Food safety education is most effective when it is customized to meet the unique needs of its intended audience. A one-size fits all approach is not appropriate, especially when working with distinct populations such as military veteran farmers, whose shared experiences and backgrounds shape how they learn and engage in agriculture. To better understand their…Read more about National Needs Assessment Offers Guidance to Tailor On-farm Food Safety Education for Military Veteran Farmers[Read More]
Autumn Stoll
Small and medium-sized vegetable farms face unique challenges balancing profitability with sustainable production practices and food safety requirements. To better understand how these farmers navigate complex decision-making processes, the Soil to Market Team—comprising Maria Marshall, Renee Wiatt, Petrus Langenhoven, Betty Feng, and Nathan Shoaf—conducted a comprehensive survey of 500 small and medium-sized farmers across the…Read more about Understanding Farm Decision-Making: Insights from the 2024-2025 Producer Survey[Read More]
Drying produce can be an attractive technique for adding value to your crop, reducing waste, and diversifying the products offered to consumers. The process of dehydrating produce extends shelf life by reducing water content and limiting the growth of microorganisms that can cause spoilage. Remain aware, though, that most dehydration processes are not kill steps…Read more about Ensuring Food Safety in Produce Drying: Best Practices for Handling, Preparation, and Dehydration[Read More]
Dr. Betty Feng’s lab within the Department of Food Science at Purdue University is hosting a series of webinars this March and April. The webinars are free to anyone who wishes to participate and will cover various topics, including on-farm food safety and agriculture soil management. Food Safety Plan (accumulative series of webinars) March 21…Read more about Webinar Series – Scaling up Your Small and Medium-sized Farm[Read More]