Mud Management and Food Safety Plans- Durham Ag BULLetin

DURHAM COUNTY CENTER

Your Agriculture BULLetin

March 27, 2021

Should You Create a Food Safety Plan?

In a word, YES. Not only is having a food safety plan important if you want to pursue GAP (Good Agriculture Practices) certification, it can be beneficial in other ways as well.

Create awareness of areas on the farm needing attention regarding food safety
Helpful as a support document in food safety liability issues
Used as a procedural manual for food safety practices for employees
Useful in the event of a State FSMA inspection

Do you have questions about how to create a food safety plan?

Or perhaps you want to know what food safety compliance would look like on your farm?

In partnership with Carolina Farm Stewardship Association we have three Food Safety Workshops coming up.

Vaccine Information for Farmers

If you or someone you know is having difficulty locating a vaccine site, or making an appointment, please reach out to me, Janel_Ohletz@ncsu.edu.

I am on the team assisting in getting farmers and farm workers information about vaccinations, and helping to coordinate the effort.

We want to make sure that all who are eligible get their spot in the line. Let me know how I can help.

Find Your Shot!!

Please, shot me an email with questions!!

Other Workshops and Meetings

Want to join the Southeastern local food conversation?

The Southern Extension and Research Activity group SERA-47 welcome you to join in the conversation on April 15 @ 3PM. Grab a hot (or cold) beverage and converse with other producers, farmers, agriculture professionals and extension agents.

Topic: Small Producers & Consumers - Successes and Challenges & How to be Successful in 2021? Part 2

To be discussed:

Food production, environment, labor
Food storage, food waste
Food Distribution strategies-reach and connecting with consumers
Communication strategies, short supply/food chain issues, farmer's markets
Buyer attitudes, consumer perceptions

Email me for the link

Got Mud & Livestock???? Want Options???

There is no doubt....we have had wayyyyy too much rain in the winter months lately, and this has led to some serious mud problems across the state.

Join the webinar on April 6 @ 7PM to discuss mud management.

The program will include an introduction to the issue, information on how to clean up and renovate impacted areas in spring, how to design better winter management systems to reduce mud problems, and cost-share opportunities to implement mud management practices.

The program is brought to you by the Animal Agriculture Program Team, Amazing Grazing and the NC Cattlemen's Association.

Piedmont Regional Goat & Sheep Webinar Series

An informative webinar series for beginner and advanced alike with a focus on goat and sheep management.

The free webinar series will take place on Monday evenings at 7:00 p.m. starting on April 19th and ending on May 10th for a total of four webinars. You can choose to register for one or multiple sessions.

Topics include:

Producer Panel
Small Ruminant Mineral Nutrition
Vaccination and Other Components of Small Ruminant Herd/Flock Health
Genetic Selection of Small Ruminants

Get More Information and Register Here

Save The Dates

Soil Health and Productivity Webinar Series Starts April 20

This webinar series will feature a variety of soil science researchers and practitioners presenting on a variety of topics all centered around the role of soil in agriculture productivity.

These webinars will be on the 3rd Tuesday of the month from 6-7 PM from April through October.

Our first presenter will be NC State's soil microbiologist Dr. Terrance Gardner and Dr. Juan Frene to present:

The impact of biochar on soil health in a Sandhills (NC) agroecological systems: A soil physiochemical and biological properties assessment.

Their research into the effects of biochar on the soil organic matter dynamics in peach-tree production and the long term implications of pine-biochar applications to soil health.

Registration Information Coming Soon

Additional Workshops and Meetings

Join Twin Cities' Appetite for Change in a Virtual Panel Discussion as they highlight key points from the book by Dr. Mark Hyman: Food Fix: How to Save Our Health, Our Economy, Our Communities, and Our Planet One Bite at a Time.

Wednesday, March 31, 2021 from 5-6:30PM

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NC State University and N.C. A&T State University work in tandem, along with federal, state and local governments, to form a strategic partnership called N.C. Cooperative Extension.