NMSU Extension offers online produce safety training June 29-30

DATE: 06/11/2020
WRITER: Jane Moorman, 505-249-0527, jmoorman@nmsu.edu
CONTACT: Janet Witte, 575-639-6910, jswitte@nmsu.edu

Harvesting of vegetables and fruits is beginning. Soon fresh produce will be available at growers’ markets.

In preparation for providing for this season’s harvest and sales, a food safety practices course is available to growers to 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, the Southwest Border Food Protection and Emergency Preparedness Center, and the New Mexico Department of Agriculture are offering the training online from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Monday, June 29, and Tuesday, June 30.

“We are excited to offer New Mexico’s third remote delivery of the Produce Safety Alliance’s growers training,” said Bob Silver with the Southwest Border Food Protection and Emergency Preparedness Center. “This training is intended for New Mexico fruit and vegetable producers and importers who grow, harvest, pack or hold produce and fruit that is usually consumed raw, and who sell more than $25,000 per year.”

The Produce Safety Rule requires at least one supervisor or person responsible for the farm to have successfully completed food safety training in accordance with the annual monetary value of produce the farm sold during the previous three years.

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.

“Attendance at the training the whole eight hours is mandatory and if someone does not attend all the sessions, they will not be given a certificate or refund,” Silver said.

NMDA is covering the cost of the manual that will be mailed directly to the participant prior to the video training. The manual is a useful reference for farm safety practices and to develop a farm safety plan.

Registration closes at noon on June 22 to allow for postal delivery of the manuals. The link and password for the webinar will be provided upon registration. Registration fee for New Mexico residents is $45 and $90 for out of state growers. To register, visit https://aces.nmsu.edu/preparedness/psa-training.html.

“Participants will need internet access, webcam and microphone for the session,” Silver said.

For details on the Zoom requirements and instructions, visit https://producesafetyalliance.cornell.edu/training/zoom/.

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2020 Census deadline extended to Oct. 31 due to COVID-19

June 12, 2020

 

2020 Census deadline extended to Oct. 31 due to COVID-19

New Mexico Agriculture Secretary reminds agriculture industry to complete Census

 

LAS CRUCES – The final deadline to complete the 2020 Census has been extended to Oct. 31 amid the COVID-19 pandemic. The New Mexico Department of Agriculture reminds farmers, ranchers and everyone within the agriculture community to respond to the census either online, over the phone, by mail or in person, as door-to-door operations that were temporarily suspended in March have now resumed across the state.

 

The decennial census is a simple 10-question form that, upon completion, determines how more than $800 billion in federal funds will be distributed in communities across the nation, including over $7 billion per year in New Mexico. The funding supports roads, schools, healthcare, public safety and essential service programs like the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program and National School Lunch Program. Research suggests that every New Mexico citizen unaccounted for results in a loss of approximately $3,745 every year.

 

“We understand that the COVID-19 pandemic has caused many in the agriculture industry to focus their efforts elsewhere during these trying times,” New Mexico Secretary of Agriculture Jeff Witte said. “However, completing the 2020 Census takes just 10 minutes of your time and can be done in the comfort of your own home. Remember that those 10 minutes will have an impact on the next 10 years. I encourage every farmer, every rancher, and everyone in the agriculture industry to stand proud, be counted, and complete a census form.”

 

For more information about the 2020 Census in New Mexico, visit https://www.icountnm.gov/home/. To respond to the census, visit https://2020census.gov/.

 

EPA Offers Clarity to Farmers in Light of Recent Court Vacatur of Dicamba Registration

Having trouble viewing this email? View it as a Web page.     EPA Offers Clarity to Farmers in Light of Recent Court Vacatur of Dicamba Registrations WASHINGTON (June 8, 2020) — Today, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issued a key order providing farmers with needed clarity following the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ June 3, 2020, vacatur of three dicamba registrations. Today’s cancellation order outlines limited and specific circumstances under which existing stocks of the three affected dicamba products can be used for a limited period of time. EPA’s order will advance protection of public health and the environment by ensuring use of existing stocks follows important application procedures. “At the height of the growing season, the Court’s decision has threatened the livelihood of our nation’s farmers and the global food supply,” said EPA Administrator Andrew Wheeler. “Today’s cancellation and existing stocks order is consistent with EPA’s standard practice following registration invalidation, and is designed to advance compliance, ensure regulatory certainty, and to prevent the misuse of existing stocks.” EPA’s order will mitigate some of the devastating economic consequences of the Court’s decision for growers, and particularly rural communities, at a time they are experiencing great stress due to the COVID-19 public health emergency. Details of the Order EPA’s order addresses sale, distribution, and use of existing stocks of the three affected dicamba products – XtendiMax with vapor grip technology, Engenia, and FeXapan. Distribution or sale by any person is generally prohibited except for ensuring proper disposal or return to the registrant. Growers and commercial applicators may use existing stocks that were in their possession on June 3, 2020, the effective date of the Court decision. Such use must be consistent with the product’s previously-approved label, and may not continue after July 31, 2020. Background On June 3, 2020, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals issued an order vacating EPA’s pesticide registrations containing the active ingredient dicamba: Xtendimax with Vaporgrip Technology (EPA Reg. No. 524-617); Engenia – (EPA Reg. No. 7969-345); and FeXapan – (EPA Reg. No. 352-913). Dicamba is a valuable pest control tool that farmers nationwide planned to use during the 2020 growing season. Since the Court issued its opinion, the agency has been overwhelmed with letters and calls from farmers citing the devastation of this decision on the millions of acres of crops, millions of dollars already invested by farmers, and threat to America’s food supply.