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Good day PSA Newsletter subscribers!
We hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season. Many of us are enjoying the cold winter weather and are busy with the winter training season. As always, we hope the information in the newsletter is helpful. Please let us know if you have any questions. Have a safe and happy holiday season!
Sincerely,
The PSA Team
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Reagan-Udall Foundation Award | |
The PSA Team was the recipient of the Reagan-Udall Foundation Leadership Award, one of the 2025 Innovations in Regulatory Science & Policy awards. On December 9th, Betsy Bihn, the PSA’s Director, and Donna Clements, the PSA’s Coordinator and Northeast Regional Extension Associate, accepted this honor on behalf of the PSA Team.
This recognition reflects our team’s commitment to accuracy, collaboration, and science-based produce safety extension. By meeting growers where they are and building authentic, trusted relationships across regions, languages, and communities, we work to support safe, wholesome fresh produce production and protect public health. We are grateful for this recognition and proud of the collaboration that makes this work possible. A brief video with an introduction to PSA and Betsy’s acceptance speech can be found at the Reagan-Udall Foundation Innovations in Regulatory Science & Policy Awards website.
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Shutdown of PSA Lead Trainer and Trainer-of-Trainer Application Portals | |
Due to funding cuts, PSA Lead Trainer Applications (LTAs) and PSA Trainer-of-Trainers (ToT) Applications will no longer be accepted or reviewed at this time. The website portals for both the PSA LTA and ToT Applications are now closed. Coordinating the review and completing the required protocols for these applications have not been funded for this year.
The closure of the PSA Lead Trainer Application and PSA ToT Application portals does not impact current PSA Trainers' ability to register and host PSA Grower Training Courses and PSA Train-the-Trainer Courses. These registration processes remain unchanged, and courses may continue to be offered following current protocols. We encourage PSA Trainers to continue to offer PSA courses!
The state of PSA funding is still uncertain and the timeline for finalizing this year's Cooperative Agreement has been delayed due to the federal government shutdown. It appears that PSA funding will be significantly reduced, resulting in a reduction in the PSA Team efforts. We will send out additional information when we know more.
If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out to psatrainers@cornell.edu or contact a member of the PSA Team.
| FSMA Produce Safety Rule Pre-Harvest Agricultural Water Update Webinar, On-Demand Options | | |
The PSA has created an English and Spanish On-Demand Video option for those that would like to get the Revised Subpart E information right away at their convenience. Please visit the PSA Website to view the recorded video in English or Spanish. A certificate of completion is emailed to participants that view the entire session and fill out the Qualtrics link.
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The Produce Safety Alliance “EPA-Labeled Sanitizers for Produce” Webtool is a resource to help growers, packers, extension educators, and others review sanitizers to make sure they are appropriate for their needs and legally labeled for use. The tool lists sanitizers labeled for treating pre-harvest agricultural water, fruit and vegetable wash water, and sanitizing food contact surfaces. This resource was recently updated, in both English and Spanish, to add new products and to highlight labeled uses.
The tool can be accessed through the PSA website under the Sanitation section of General Resources. Before using the tool, please consult the tutorial for detailed instructions (in English and Spanish).
| | Supporting Spanish-Speaking Audiences Through PSA Grower Trainings | |
As part of ongoing efforts to support Spanish-speaking audiences and trainers, PSA Spanish-Language Extension Associates Laura Acuña-Maldonado and Mariana Villarreal Silva recently participated in Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) Grower Training courses—two in Texas and one in California.
On October 9–10, Mariana served as the PSA Lead Trainer for a PSA Grower Training hosted by the Cooperative Extension, UC ANR, in Mecca, California. The course welcomed 17 produce growers. In preparation for the training, Mariana mentored two new PSA Trainers, Karen Ramirez and Maddy Morataya, helping them build confidence and competence in delivering the curriculum.
On October 28–29, Laura co-trained in two Spanish-Language PSA Grower Trainings held in Mission, Texas, organized by the Texas Department of Agriculture in collaboration with Texas A&M University. These sessions engaged 45 participants, offering a platform to connect with growers and agricultural professionals while advancing produce safety awareness and education in the region.
These trainings reflect the PSA Team’s continued commitment to supporting Spanish-speaking communities and providing mentoring to PSA trainers. They offer meaningful opportunities for trainers to enhance their curriculum knowledge and practice adult education skills, while helping growers meet regulatory and buyer produce safety requirements.
| | PSA Advanced Trainer Workshop | |
From October 14-16, a PSA Advanced Trainer Workshop was hosted at Prairie View A&M University in Texas as part of a Food Safety Outreach Program (FSOP) grant led by Yulie Meneses, PSA Spanish-Language Extension Associate, and Betsy Bihn, PSA Director. This USDA-NIFA FSOP project is a collaborative effort between the PSA, Texas A&M University, Alabama A&M University, and the University of Florida. It aims to mentor 48 individuals from underserved communities, gaining crucial knowledge in produce safety, and provide a platform for collaboration and developing peer networks.
This was the capstone for the Produce Safety (PS) Fellows program. The PS Fellows are made up of community leaders dedicated to promoting and implementing produce safety practices. They have been participating in a 3-tier mentoring program designed to elevate their knowledge and expertise in produce safety. The PS Fellows had previously completed a PSA Grower Training and a Train-the-Trainer course, laying a solid foundation for attending the PSA Advanced Trainer Workshop. Some PS Fellows have already begun forming partnerships to support produce safety education in their communities.
Additionally, four PSA Trainers from Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras were able to participate through a PSA travel sponsorship award. These PSA Trainers have been mentored over the years by the PSA Spanish-Language Extension Associates and the invitation to participate in the PSA Advanced Trainer workshop was in recognition of their positive impact in their regions through their training and extension efforts.
We thank everyone who made this workshop a success and to our dedicated PS Fellows. Special thanks to our hosts at Prairie View A&M as well as our instructors Matt Taylor, Armitra Jackson-Davis, Taylor O’Bannon, Claire Murphy, Billy Mitchell, Don Stoeckel, Donna Clements, and Mariana Villareal Silva. We look forward to our 2026 workshop in Prosser, WA!
| | As a reminder, please remember to update your information in our Trainer Directory if you have changed positions and your contact information needs to be updated. You can do so using the following link. | | |
GLEXPO 2025
The Produce Safety Alliance team collaborated with Michigan State University Extension and other partners to host a pre-harvest water workshop at the Great Lakes EXPO in Grand Rapids, Michigan, on December 10. Approximately 40 participants attended, representing at least 11 farms, Michigan regulatory agencies, and educational institutions. The strong level of engagement and the overall quality of the conference were impressive. We appreciate the contributions of all who helped make this workshop a success.
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NCR Professional Development Day 2025 Recap
The event opened with welcoming remarks from Patrice Bailey, Assistant Commissioner of Agriculture at the Minnesota Department of Agriculture (MDA), along with Lisa Gilk and Alex Cortes, also from MDA. Laurie George, PSA Midwest Regional Extension Associate, provided PSA updates on activities and funding. Participants had the opportunity to tour three local farms: Seeds Farm, Little Hill Berry Farm, and Lee Family Farm. These visits provided valuable hands-on learning and fostered meaningful discussions about on-farm food safety practices. Don Stoeckel (PSA) and Billy Mitchell (University of Florida) teamed up to demonstrate how rainfall and runoff can contribute to fecal contamination in surface water sources. Additional sessions focused on keeping grower education engaging, and shared insights on Produce Safety Rule inspections.
Overall, the conference was a great success—bringing together colleagues, sparking new collaborations, and broadening our collective understanding of the Produce Safety Rule. We hope to see you at the Annual Conference in 2026!
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First International Congress on Innovations for the Rural Agro-Industry, Medellin, Colombia
Yulie Meneses, Spanish-Language Extension Associate, was invited to participate in the First International Congress on Innovations for the Rural Agro-industry in Medellin, Colombia, organized by AGROSAVIA and supported by the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).
At the conference, experts discussed the potential of emerging technologies to enhance local commodities, leverage agricultural waste for energy, and described frameworks to promote sustainable livelihoods across the region. Yulie had the opportunity to highlight the crucial role of extension services to enhance the competitiveness of the Rural Agro-industry sector in Latin America. PSA served as a model for how outreach can be leverage to educate and empower growers to meet food safety requirements, implement new technologies, and beyond. Since its establishment 15 years ago, the PSA has provided extension services to small and very small produce growers, developed a standardized training curriculum and created a strong network of over 3,000 PSA Trainers that have trained over over 100,000 participants including growers, regulatory personnel, extension educators, and students.
Conference attendees expressed profound interest in the PSA journey, recognizing the importance of strengthening extension services in Latin America. The lessons shared painted a clear picture of the commitment and perseverance required to build a community that effectively serves its target audiences.
We thank all our collaborators and PSA trainers for being part of this journey.
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Postharvest Water, Sanitation, and Traceability Workshop
As part of a New York State Specialty Crop Block Grant, Donna Clements, PSA Coordinator, and Betsy Bihn, PSA Director, hosted a workshop in Geneva, New York in November to 20 participants. The workshop consisted of presentations and hands-on activities to help participants understand fundamental concepts in monitoring and managing postharvest water, cleaning and sanitizing, and requirements of FSMA 204 (Food Traceability Rule). This workshop is part of a series of Postharvest Water, Sanitation, and Traceability Workshops to be held throughout New York State.
| | Interested in receiving PSA Spanish-only opportunities and updates? | Click below to be tagged to receive occasional emails in Spanish. You’ll continue to receive our main newsletter as usual. | | |
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Reminder: If you are a PSA Trainer, extension educator, or produce safety leader in your community, please sign up for the Educators' Email List.
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