Jul 17, 2023

Highland Ag adds EFI into ag business platform

Highland Ag Solutions has integrated the Equitable Food Initiative (EFI) into the Highland Hub, an ag business platform.

Highland Hub users pursuing EFI certification can use the system to track departments across farming operations are trained to identify, mitigate and respond to issues that compromise food safety, including illness, presence of pests or animals, hygiene, and sanitation, according to a news release.

EFI Pest Management Standard and Food Safety Standard features are integrated into Highland Hub: These include FS365, a food safety compliance system which reduces auditing time by 70%, and Crop IQ, a virtual toolbox used to accurately record crop protection and nutrient application.

“Equitable Food Initiative brings immense value to our customers and supports the industry’s commitment to sustainable agriculture,” Tara Stroud, Highland Ag’s director of customer success, said in the release. “EFI’s approach of engaging workers to meet compliance is different from other certifications. By integrating EFI’s rigorous standards into the Highland Hub, customers can ensure the production of high-quality, safe, and sustainable food. I would highly recommend EFI as a comprehensive solution that brings true assurance to growers and lowers risks.”

Highland Ag Solutions latest CropIQ & FS365 (Food Safety) application upgrades set the stage for customers to achieve and track their progress for EFI certification through Enhanced Farm Management: Highland Hub customers can efficiently track and manage critical farm operations, including crop production, labor management, and quality control. The toolset enables customers to optimize their workflows, streamline processes, and achieve operational excellence.

In Compliance and Certification, Highland Hub streamlines compliance with industry certifications and standards. Customers can easily manage and track their compliance activities, ensuring adherence to labor, safety, and ethical guidelines. This produces a simplified certification process, enabling customers to demonstrate their commitment to sustainable and socially responsible farming practices, according to the release.

“At every step of the supply chain there is a food safety risk, and yet, there is a skilled workforce that is involved with the production and processing at each step,” Karla Cook, EFI’s certification manager, said in the release. “Combining EFI’s engagement of workers with the technology offered by the Highland Hub allows farming operations to track their progress and improve their efforts to find places along the supply chain where there is risk and engage workers to mitigate that risk.”

EFI is a multistakeholder, nonprofit capacity-building and certification organization that works to improve the lives of farmworkers and drive business performance by integrating worker voice and engagement throughout the supply chain. EFI brings together growers, farmworkers, retailers and consumers to create assessment, training and organizational development programs that support continuous improvement and address the industry’s most pressing problems. EFI’s certification program sets standards for labor practices, food safety and pest management while engaging workers at all levels on the farm to produce the copyrighted Responsibly Grown, Farmworker Assured fruits and vegetables.

Based in Mulberry, Florida, Highland Ag Solutions is an agriculture technology company which provides digital solutions for food safety, sustainability, compliance and data management.