Tuesday, October 30, 2018

NMSU to host three food safety trainings for produce growers


NMSU to host three food safety trainings for produce growers
DATE: 10/30/2018
WRITER: Jane Moorman, 505-249-0527, jmoorman@nmsu.edu
CONTACT: Robert Silver, 575-646-7038, rsilver@nmsu.edu

No one growing produce wants to inadvertently make people ill because of poor food safety practices.

Three training sessions will be held in New Mexico to help fruit and vegetable growers meet the regulatory requirements included in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s Food Safety Modernization Act Produce Safety Rule.

New Mexico State University’s Cooperative Extension Service and the Southwest Border Food Protection and Emergency Preparedness Center, housed at NMSU, are offering training to growers in Albuquerque, Abiquiu and Socorro in November and December.

The Product Safety Rule requires at least one supervisor or person responsible for the farm to have successfully completed food safety training before the compliance dates of January 2019 and 2020 in accordance with the annual monetary value of produce the farm sold during the previous three years.

“One way to satisfy that requirement is to attend a produce safety rule grower training course,” said Bob Silver with the Southwest Border Food Protection and Emergency Preparedness Center. “This is an eight-hour course that covers risk to produce safety and how to meet regulatory demands associated with the rule.”

Participants who complete the course receive a certificate from the Association of Food and Drug Officials that verifies they have completed the training. The certificate is also useful for meeting buyer requirements for food safety.

Participants receive a course manual that is a useful reference to farm safety practices and to develop a farm safety plan.

The Product Safety Alliance grower training in New Mexico will be:
- Tuesday, Nov. 13, at NMSU’s Bernalillo County Cooperative Extension Service, 1510 Menaul Blvd. NW, in Albuquerque. Online registration at psanov2018.ezregister.com.
- Wednesday, Dec. 12, at NMSU’s Rio Arriba County Cooperative Extension Service, State Road 554, House #122-A, Abiquiu. Online registration at psadec2018.ezregister.com.
- Thursday, Dec. 13, at NMSU’s Socorro County Cooperative Extension Service, 198 Neel Avenue, Socorro. Online registration at psadec2018b.ezregister.com.

All training sessions are from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Registration cost is $35, which includes lunch, training manual and certification of course completion.

For more information, call Karen Montoya, 575-646-2584.

The trainings are sponsored by NMSU’s College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences and Rocky Mountain Farmers Union.
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Thursday, October 25, 2018

SW Willow Fly catcher and USDA APHIS.


The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) is considering options for actions it can take to support the conservation of the southwestern willow flycatcher. This endangered bird nests and feeds in dense forests of willow and non-native saltcedar (tamarisk trees) along southwestern rivers.

On October 26, 2018, APHIS will publish a notice of intent in the Federal Register to conduct a scoping process and prepare an environmental assessment for a flycatcher conservation program. This notice identifies potential issues, alternatives, and conservation measures that USDA and APHIS propose to review.

We are requesting public comments from individuals, organizations, Tribes, and government agencies to determine the relevant scope of issues and range of alternatives to be addressed in the environmental process on this topic. The link may be viewed upon publication on October 26, 2018, at http://www.regulations.gov/#!docketDetail;D=APHIS-2018-0064. The notice will be available for review and public comment for a 30-day period that ends on November 26, 2018.

Wednesday, October 24, 2018

Solicitation of Veterinary Shortage Situation Nominations for the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP)


Solicitation of Veterinary Shortage Situation Nominations for the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP)

A Federal Register Notice entitled "Solicitation of Veterinary Shortage Situation Nominations for the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP)" was published in the Federal Register on October 22, 2018
The National Institute of Food and Agriculture (NIFA) is soliciting nominations of veterinary service shortage situations for the Veterinary Medicine Loan Repayment Program (VMLRP) for fiscal year (FY) 2019, as authorized under the National Veterinary Medical Services Act (NVMSA). This notice initiates the nomination period and prescribes the procedures and criteria to be used by eligible nominating officials (State, Insular Area, DC and Federal Lands) to nominate veterinary shortage situations. Each year all eligible nominating officials may submit nominations, up to the maximum indicated for each entity in this notice. NIFA is conducting this solicitation of veterinary shortage situation nominations under an approved information collection (OMB Control Number 0524-0050).
Shortage situation nominations must be submitted not later than 30 days after the publication of the notice referenced above (November 21, 2018).

NIFA’s mission is to invest in and advance agricultural research, education, and extension to solve societal challenges. NIFA’s investments in transformative science directly support the long-term prosperity and global preeminence of U.S. agriculture.

USDA is an equal opportunity lender, provider, and employer.