MIDDLEBURY | Jan. 26 marked the first major compliance date for Vermont farms covered by the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule.
Farms that grow, harvest, pack, or hold produce with greater than $500,000 in annual produce sales must be in compliance with the rule’s standards for on-farm produce safety practices beginning last week.
To assist growers in making on-farm improvements that prevent or reduce produce safety risks, the Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets launched the Vermont Produce Safety Improvement Grant Program, which recently awarded eight grants of between $7,000 and $10,000 to Vermont growers to make on-farm food safety improvements.
Growers will have another opportunity to apply for Produce Safety Improvement Grants beginning Feb. 28.
Vermont produce growers have shown a strong demand for support to grow produce safely, efficiently, and economically.
“It was remarkable how timely applications were submitted. We’ve seen just a glimpse of how much funding demand there is for produce farms working to implement produce safety practices on their farm,” said Vermont Agriculture Secretary, Anson Tebbetts.
Growers interested in applying for the second round of grants are encouraged to submit their applications as early as possible on Feb. 28, as the agency expects a similarly strong demand for funding.
Approximately $74,000 in funding will be available in the second round of the grant, and again, funds will be awarded on a first-come, first-served basis to eligible applicants. Applicants must grow, harvest, pack, or hold “covered produce” as defined by the U.S. Food & Drug Administration’s FSMA Produce Safety Rule and have average annual produce sales of greater than $25,000.
