In descending order, by date published.
3/23/2021 (major revision)
Authors: Les Anderson, Michelle Arnold, Darrh Bullock, Kenny Burdine, Roy Burris, Ben Crites, Jimmy Henning, Steve Higgins, Steve Isaacs, Kevin Laurent, Jeff Lehmkuhler, Lee Moser, Gregg Rentfrow, Kylie Schmidt, Ray Smith, Chris Teutsch, Lee Townsend, Katherine VanValin, Paul Vijayakumar
Kentucky is ideally suited for cattle production. The main feed for cattle is a renewable resource Kentucky has in abundance--forages. The majority of the state's terrain favors cattle production over row crops. Kentucky farms cover 14 million acres, with approximately half of that occupied by forage grasses and legumes. Our natural resources and climate permit the growth of most cool-season and warm-season species. Water is readily available in all areas of the state, and we have a relatively long growing season.
Departments: Agricultural Economics, Animal and Food Sciences, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering, Entomology, Plant and Soil Sciences, Veterinary Science
Series: Interdepartmental (ID series)
Size: 4.50 mb
Pages: 164
1/29/2019 (new)
Authors: Bryan Brady, Badrinath Vengari Jagannathan, Mari Schroeder, Paul Vijayakumar
Although the compliance dates for the Produce Safety Rule Agricultural Water have been extended, growers are encouraged to start familiarizing themselves with the process of water sampling. In continuation to Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA): Produce Safety Rule Agricultural Water, Introduction that discussed the different types of water sources, how to calculate a water sample and a brief overview of how to properly take a sample, this paper will explain in detail how and where to take water samples for testing. In addition, it will also provide details on how to read and understand the results of your water test and how to build a water profile. Finally, it will include a list and map with the locations of all labs with approved methods to make compliance as simple as possible.
Departments: Animal and Food Sciences, Food Connection
Series: Produce Food Safety: Center for Crop Diversification (CCD-PFS series)
Size: 1.50 mb
Pages: 5
6/6/2018 (new)
Authors: Bryan Brady, Badrinath Vengari Jagannathan, Paul Vijayakumar
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)'s Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law in 2011 with the goal of preventing food safety problems. The FSMA Produce Safety Rule (PSR) is the first mandatory federal standard for fruit and vegetable production in the United States. Prior to FSMA, growers, packers, and the produce industry were encouraged to follow voluntary guidance such as the FDA's 1998 "Guide to Minimize Food Safety Hazard for Fresh Fruits and Vegetables." The FDA has very detailed guidelines for handling produce when it might touch water or a surface that is wet. Water in this situation would be called agricultural water. There are two kinds of agricultural water: water used to grow and care for the plants (production water) and water used to wash the produce during harvest and after it is state or territory of the United States, the District of Columbia, or the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico.
Departments: Animal and Food Sciences, Food Connection
Series: Produce Food Safety: Center for Crop Diversification (CCD-PFS series)
Size: 920 kb
Pages: 5
6/6/2018 (new)
Authors: Felix Akharume, Michael Montross, Paul Vijayakumar
Many farm-harvested or market-purchased fresh fruits and vegetables are consumed fresh or frozen, with little to none utilized as dry products; in general, dried fruits and vegetables are purchased directly from the market whenever needed. With the wide availability of tabletop kitchen equipment for fruit and vegetable processing (mechanical cutters, slicers, homemade dehydrators, blenders, etc.), consumers and small farmers with excess harvest or unsold fresh products can take the opportunity to process their fresh fruits and vegetables into dried snacks for direct use or sale at a farmer's market. The advantage of these dried products is their stable shelf life, versatility, and overall value addition. Dried products can be used at any time (6-12 months) with little or no loss in quality and can be used as intermediate goods in other products such as breakfast cereals. This publication presents easy-to-follow guidelines and conditions for processing selected fruits and vegetables into dried products.
Departments: Animal and Food Sciences, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering
Series: Produce Food Safety: Center for Crop Diversification (CCD-PFS series)
Size: 693 kb
Pages: 8
11/6/2017 (new)
Authors: Paul Vijayakumar
: If you intend to sell your produce, you'll need to package it. Some growers immediately assume that they'll need a large, complicated packing shed with state-of-the art technology. Typically this is not the case, and for some situations you might not need a packing facility at all. Before we go into some of the best practices for managing a packing shed, you should first consider whether you need one at all. Many of the practices discussed in this publication will depend on the requirements of your buyer. The first step before making upgrades to your food safety infrastructure is to talk to your buyer--ask them how they expect products packaged, box sizes, and whether they expect the product to be washed. Do they currently expect a third-party Good Agriculture Practice (GAP) audit? Do they anticipate requiring one in the near future? As long as you are meeting all regulatory requirements and taking common sense steps to keep your produce safe, there is no need to exceed the expectations of your buyer. In the case of Farmers Markets and CSAs, the expectations for washing can be highly variable.
Departments: Animal and Food Sciences
Series: Produce Food Safety: Center for Crop Diversification (CCD-PFS series)
Size: 3.00 mb
Pages: 7
7/21/2017 (new)
Authors: Akinbode Adedeji, Paul Vijayakumar
The scientific scale for measuring how acidic or basic a substance is when it is dissolved in water is called pH. The pH scale runs from 0 - 14. 0 means it is very acidic, 7 means it is neither acidic nor basic, but just right in the middle like plain water (neutral), and 14 means it is very basic. If you are producing a food product that depends on the acidic components or ingredients of the product to extend its shelf life and ensure the safety of the product, monitoring the pH of food products is very important. Food safety is the biggest reason for monitoring pH, but pH also influences the quality of food products.
Departments: Animal and Food Sciences, Biosystems and Agricultural Engineering
Series: Interdepartmental (ID series)
Size: 365 kb
Pages: 2
1/10/2017 (new)
Authors: Matthew Springer, Paul Vijayakumar
Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs) are necessary to ensure that fresh fruits and vegetables are harvested, handled, and packaged in a sanitary manner. Field crops are at a higher food safety risk than processed foods because of regular exposure to several sources of contamination, including soil, manure, human handling, domestic and wild animals, and water. While it is impossible to completely eliminate these risks, GAPs ensure that these risks are as small as possible when implemented correctly.
Departments: Animal and Food Sciences, Forestry and Natural Resources
Series: Interdepartmental (ID series)
Size: 908 kb
Pages: 3
9/27/2016 (new)
Authors: Melissa Newman, Gregg Rentfrow, Paul Vijayakumar
In recent memory, there has been a considerable increase in food recalls and foodborne illness outbreaks. To ensure food safety, everyone involved in the food production chain needs to understand the different factors that could contaminate food and lead to foodborne illness.
Departments: Animal and Food Sciences
Series: Animal Science (ASC series)
Size: 142 kb
Pages: 4
4/4/2016 (new)
Authors: Melissa Newman, Pam Sigler, Paul Vijayakumar
Safety of fresh vegetables and fruits is very important because these products are often consumed raw or are minimally processed. For the safety of consumers, farmers who produce our food must know the best practices available to produce, process, handle, and store fresh produce.
Departments: Animal and Food Sciences, Program and Staff Development
Series: Interprogram (IP series)
Size: 189 kb
Pages: 3
