FSMA Produce Safety Rule Grower Training Courses

Who should participate?

This training course is for produce growers and those interested in learning about produce safety, Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), and the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule.

Registration for the virtual course is currently limited to Minnesota residents. If you reside outside of Minnesota but are interested in participating, please email us your name and address, and we can notify you if space becomes available. 

Why participate?

Protect and grow: Strong food safety practices can help protect your business, help meet market requirements such as a GAP audit, and help keep our local foods safe and healthy.

Meet a regulatory requirement: If your farm is not excluded or exempt from the Produce Safety Rule, at least one supervisor or responsible party from your farm must complete a training that uses FDA-recognized curriculum or equivalent. This course meets those requirements. Contact the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA) Produce Safety Program to learn if your farm is covered by the Rule.

Receive additional consideration for future funding opportunities: The Produce Safety Program offers mini-grant opportunities to support Minnesota farmers in implementing on-farm food safety practices. Completion of a Produce Safety Rule Grower Training or other applicable food safety training by a responsible party from your farm is one way to receive additional points in the evaluation of your grant application.

What to Expect

The training will consist of practical guidance for implementing Good Agricultural Practices as well as the requirements of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule. Key topics include:

• Requirements of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule and information to help you to meet them
• Potential sources of contamination on the farm and microorganisms of concern
• Water management and testing; worker hygiene; application and use of biological soil amendments
• Practices that reduce food safety risks, and practical methods to implement these practices on the farm
• Your questions on the rule and how it is being implemented in Minnesota

Your trainers for these courses are MDA staff, UMN Extension staff, and experienced fruit and vegetable growers.

Registration and Requirements

Register: Visit the online registration portal

Cost: $25. (Note this is a subsidized cost and will likely rise in following years)

Registration deadlines: See table above. Preregistration required

Registration includes: Training materials (mailed to you in advance for virtual training) and a certificate of course attendance. Lunch is included for in-person training only. 

Requirements: Individuals must have a web-cam, two-way audio (speakers & microphone), reliable internet, and will be required to have the web-cam on during the full course of the training. This is to verify participant's presence and participation. 

Certificate: Participation for the entire training is required to receive the certificate.

Questions?

Contact the Minnesota Department of Agriculture Produce Safety Program at 651-539-3648 or email ProduceSafety.MDA@state.mn.us

These events are sponsored and planned for you by:

• Minnesota Department of Agriculture
• University of Minnesota Extension
• Minnesota Farmers Union
• Minnesota Farmers’ Market Association
• Minnesota Institute for Sustainable Agriculture

Funding for these events was made possible, in part, by the Food and Drug Administration through grant PAR-16-137 and United States Department of Agriculture through a Specialty Crop Block Grant. The views expressed in written materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of the Department of Health and Human Services; nor does any mention of trade names, commercial practices, or organization imply endorsement by the United States Government.