Author: Shane Bogle
Planning Unit: Caldwell County CES
Major Program: Local Food Systems
Plan of Work: Production Agriculture
Outcome: Intermediate Outcome
Summer is an important time in West Kentucky. Its a time of plenty, and in Kentucky there is plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables available to enjoy. According to the CDC 45% of Kentuckians consume fresh fruits and vegetables at least 1.5 times each day. Since fresh fruits and vegetables are often consumed raw, producing them safely to reduce the risk of food borne illness is of utmost importance. The CDC reports that 48 million people a year are affected by some form of food borne illness in the US. To help producers limit the chance of placing contaminated produce in the food chain, the Caldwell County Extension Office offered the Produce Best Practices Training (PBPT) to all producers in Caldwell County. The training covered topics on proper use of manure as a nutrient source, good hygiene, importance of a clean irrigation and sanitation water source, and safe handling of produce from the field to the market. Since PBPT replaced the standard Good Agriculture Practices (GAP) training in 2017, 32 producers in Caldwell County have been trained. 100% of participants indicated they planned to implement 2 or more recommended practices on their operations immediately. 75% of respondents plan to select growing sites based on PBPT criteria. 75% plan to adopt hand washing before handling produce. 15% have requested help in evaluating irrigation and sanitation practices on their operations.
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