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Attention farmers -- Cornell and state Ag & Markets to present farm food safety training (GAPs)

By Billie Owens

Cornell Lake Ontario Fruit Team, Cornell Vegetable Team and Cornell Cooperative Extension, along with assistance from NYS Dept. Ag & Markets, will be presenting farm food safety training - GAPs (including Harmonized GAPs) this winter.

The first will be held in Batavia on Dec. 10 and 11 at the Fire Training Center, 7690 State St. Road, Batavia.

A new program, Harmonized GAPs, has been developed to combine several food safety certifications into one program. New York’s retail produce buyers, such as Wegmans, are asking growers to adopt Harmonized GAPs certification in many cases. In response, Cornell National GAPs Program and Cornell Cooperative Extension have developed a multi-day workshop.

The first day of training will focus on the details of what GAPs is, how it works and what it means for your farming operation. The second day will be devoted to helping you write a food safety plan as required for audit certification. A laptop computer is required for the second day. (If you need to borrow a computer, please let us know in advance.)

The registration fee of $60 per person includes educational materials, lunch and refreshments. Add $15 for each additional attendee from the same farm. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m.; program runs 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. both days.

Pre-register for the Batavia class by Dec. 3. Register online at cvp.cce.cornell.edu <http://cvp.cce.cornell.edu>  or mail in your registration form and payment to Cornell Cooperative Extension of Ontario County, Attn: Angela Parr, 480 N. Main St., Canandaigua, NY 14424. Make checks payable to: “Cornell Cooperative Extension”.

For more information, contact Craig Kahlke at cjk37@cornell.edu or 585-735-5448.

To see a full listing of upcoming farm food safety trainings, go to www.gaps.cornell.edu <http://www.gaps.cornell.edu> . These workshops are partially funded through a grant from the Genesee Valley Regional Market Authority.

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