Category:

Farm Records: Practical GAPs Compliance Techniques

11/21/2014

Title
Practical GAPs Compliance for Organic Farmers

Overview
From restaurants to college dining halls, wholesale buyers have begun demanding food safety assurances, and now the Food Safety Modernization Act has opened the door for FDA regulation of the production and handling of fresh vegetables and produce. Chris Blanchard will present a review of post-harvest handling practices, and the methods developed at Rock Spring Farm for meeting the documentation and records management requirements of the GAPs audit process in a way that flows with the work on the farm, rather than existing as a separate set of tasks and requirements.

Outline
1. Easy Steps to Safer Produce
2. Understanding the GAPs Audit Verification System
3. Writing Your Food Safety Plan
4. Record Keeping
5. Trace back
6. More Paperwork (or not)
7. Where Does the Info Go?
8. Wrapping Up

Series
On The Farm

Topics
Business, Food Safety, Records Management, Risk Management

Audience
All Farmers

Length
45 - 90 minutes

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Farm Finances: Setting Up and Managing Your Financials

11/20/2014

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Title
Fearless Farm Finances

Overview
Chris Blanchard provides insights into developing a robust business model for your farming operation. Chris will review the financial and management systems you need to grow a profitable farm, with information about making and monitoring a budget, creating and understanding financial statements, improving profitability, and avoiding financial train wrecks.

Outline
1. Goals
2. Think (about getting) Big
3. Capacity
4. Invest in Systems
5. Invest in People
6. Budgeting
7. Monitoring
8. Financial Statements
9. Balance Sheet
10. Income Statement
11. Statement of Cash Flows
12. Ratios and Analysis
13. Solvency
14. Am I Making Money?
15. Improving Profitability

Series
On The Farm

Topics
Business, Finances, Records Management, Risk Management, Systems

Audience
All Farmers

Length
180 minutes

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Post-Harvest Handling: A to Z

11/18/2014

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Title
Post-Harvest Handling, Food Safety and GAPs Compliance

Overview
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. Chris Blanchard, who has been through the audit process and helped others through it as well, will present a review of practical food safety, how to develop a written food safety plan, and how to set up records management systems that support business processes rather than existing outside of the system.

Outline
1. Simple Steps to Safer Produce
2. Post-Harvest Handling Systems and Principles
3. Snoop the Poop Interactive Session
4. Understanding the Audit Verification System
5. Creating Your Food Safety Plan
6. Automatic Failures
7. Rock Spring Farm’s Plan and Implementation
8. General Questions
9. Worker Health and Hygiene
10. Farm Review
11. Field Harvest and Field Packing
12. House Packing Facility
13. Storage and Transportation
14. Inspections
15. Traceability and Record Keeping

Series
In The Field

Topics
Food Safety, Post-Harvest Handling, Production, Records Management, Risk Management

Audience
All Farmers

Length
4 - 8 hours

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Farm Records: Capturing and Organizing Data

11/16/2014

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Title
Capturing and Organizing Data for GAPs, Organic Certification, and Other Endeavors

Overview
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. Chris Blanchard will provide an overview of the basic techniques he and his crew used to gather information and keep it organized for easy access with a minimum of effort.

Outline
1. Best Practices
2. What We Track
3. Outflows
4. Inflows
5. Money
6. Accounts
7. Class
8. Items
9. Customers
10. Collect
11. Process
12. Data Entry and Storage
13. Actions and Time
14. Where Does the Info Go?

Series
On The Farm

Topics
Business, Finance, Food Safety, Records Management, Risk Management

Audience
All Farmers

Length
60 - 180 minutes

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