Category: Food Safety - Purple Pitchfork

Food Safety Modernization Act: Implications for Farmers

3/23/2015

Tuesday, March 31, 2015
Online

Event Link: Food Safety Modernization Act: Implications for Farmers
Organized By: Practical Farmers of Iowa

Presentation Summary
This online presentation will cover the Food Safety Modernization Act and its implications for farmers. I will be discussing the details about who it will impact and how to comply with the new rules and regulation. In addition, Sophia Kruszewski, a policy expert at the National Sustainable Agriculture Coalition, will be discussing what it is and what its implementation will mean for farmers.

Post-Harvest Handling and Food Safety in Theory and Practice

3/23/2015

Monday, March 23, 2015 - RESCHEDULED TO 3/30/2015
Central City Civic Center and Buffalo Ridge Orchard

Event Link: Post-Harvest Handling and Food Safety in Theory & Practice
Organized By: Iowa Valley Resource Conservation & Development

Presentation Summary
As the demand for local produce has exploded in the last five years, so has the expectation on the part of consumers and institutional buyers for high quality fruits and vegetables with an extended shelf life. Join veteran farmer and consultant Chris Blanchard for a look at the theory and practice of keeping your produce in top condition while minimizing the risk of microbial contamination. This workshop includes a classroom component and and on-site demonstrations of post-harvest handling techniques at Buffalo Ridge Orchard and vegetable farm.

2015 Indiana Small Farms Conference

3/5/2015

Thursday, March 5 - Saturday, March 7, 2015
Danville, Indiana

Event Link: Indiana Small Farms Conference
Organized By: Purdue Agriculture

The third Annual Indiana Small Farm Conference with pre-conference workshop activities taking place on Thursday, March 5th. With numerous networking activities, this conference provides small farmers with many opportunities to learn and interact with other farmers, producers, extension educators, researchers, and students.

Chris' Presentations:

Making Your Market Farm Work for You
Thursday, March 5, 9:00 AM to 4:00 PM
Your market farm should work for you, in addition to you working for your farm – and that requires you to take care of your vegetables and your business, as well as your life. Learn how you can put it all together, from the market farming fundamentals of weed control, irrigation, post-harvest handling, and marketing, to the management of your farming systems, employees, and finances. From big ideas down to practical examples, consultant, educator, and veteran farmer Chris Blanchard draws on 25 years of farming experience around the country at a wide variety scales to provide this engaging session that will help you understand and control the factors that lead to a profitable market farm that won’t drive you and your family crazy.

Please note: this pre-conference workshop is offered at an additional charge beyond the standard conference registration.

Capturing and Organizing Data for GAPs, Organic Certification, and other Endeavors
Friday, March 6, 9:00 AM
Paperwork can be the bane of the certified-organic, GAPs-audited, and financially-aware farmer. Learn how to capture information, get on top of your paperwork, and wow your inspector, auditor, and banker. Consultant and veteran farmer Chris Blanchard will provide an overview of the basic techniques he and his crew use to gather information and keep it organized for easy access with a minimum of effort.

Evaluating Investments and Operational Changes
Friday, March 6, 1:30 PM
Want to purchase new equipment? Thinking of expanding your operation? This presentation will show you the tools you need to evaluate your options. You’ll get a down-to-earth approach to help you better understand the economic and other impacts of investments and operational changes, including a look at practical tools like partial budget analysis and investment analysis, as well as considerations for quality of life and business development.

2015 MOSES Organic Farming Conference

2/26/2015

Thursday, February 26 - Saturday 28, 2015
La Crosse, Wisconsin

Event Link: MOSES Organic Farming Conference
Organized By: Midwest Organic and Sustainable Education Service (MOSES)

The MOSES Conference is the largest event in the U.S. about organic and sustainable farming. Every February this event draws more than 3,000 farmers, advocates, educators, students, and others to the La Crosse Center in La Crosse, Wis., for educational workshops, inspiring keynote speakers, and a two-floor Exhibit Hall open exclusively to conference attendees.

Chris' Presentations:

Too Many Rutabagas: Time and Productivity Management for Farmers
Friday, February 27, 10:30 AM
There’s always something to do on the farm, and it can be overwhelming. We’ll look at ways to overcome the overload of information, tasks, and projects. This workshop combines simple yet elegant principles of time and information management with practical examples of their application to life on the modern farm. You’ll come away with tools to get on top of your game, improve your business, and maximize your quality of life.

Productive Packing House
Saturday, February 28, 11:00 AM
On a vegetable farm, the magic happens in the packing house. And the best magic happens when your packing house works smoothly and provides a food-safe environment. We’ll look at the principles and practices that you can use to make the most of your current packing facility, as well as what to consider if you have the opportunity to start from scratch. Covered topics include workflow, ergonomics, storage considerations, and food safety.

Post-Harvest Handling, Food Safety and GAPs Compliance

1/24/2015

Saturday, January 24, 2015
Amery, Wisconsin

Event Link: Post-Harvest Handling, Food Safety and GAPs Compliance
Organized By: Hungry Turtle Farmers Cooperative

Presentation Summary
As the demand for local and organic food has exploded in the last five years, so has the expectation on the part of consumers and institutional buyers for production and handling systems designed to minimize microbial contamination. Join a farmer and consultant who has been through the audit process and helped others through it for this review of practical food safety, how to develop a written food safety plan, and how to set up record keeping systems that support business processes rather than existing outside of the system.

2014 MOSES Organic Farming Conference

3/1/2014

Saturday, March 1, 2014
LaCrosse,Wisconsin

Event Link: http://mosesorganic.org/conference/

Organized By: Mosesorganic.org

Chris' Presentations:

12 Simple Steps to Food Safety - As the demand for local and organic food has exploded in the last five years, so has the expectation on the part of consumers and institutional buyers for production and handling systems designed to minimize microbial contamination. Rock Spring Farm's Chris Blanchard guides you through twelve simple steps you can take to put you and your farm on the way to safe food production.

2014 Capturing and Organizing Data for Organic Certification, GAPs Compliance, and other Endeavors

2/4/2014

Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Cedar Rapids, IA

Event Link:
Organized By:

Chris' Presentations:

Paperwork can be the bane of the certified-organic, GAPs-audited, and financially-aware farmer. Learn how to capture information, get on top of your paperwork, and wow your inspector, auditor, and banker. I will provide an overview of the theoretical underpinnings and the basic techniques he and his crew use to gather information and keep it organized for easy access with a minimum of effort.

2014 Minnesota Fruit and Vegetable Growers Conference

1/16/2014

Thursday, January 16, 2014
St.Cloud, Minnesota

Event Link: http://mfvga.org/
Organized By: http://mfvga.org/

Chris' Presentations:

Saving Labor on the Market Farm - Market farming is all about moving stuff around, whether you're moving vegetables from the soil to the packing house, water from the well to your transplants, or seeds from their packet to the soil. We'll explore the systems and tools used by Rock Spring Farm and other market farms for seeding crops in the field and greenhouses, transplanting sets, pruning and greenhouse crop maintenance, weeding tools, harvesters, post-harvest handling, materials handling, and record-keeping.

Food Safety - As the demand for local and organic food has expanded, so has the expectation for production and handling systems designed to minimize microbial contamination. Chris Blanchard guides you through twelve simple steps you can take to put you and your farm on the way to safe food production.

Ten Simple Steps to Food Safety Webinar

3/28/2013

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Online

Event Link: http://www.cvcountryside.org/

Organized By: Countryside Conservancy

Chris' Presentations:

Being a sustainable farmer is more than the farming methods you use, it also means ensuring you can stay in business regardless of your marketing outlet. Chris Blanchard of Rock Spring Farm and Flying Rutabaga Works will help you navigate pricing strategies to meet your customer needs and your farm's bottom line.

6pm Central Time.

2013 MOSES Organic Farming Conference

2/22/2013

Friday, February 22, 2013
LaCrosse, Wisconsin

Event Link: mosesorganic.org/conference.html

Organized By: Mosesorganic.org

Chris' Presentations:

Capturing and Organizing Data for Organic Certification, GAPs Compliance, and Other Endeavors - Paperwork can be the bane of the certified-organic, GAPs-audited, and financially-aware farmer. Learn how to capture information, get on top of your paperwork, and wow your inspector, auditor, and banker. Rock Spring Farm's Chris Blanchard will provide an overview of the basic techniques he and his crew use to gather information and keep it organized for easy access with a minimum of effort.

Transplant Production Systems - Greenhouse-grown vegetable transplants are an important part of a successful vegetable farm, and the systems you use for everything from transplant trays and benches to the transplanter you use to set your crop in the field have a significant impact on the quality of your transplants and the cost of producing them. Join Rock Spring Farm's Chris Blanchard for a review of transplant systems on farms throughout the Upper Midwest.

Chris will also be available at the new "Ask the Expert" sessions on Friday from 8am - 9am, and Saturday from 4pm - 5pm.