Cooperative Extension Service
College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences
The University of Georgia
George
Boyhan, Extension Horticulturist-Vegetables
East Georgia Extension Center
Nessmith-Lane Building, 2nd Floor
PO Box 8112
Georgia Southern University
Statesboro, GA 30460
912-681-5639 | 912-681-0376, Fax | 912-682-3481,
mobile
The Vidalia Onion Field Day is scheduled for Thursday, April 1, 2004, at the Vidalia Onion and Vegetable Research Center. The program begins at noon with a sponsored lunch followed by visits to the plots from 1-3 p.m. This is a great opportunity to learn the latest in onion field research. We will be offering CCA and pesticide credits for this event as well. Please encourage your growers to attend.
If you have any questions or need directions, please contact me (see above) or Randy Hill at 912-565-7822.
The Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Growers Association has obtained a third party 24(c) label for Dual Magnum herbicide. Growers wishing to use this herbicide on transplanted bell peppers or cabbage must be a member of GFVGA, sign indemnification documents, and pay the program fees. There is a $50 processing fee plus a $2 per acre administration fee, along with the membership fee.
For more complete information on using Dual Magnum, contact Dr. Stanley Culpepper in Tifton (229-386-3194). For more information about this program, and for copies of the indemnification and application forms, contact Charles Hall at GFVGA (1-877-99GFVGA or 706-845-8200). I have copies of the agreements and can fax them to you if you wish to view them.
A food safety training program is scheduled for May 18-19, 2004, in Charleston, SC. The program begins at 1 p.m. on May 18 and ends at 2:30 p.m. on May 19. The program will be held at the new USDA research laboratory south of Charleston on U.S. Highway 17. Below is the schedule for this program.
This is an important new area of concern in the produce industry. Many buyers are requiring growers to have third-party audits of their facilities to ensure safe food handling practices. This is a great opportunity for agents to get additional training in this area.
There will be a limited number of $200 scholarships available for county agents to attend this program. I don't have all the details on these scholarships, but if you are interested, please contact me and I will get that information.
| SE Food Safety Training, 2004 | ||
| First Day | ||
| Time | Speaker | Topic |
| 12:00 Noon | Lunch and get acquainted | |
| 1 p.m. | Ward | Microbiology 101 -- Sources of contamination; handout from JIFSAN manual website, "What Microbes Need" |
| 2 p.m. | Osborne | Personnel Hygiene -- Hand wash demonstration |
| 3 p.m. | BREAK | |
| 3:15 p.m. | Sanders Rushing |
GAPs -- Water Quality. More clear and where to get information, chlorine use, manure, pick teams of 4 for demonstration |
| 4:30 p.m. | Local Agent | Pest Control -- short, storerooms |
| 4:45 p.m. | Rushing & Local Specialist | Solve a problem -- send ahead teams to work on a project in evening. We will send sample problem on melons along with readings ahead of time to attendees so they can develop SOPs. |
| 5 p.m. | R & R | |
| 6 p.m. | Dinner with teams on site | |
| 7 p.m. | Facilitators | All presenters will work with groups of agents to develop flow chart for risk sites and solutions for worst problems and economics. |
| 8:30 p.m. | Write SOP | |
| Second Day | ||
| 8 a.m. | TBA | Economics of implementation, cost and returns |
| 8:30 a.m. | Rushing Hurst |
Traceback -- COOL, FDA, Recordkeeping & relationships |
| 9:30 a.m. | BREAK | |
| 9:45 a.m. | Rushing | FDA registration -- Print summary pages off web |
| 10:45 a.m. | Local Specialist | How to pass an audit -- case study, local company; get Primus speaker, FDA, USDA, Noted, UFFVA, GA State |
| 11:45 a.m. | LUNCH on site | |
| 12:30 p.m. | Silva | How to train growers, materials sources, materials checklist |
| 1:30 p.m. | Local Agent | How I get the training done |
| 2 p.m. | EVALUATION | |
| There will be a registration fee of about $30 to cover materials and the meeting costs. | ||
| Tentative plan for tour of HEB grocery store warehouse. | ||
I hope you will find time to attend the Vidalia Onion Field Day and encourage your growers to do the same. This could be make or break time for the Vidalia Farm, since it is under consideration for closure because of the budget situation. A good turnout could be very helpful in this regard. The Georgia Fruit and Vegetable Directory for 2004 is now available from the Georgia Department of Agriculture. If you would like a copy, contact Tony Dupree at 404-675-6273 or tdupree@agr.state.ga.us. Talk to you next month.