Educators

Upcoming Discussions

  • Listening sessions for NCR partners (educators, regulators, non-profit staff, and growers/processors) happen the third Thursday of each month at 2:00 pm,  Central time.  If you have a topic you would like to see discussed during these session or would like to lead a discussion, we would like to hear from you.  Contact us for call-in details or to submit a suggested topic at: NCRFSMA@iastate.edu.
  • Past Sessions- find recordings and the chat in the NCR CyBox.  Don't have access?  Contact Ellen.
  • Tentative Agenda
May 19 Ed Treacy from Produce Marketing Association: non-single-use-plastic options that are hitting the market and 
Jeff Brandenburg: survival of pathogens on packaging, incorporating newer, non-plastic options
June 16 Novel Processing Techniques by Kathiravan Krishnamurthy
July 21 Biosolids Discussion with Kristin Esch (FDA) and a speaker from the EPA
Aug 18 Develping Food Safety Plans for Processors by Byron Chaves
Sept 15 Andy Chamberlin, University of Vermont
Oct 20 Validating Critical Paramenters for Juice Processors by Kathiravan Krishnamurthy
Nov 17 Loran Nordgren, tentatively scheduled: As a behavioral scientist, his research explores the psychological forces that propel and prevent the adoption of new ideas and actions.
Dec 17 Verification Activities for Processors by Byron Chaves

Additional Funding Available

Are you working on a food safety project, and you need additional funds to:

  1. Provide honorarium for a speaker at a food safety program
  2. Provide print-outs at a food safety program
  3. Provide demonstrations for food safety programs
  4. Modify existing food safety materials
  5. Translate materials into another language;
  6. Sponsor registration for an underserved produce industry member to be trained and/or
  7. Supplies to host a Produce Safety Alliance or Preventive Control for Human Food or food safety program?

Please reach out to the NCR FSMA Center as we have funding to support these food safety efforts.  You can apply using this form.

Trainer Sharing Program

Are you short a trainer for your class?  Do you need someone to fill in for a couple of modules?  We can help.  The Center has funds to help bring in trainers to your state to ensure every farmer has an equal chance to attend a class near them.  Contact Ellen for details.  Each state can apply for one trainer sharing stipend per year (unless no one else requests one and then states can apply for additional funding at the end of the budget year).
Formally request trainer sharing funds here.

Funding is available to support sending a lead trainer of the Produce Safety Alliance grower training, Preventive Controls Human Food training, or other food safety certified program training in the absence of lead trainers.
Three travel stipends (up to $500) will be available each year.  All funds are distributed on a first come, first served basis.  States can apply for one stipend per year (Sept through Aug).  If additional funds are available in July, states may apply for additional funding.
Funding can be requested for a niche population training, but not for an individual company.  

Professional Development Travel Funds

In support of professional development, we are offering six stipends (up to $500 each) for educators and inspectors to travel to state (cannot be in your employment state), regional, and national produce safety conferences for professional development. You will be expected to have goal for your travel and report back impacts after the travel. Contact Angela for more information or apply for the program. All funds are distributed on a first come, first served basis.  Exact details are listed in the program guidelines.  Each state can apply for one professional development stipend per budget year (unless it's close to the end of the year and no other states have applied).

professional_development_travel_funds.pdf

Produce Safety Alliance (PSA) Curriculum

Evaluations

The NCR FSMA Center asks each instructor in the region to conduct pre and post knowledge evaluations to gauge progress of students across the region.  Directions and materials necessary to conduct the pre and post evaluations are found below.  Contact us for information about using an online survey during remote trainings.  We can set up a Qualtrics form, so the data goes straight to the evaluator.

Produce Safety Alliance Grower Training Evaluations 

The evaluation team at NCR FSMA analyzed the results of the pre- and post-test knowledge assessments from July through June of each year.  The results are found below.

Summer 2020 results

Summer 2018 results

One year after participants completed a PSA course, the NCR FSMA asked them to report on the changes they had made on their farms.  You can read the entire report and the executive summary below.

Food Safety Preventive Controls Alliance Curriculum (FSPCA)

 

Training Needs

This list of needed training was developed at the 2019 NCR FSMA Annual Conference.  Existing trainings, journal articles, and Extension fact sheets that might help fill those needs are included.
training_needs_and_where_to_find_them.pdf

 

This work is supported by the Food Safety Outreach Program [grant no. 2018-70020-28877 and grant no. 2021-70020-35732] from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture.

 

Category: 
Resources
Tags: 
educators, PSA, fspca