Welcome
The on-farm GAPs food safety team at the University of Minnesota works with Minnesota’s produce farmers to help them develop and implement on-farm food safety plans and prepare for GAPs audits. We provide education, outreach and technical support to fruit and vegetable growers through GAP workshops and mock audits, research relating to GAPs, especially as they impact small growers and immigrant and minority growers, and communication and collaboration with many agricultural partner organizations and government entities to help promote information-sharing regarding GAPs and farm safety.
We welcome your feedback and suggestions (send to safety(at)umn.edu)
UMN GAPs Workshops
Learn how good business practices, good agricultural practices, and marketing are interconnected. Attend this workshop to learn how GAPs can help minimize food safety risks with fresh produce, are good for business, good for getting new customers and keeping the ones you already have. This workshop is intended for fruit and vegetable farmers.
April 5, 2016 at Lakes Area Service Cooperative in Fergus Falls. Sponsored by Fresh Connect Food Hub and UMN Extension.
March 9th Workshop at Second Harvest Heartland — FULL
March 23rd, 2016 in Falcon Heights MN. FULL To be added to the waitlist follow the registration link below and select “Waitlist for March 23”.
March 24th — For Hmong farmers. Hmong translation will be provided.
To be notified of upcoming workshops, please sign up for the waitlist: z.umn.edu/2016gaps.
Taking this course will not result in your farm being “GAPs Certified”. GAPs certification is done by a third party (e.g. USDA, Primus, Global GAP) and involves the successful completion of an on-farm audit.
It is also important to consider that neither this workshop or the Cornell GAPs Online Produce Safety Training Course is currently equivalent to the required supervisor training described in the FSMA Produce Safety Rule 21 CFR Subpart C § 112.22 (c). This GAPs Online Produce Safety Training Course may, however, satisfy staff training requirements as described in the Produce Safety Rule in 21 CFR Subpart C § 112.21 (a) and (b).
If you are interested in attending or hosting a workshop, please contact us at safety@umn.edu.
Cornell On-line GAPs course
The next GAPs Online Produce Safety Course from Cornell University will be offered from April 6 – 26, 2016. The cost is $190 per participant and typically takes 15-25 hours to complete.
This is a fully-online course that provides a good foundation to understanding GAPs. Taking this course will not result in your farm being “GAPs Certified”. GAPs certification is done by a third party (e.g. USDA, Primus, Global GAP) and involves the successful completion of an on-farm audit.
It is also important to consider that the GAPs Online Produce Safety Training Course is not currently equivalent to the required supervisor training described in the FSMA Produce Safety Rule 21 CFR Subpart C § 112.22 (c). This GAPs Online Produce Safety Training Course may, however, satisfy staff training requirements as described in the Produce Safety Rule in 21 CFR Subpart C § 112.21 (a) and (b).
When registering for the course you will be asked to enter a Group Number. Enter G000107 (those are all zeros). To register: www.ecornell.com/gaps. For more information read the GAPs registration information or email Betsy Bihn at eab38@cornell.edu.
How to make a Handwashing Station for less than $20
A very popular link and download. Full color and pictures describing how to build a simple handwashing station for your field or farm. Handwashing Station Instructions (pdf)
