Nov 27, 2012

Indiana GAPs workshops scheduled

A series of workshops presented by Purdue Extension will focus on food safety practices for fruit and vegetable farms.

“Good Agricultural Practices from A to Z” will be held from mid-December to early March at a variety of locations around Indiana. The workshops will include sessions on health and hygiene, water quality and treatment, animals and animal products, sanitation on the farm, documentation and recordkeeping, and farm food safety plans.

The target audience is current and prospective fruit and vegetable farmers, market gardeners and managers of community gardens that distribute produce to the public. The workshop’s goal is to present current science-based information on how to reduce risk of contamination during production of fruits and vegetables, as well as provide practical knowledge on planning and documenting food safety practices from planting through marketing.

The workshop will run from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. each day, and will be held on the following dates and at the following locations:

• Dec. 13 – Lake County Extension Office, 880 E. 99th Ct., Suite A, Crown Point. Contact: Liz Maynard, [email protected], 219-531-4200.
• Jan. 16 – Indiana Farm Bureau, 225 S. East St., Indianapolis. Contact: Christina Ferroli, [email protected], 317-275-9305.
• Jan. 17 – Southwest-Purdue Agricultural Center, 4369 N. Purdue Road, Vincennes. Contact: Scott Monroe, [email protected], 812-254-8668.
• Jan. 30 – Elkhart County Extension Office, 17746 County Road 34, Ag Hall, Goshen. Contact: Jeff Burbrink, [email protected], 574-533-0554.
• Feb. 5 – Ivy Tech Community College, Muncie, Patterson Ballroom, 108 S. Walnut, Muncie. Contact: Michael O’Donnell, [email protected], 765-747-7732.
• Feb. 6 – Allen County Extension Office, 4001 Crescent Ave., Fort Wayne. Contact: Gonzalee Martin, [email protected], 260-481-6826.
• Feb. 8 – Monroe County Extension Office, 3400 S. Walnut St., Bloomington. Contact: Amy Thompson, [email protected], 812-349-2575.
• Feb. 15 – Hancock County Extension Office, 802 N. Apple St., Greenfield. Contact: Roy Ballard, [email protected], 317-462-1113.
• Feb. 16 – Southeast-Purdue Agricultural Center, 4425 E. 350 N., Butlerville. Contact: Mike Hornbach, [email protected], 812-926-1189.
• March 9 – Washington County Extension Office, 806 Martinsburg Road, Salem. Contact: Miranda Ulery, [email protected], 812-738-4236.
• March 9 – Crawford County Fairgrounds, 1095 Indiana 66 S., Marengo. Contact: Miranda Ulery, [email protected], 812-738-4236.

Registration is due at least one week before each session, and costs $40 per person and $20 for each additional person from the same farm. Participants can download a registration form here.