The Extension Express - Cooperative Extension System - University ...

11 The Extension Express
New Haven County Extension Center
Diane Wright Hirsch, Candace Bartholomew and Mark Zotti from the CT Department of
Agriculture have designed, planned and conducted the first two series of a Good
Agricultural Practices (GAP) School for Connecticut growers. Rich Meinert contributed his
expertise in the session as well, addressing the implications of safe manure use and
management in produce fields. The objective is to provide farmers with the tools they need
to develop a GAP food safety program. Growers learned about ways to reduce microbial
contamination on fruits and vegetables on their farms, how to meet the demands of
customers such as schools, retailers or distributors who are asking for GAP certification,
they learned how to write individual farm GAP plans and how to prepare for a USDA or
third party audit.
The School consisted of four sessions. A series of weekday sessions were held at the
Tolland County Extension Center in Vernon, and a series of night/weekend sessions were
held at the New Haven County Extension Center in North Haven to accommodate part-time
producers. Another series occurred in late March.
While there is no regulatory requirement (state or federal) for farmers to have a GAP food
safety program, some retailers and distributors want their suppliers to have GAP programs
in place. A third party and/or USDA audits may also be required. This GAP School helps
both farmers who need GAP programs in order to comply with customer demands and also
those who want to develop a food safety plan in order to add value to their business,
whether required or not.