back out within a week to make sure that all corrective actions that were submitted are actually put in place.”

Links:

California Leafy Green Products Handler Marketing Agreement (LGMA)

Stop Foodborne Illness

California Ag Today2021-05-12T11:01:58-07:00September 19th, 2017|

Maintaining Food Safety – LGMA Part 3

Understanding the Farming Operation

By Jessica Theisman, Associate Editor

California Ag Today met recently with Jon Kimble, and among other topics, he reported on food safety in the state of California. Kimble is the operations business development manager at Safe Food Alliance.

Jon Kimble, Safe Food Allicance

Safety is a big concern for those who work in the agricultural community. Kimble spoke on how it is important that farmers assess those on their property.

“If you see somebody getting out, and getting into your fields, certainly you want to talk to them and make sure they are not going to impact the safety of your products, because that is your financial future.”

Operations such as U-Pick, people out in the fields, or people part of an activity raise concern. Risks may be managed in terms of providing hand washing, communication, putting up signs, and making sure they understand that they can impact the safety of others when they’re out in the field.

“It really comes down to just practical due diligence, activities, recommendations that come right out of the good agriculture practices that has been developed over the past few decades,” Kimble said.

Kimble also spoke to California Ag Today about the Leafy Green Marketing Agreement (LGMA). This puts standards and measures in place to protect the safety of the crops.

“That is a great example of voluntary activity rising up from within the industry to control risks and control hazards,” he said.

The industry has established the best practices, which have led to a world class food safety program through the LGMA.

“The first compliance dates are coming up in January, and I think a lot of growers do not realize how soon their compliance dates are hitting,” Kimble said.

California Ag Today2021-05-12T11:05:16-07:00August 23rd, 2017|

Expert Talks Protecting Our Food Supply And Industry

Maintaining Food Safety – Part 2

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Farm News Director

Continuing our series on food safety in the state of California, we spoke with Jon Kimble, Operations Business Development Manager at Safe Food Alliance, and he explained the need for worker awareness when it comes to protecting our food supply.

“Too often, we see these recalls on foods where people are getting ill. Many times, it gets tracked back to an employee. Somebody’s got a virus, somebody’s got a bacteria, they’re sick,” Kimble said. “They come in contact with the food while they’re ill, and that translates back to getting out in the food supply and making people sick.”

“That’s what we’re trying to minimize. In a practical sense, in cases where we’ve observed people getting sick from things, we track that back, see what the source is, and try and share that information with everybody so that they can minimize that from happening in the future,” Kimble explained.

There are economic implications to consider as well.

“It is really paramount to prevent not only economic damage to your own farm and your own business, but also an entire industry,” Kimble said. “We see [that] one bad apple affects the whole industry.”

“We’ve even seen situations, such as a few years ago ,where there were some contaminated peppers, but they suspected tomatoes initially. It impacted an entire year’s harvest of tomatoes,” Kimble said. “We want to minimize the damage to the industry, and how people protect their businesses legally, by doing the right thing.”

Buyers are also setting a higher standard of quality, in light of the new rule.

“The regulation does set a minimum requirement, but buyers, customers, purchasers are setting a higher standard,” Kimble said.

“We’re seeing that trickle down effect as a result of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), that even folks who aren’t necessarily required to do certain things in their operation are being asked by their customers to do above and beyond what the regulation requires, and even in advance of their compliance dates for the regulation.”

“We’ve seen it both on the processing side and on the growing side, that customers are starting to raise their expectations for growers,” he said.

This is Part 2 of a 3 Part Series.

California Ag Today2017-09-02T23:13:09-07:00August 23rd, 2017|

FSMA Produce Rule – Part 1

Mandatory Training Under Way

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Farm News Director

Jon Kimble, the operations business development manager at Safe Food Alliance in Sacramento, spoke to California Ag Today recently about the Produce Rule of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA)

“The new produce safety rule that FDA has released under FSMA is a rule for growers,” he said. “For part of that rule, certain trainings are required, and the training that we’re conducting has been approved by the FDA. It’s been developed by the Produce Safety Alliance, and meets those requirements that they want to have a supervisor or somebody involved in the operation trained according to this training or equivalent to it.”

“We’re very excited, in that we are working with the California Farm Bureau Federation on many of these trainings. We’re looking forward to working with growers and helping them understand what the regulations say and some practical ways to apply the regulations within their operation,” Kimble said.

Kimble explained that the mandatory training covers every aspect of the operation. “Things that you’re doing before planting, during harvest, and even afterward when the produce is being handled in packing houses,” he said.

The training entails topics such as worker hygiene, water control, soil amendments – the whole gamut of the operation.

“The focus is minimizing potential contamination. We all understand that a farm is not sterile,” Kimble said. “We also understand there are potential sources of contamination that need to be minimize. That’s the focus: minimizing contamination – and the main primary emphasis is really on microbial or biological hazards.”

“Of course, there are chemical and physical hazards, but FSMA is focused on microbiological, including bacteria, viruses and parasites,” he said.

This is Part One of a Three Part Series on Maintaining Food Safety

California Ag Today2017-09-02T23:12:52-07:00August 22nd, 2017|

A Great Time to Be in Agriculture

Lowell Catlett On Ag, Part One

Agriculture Is Primed to Provide Different Food to Masses

By Jessica Theisman, Associate Editor

Lowell Catlett says California agriculture is in a good place.

Lowell Catlett, a former professor at New Mexico State University who continues to lecture with a style that keeps the audience engaged, shared with us what a great time it is to be in agriculture. “I think it is the best time because we have never had a period in history where we have had so many people, worldwide, rising out of abject poverty into middle class” he explained.

“They become consumers, and they want things, and they want a lot of things. They want the things that they see other people have. That means they want California pistachios, almonds and walnuts, and all the bounty that California produces, including its milk and eggs and cheeses, and everything else,” Catlett said.

“Once someone earns more money, one of the first things they change is their diets, and they like to get things that are unusual and unique. And California is the breadbasket of the world in terms of its ability to produce different things, and you’re seeing that translate into best time ever to be in agriculture,” he said.

Not only does current agriculture have the products, but there is plenty of money to buy those products. “There is so much money. The net worth of the United States right now over 123 million households is $94 trillion. The world’s output last year was $73 trillion, so we have $20 trillion more in household net worth than the whole world combined, The consumers want organic, or they want certified to the source. We have to certify those things to the source. They want all kinds of different food choices,” Catlett said.

“Before, people just wanted food, and they now want all these other foods. They may want gluten free, and they many not even have celiac disease. And it all helps the farmers to have markets we never had before, and that is fabulous,” Catlett said.

Patrick Cavanaugh2017-04-20T13:54:41-07:00March 22nd, 2017|

Land-Based Learning Gets Donation

Donation to Center for Land-Based Learning Supports Next Generation of Local Farmers

Raley’s announced in a news release last week that they are increasing commitment to supporting beginning farmers through the Center for Land-Based Learning’s West Sacramento Urban Farm Program.

Raley’s has committed significant support for three urban farm sites in the City of West Sacramento. The Urban Farm Program, run by the Center for Land-Based Learning, supports beginning farmers through low cost land leases, professional mentoring and by helping farmers find markets for their crops.

According to Raley’s, “Urban farm sites increase access to fresh local produce, promote community sustainability, encourage volunteerism and stimulate educational opportunities. A percentage of produce grown will benefit Food For Families while creating a built in market for beginning farmers.”

“Our partnership with the Center for Land-Based Learning provides a full circle approach to Raley’s support of the entire food system,” said Becca Whitman, Community Relations Manager for Raley’s, in the news release. “By working together, we are strengthening the market channel for farmers, increasing agricultural workforce development opportunities, and providing our Food For Families partners fresh fruits and vegetables for the food insecure in our communities.”

In 2014, the Center for Land-Based Learning planted West Sacramento’s first urban farm. There are now four urban farms within the city, all of which are managed by beginning farmers. The Farm at the BARN will be the fifth urban farm site and is slated to be planted in spring 2017. Three of the five sites are supported by Raley’s.

Raley’s said that ongoing efforts will be made to support farmers seeking to gain access to larger partners, including Raley’s own “Living Local” Program, which builds relationships with local farmers within 50 miles of its stores. Produce from the first urban farm is sold at the Raley’s in West Sacramento.

“Contract growing, navigation of complex food safety rules and the ability for several small-scale farmers to aggregate their produce to fill large, weekly orders is a huge step toward sustainability for these beginning farmers,” said Mary Kimball, Executive Director of the Center for Land-Based Learning, in the news release. “Just like any other business, the first three years are make or break, but farming presents its own unique challenges, which Raley’s is helping to address with beginning farmers.”

The project supports Land-Based Learning’s mission to inspire, educate, and cultivate future generations of farmers, agricultural leaders, and natural resource stewards. “The ongoing support of Raley’s to the Center for Land-Based Learning is exactly the type of civic interaction that the city of West Sacramento seeks to foster,” said Christopher Cabaldon, Mayor West Sacramento, in the release. “The strong partnership sends signals throughout the community that we are dedicated to nurturing connections between residents, businesses and non-profits to improve the quality of life for all.”

Patrick Cavanaugh2017-04-25T16:56:47-07:00February 20th, 2017|

Almond Board’s Sustainability Program Gets Even Better

Almond Board Program Streamlined

By Jessica Theisman, Associate Editor

The Almond Board has set a new standard for the Ag industry, according to Joe Browde, a senior research associate for Sure Harvest, which is working with the Almond Board towards sustainability.

It isn’t news that best management practices is the goal of the almond sustainability program, which has been in place since 2010. According to Sure Harvest, “sustainable almond farming utilizes production practices that are economically viable and are based upon scientific research, common sense, a respect for the environment, neighbors and employees.” The result is a plentiful, nutritious and safe food.

Browde gave California Ag Today some insight on this well-known program. “What we’ve done is try to make it more user-friendly, streamline the whole process to ensure the value.” He explained that they wanted to “improve the value of the program so growers can see it more clearly, and handlers, too, as they increasingly assess their practices.”

Sure Harvest made the process more adaptable for all to use. “We’ve made it adaptable to various platforms. Obviously the traditional computer itself, the laptop, but now also well adapted even to smart phones and, of course, other mechanisms as well,” Browde said.

Sure Harvest has created a brand new program to simplify the process. “So if you answer a practice once, it’s auto-populated elsewhere where a similar practice is asked, so it’s all about making life easier for the assessor so they can enjoy the experience more” he said. “They will feel the value at the end of the day.”

Joe Browde also explained the Almond Board of California’s new bee and pollination module. “Brand new one. The bee health and pollination module is specifically desired by ABC … to go with their best management practices guide for bees, and they want to make a big deal on what they’re doing in that realm.”

The main goal of the Almond Board of California and their bee and pollination module is to help consumers understand the value in bees and their importance to the world supply chain of food. “We have developed a new module for that to help them answer those questions and folks can assess. They can use it perhaps even in a verification scheme one day with suppliers” Browde said.

Sure Harvest and the Almond Board are both researching the module. “We’re talking about various ways to help folks throughout the supply chain see the value and to be able to address their various customers” Browde said. Although these studies may still be in their infancies, “we’re trying to figure out the best strategic direction forward with ABC leadership.”

Patrick Cavanaugh2017-01-03T14:10:43-08:00January 3rd, 2017|

Record Enrollment at UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences

UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Really Rocks!

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Farm News Director

Helene Dillard, dean, UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences, is pleased with the big numbers of students attending the top-ranking College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences.

Helene Dillard, dean, UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences

“It’s really rocking,” said Dillard. “We’re doing very, very well. We have one of the largest numbers of incoming students ever in the entire university. Our College has peaked out its 7,300 undergraduates. We’ve never had that many at one time.”

Why the increased interest in studying agriculture? Dillard said, “We think what’s moving that needle is that everyone is interested in food. They are interested in agriculture. And they are really interested in that intersection between agriculture and the environment. We have a record number of students that just cannot wait to come on board. We are really thrilled with how smart they are and how eager they are to learn.”

Among the many courses offered by the College, Dillard said Animal Science classes are probably among the most popular. “But of course, beer classes and the coffee class are really popular too. But right now, I’m seeing tremendous interest in agricultural economics and in animal science, to become veterinarians and ranchers, plus specific academic interest in poultry and sheep.”

“Again, those are all things that UC Davis does, so we’re really excited. We’re also seeing a lot of interest in plant sciences, more on that sustainable and food systems and our viticulture and enology program’s growing as well.

Recent Graduate Program Rankings for UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences and related disciplines include:

1st in agricultural sciences (Thomson Reuters ScienceWatch 2011)
2nd in agriculture and forestry (QS World University Rankings 2016)
2nd in agriculture worldwide (U.S. News & World Report’s “2016 Best Global Universities”)
1st in ecology and the environment (Thomson Reuters ScienceWatch 2011)
1st in food science and nutrition (Thomson Reuters ScienceWatch 2010)
1st in plant science (U.S. News & World Report’s “2016 Best Global Universities”)
1st in animal science (U.S. News & World Report’s “2016 Best Global Universities”)
1st for veterinary science (QS World University Rankings 2016)
1st among the nation’s veterinary schools (U.S. News & World Report’s “Best Graduate Schools” 2016)
Between 1st and 15th among 44 programs in nutritional biology (National Research Council 2010)
4th in environment/ecology (U.S. News & World Report’s “2016 Best Global Universities”)
Between 1st and 7th in Entomology among 28 programs (National Research Council 2010)
Between 5th and 29th among 116 programs in plant biology (National Research Council 2010)
Between 7th and 42th among 116 programs in plant pathology (National Research Council 2010)
13th in environmental engineering worldwide (QS World University Rankings 2016)
29th in environmental engineering worldwide (2016 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects, ShanghaiRankings)

(Source: University of California, Davis, Graduate academic program rankings.)

UC Davis College of Agriculture and Environmental Sciences

California Ag Today2021-05-12T11:17:11-07:00December 7th, 2016|

WANTED: New Director, Fresno State Viticulture and Enology Department

Fresno State Viticulture and Enology Department Shines, But Needs New Director

By Patrick Cavanaugh, Farm News Director

No doubt, the Fresno State Viticulture and Enology Department is important not only to the Central San Joaquin Valley, but also to all of California’s agricultural areas. Nat DiBuduo, president, Fresno-based Allied Grape Growers, and a 1973 Fresno State alumnus, said Fresno State’s top administration is exceptionally dedicated to the department.

Research Buildings at Viticulture and Enology Research Center VERC

“It is really critical that we highlight the fact that Joseph Castro, president of Fresno State, and Sandra Witte, dean of Fresno State’s Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology, as well as the entire Industry Advisory Board for the Viticulture and Enology Research Center (VERC), are committed to the department,” said DiBuduo. “The entire board is committed to continuing the world-class program at the Viticulture and Enology Research Center that Vincent Petrucci (1985-1994) started so many years ago and has been continued on through Robert Wample (2000-2009) and James Kennedy (2010-2015).”

DiBuduo, who studied plant science and viticulture as a student, said, “We’re committed to providing this first class program for our students and for the industry. We’re in the midst of the search for the right person to head the program so that he or she can bring on the faculty and support staff who will continue that progress into the next century and beyond.”

As California’s agricultural industry feeds the world, it is important the industry supports this search for a new department chair. “It is important the University gets the right person in there, so we’re asking everyone out there who knows anyone qualified, [to encourage them] to apply for this position,” said DiBuduo. “We need to have the right person to provide the education, research and leadership into the future.”

Fresno State Winery Bottling Line

Fresno State agricultural programs are unique due to a hands-on approach designed to give students the practical knowledge they need to get out and work. “They will know how to farm,”DiBuduo said. “They will know how to apply their teachings and their education to become managers, foremen and operators, and supervisors of field operations.”

Students come from all over the Central Valley and beyond the Valley because of Fresno State’s excellent reputation. “If students have enough units in the program, they can become Pest Control Advisors (PCAs),” said DiBuduo. “In fact, I was a PCA myself.”

“But the problem we’re having in agriculture today is that many in the industry are an aging society,” DiBuduo said. “So we need to get young entrepreneurs, young farmers and ranchers who want to become PCAs or farm managers or viticulturists or winemakers,” DiBuduo said. “We need these trained students to run the farms and ranches in the future.”

NEW! FACULTY POSITION VACANCY: Chair of the Department of Viticulture & Enology and Director of the Viticulture & Enology Research Center. Vacancy #12978 (7/20/16) Review of applications will begin September 19, 2016 and continue until the position is filled.

Resources:

Allied Grape Growers

California State University (Fresno State)

Fresno State’s Jordan College of Agricultural Sciences and Technology

Fresno State’s Viticulture and Enology Department

Industry Advisory Board for the Viticulture and Enology Research Center

California Ag Today2021-05-12T11:05:43-07:00November 30th, 2016|

Support Agriculture By Being An ‘AgVocate’

Bayer CropScience Says Farmers Need to AgVocate with Consumers

By Brian German, Associate Broadcaster

The California Association of Pest Control Advisers (CAPCA) recently held their 42nd Annual CAPCA Conference & Agri-Expo in Anaheim. It was a sellout crowd at the Disneyland Convention Center, with about 1,600 registered participants and more than 160 different trade show vendors participating. The theme of this year’s conference was “Feeding a Nation, Fighting the Fear,” with speakers covering a variety of topics related to public interest in agriculture.

David Hollinrake, vice president of Agricultural Commercial Operations (ACO) Marketing with Bayer CropScience, talked about a program that Bayer CropScience sponsors called AgVocate. “AgVocacy really is about engaging the farmer population so that they can represent modern agriculture to the consumer population that has a growing disconnect from what we do,” Hollinrake said.

vice president of Agricultural Commercial Operations (ACO) Marketing with Bayer CropScience, AgVocacy

David Hollinrake, vice president of Agricultural Commercial Operations (ACO) Marketing with Bayer CropScience

There has been a growing disconnect between those who are involved with agriculture and the overall consumer base. “With misinformation sometimes comes misconceptions and mistrust,” Hollinrake noted.

One of the reasons for the divide between growers and consumers is that the number of people involved in agriculture has declined significantly over the past 50 years. “When my grandfather grew up on the farm, some 40 percent of people were involved in production agriculture. Today, there’s only 1 percent of the population involved in agriculture,” Hollinrake said.

It’s important to bridge that gap by giving consumers a better understanding of what agriculture is really about. “Our role with AgVocacy is to enable the farmers to take an active role in describing the benefits of modern Ag and really dispelling a lot of the myths that exist in agriculture,” Hollinrake said.

“One of the other topics that we spoke about was the difference between conventional agriculture and organic agriculture,” Hollinrake noted. The growth in organic farms has created an atmosphere of misunderstanding; with consumers erroneously believing that traditionally grown produce is somehow less safe. Without being involved in agriculture, it’s understandable for people to have misconceptions about how the industry works. However, these types of beliefs solidify the need for the AgVocate program.

Hollinrake thinks meeting the dietary needs of a growing population will require both organic and traditional farming. “If we’re going to feed 10 billion people by 2050, it’s going to take all forms of agriculture. To me, it’s not an ‘either/or’ – it’s a ‘yes/and’ conversation,” Hollinrake said.

California Ag Today2016-11-16T10:49:02-08:00November 16th, 2016|

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