Professional Training for Extension Agents in KY and OK in Food Safety and Sanitation Related to Farmer's Market

Training in the area of food safety for young farmers and farmers market vendors and their employees has been regarded an essential component to the local food systems, but minimal attention has been given to the training needs of this audience. The overall goal of the proposed project is to educate and train extension agents in Kentucky and Oklahoma who work with young farmers and farmer’s market vendors in food safety practices and regulations governing farmers market, sanitation, and Good Hygiene Practices to ensure the safety of food products sold in the farmers market. The target audience will include state agricultural sciences and natural resources, and family and consumer science agents, USDA field personnel from National Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), the Farm Service Agency (FSA), and USDA Rural Development. The objectives are, 1) to conduct a series of in-class training programs to train the target audience in Kentucky and Oklahoma 2) help the formation of subgroups of these successful trainees to amplify and setup workshops with young farmers, farmer’s market managers, vendors, and their employees, 3) Organize a SSARE southern region conference to extend training resources and methodology to extension educators in other states in the southern region, and 4) develop comprehensive web-based educational/training material that could be used to extend the opportunities for educating extension personnel in other SSARE regions. The key partners for this proposed project are University of Kentucky (lead institution), Oklahoma State University, Kentucky State University, Kentucky Department of Agriculture (KDA), Kentucky Department of Health Food Safety Branch (DPH), and Community Farm Alliance (CFA). This project will change the safety, sanitation and hygiene practices of the farmers, farmers’ market managers, vendors, and their employees, which would be directly observed by customers and health inspectors. Trainee’s short-term evaluation will be based on post-completion tests. Trainee’s long-term follow-up and the program evaluation (twice a year, beyond the funding duration) will be based on responses from ultimate beneficiaries of the information (farmers, producers, farmer’s market managers, vendors, and their employees) and the indirect beneficiaries, the consumers. Such long-term evaluations will be accomplished through one-on-one interviews with the target audience, ultimate beneficiaries, and consumers, observation and experience based survey questionnaires for consumers and health inspectors, and self-reporting.