URBANA, Ill. — An E. coli outbreak connected to California spinach in 2007 and last fall’s listeria outbreak from Colorado cantaloupe are two fresh examples of why producers are paying closer attention to good agricultural practices (GAPs), a University of Illinois educator said.

“And the good thing is, producers also are putting pressure on other producers to follow the best procedures, because the bottom line is that it only takes one person to mess it up for everyone else,” said James Theuri, a local food systems and small farms educator with U of I extension.

Theuri is overseeing a food safety webinar series that runs from 6-8 p.m. on Thursdays between April 26-May 17 and is open to all growers; the program is designed to allow participants to access the series from their own homes.

Participants should have a high-speed Internet connection and a computer with speakers, and they must register for the course by April 20.

Go to http://web.extension.illinois.edu/gkw to register. It is $30 per person.

Each participant will be mailed webinar instructions, handouts and a GAPs manual before the start of the first webinar on April 26.

USDA regulations call for any farm operation with income of more than $500,000 annually to have a farm safety plan and be GAP-certified, which includes a mandated on-site farm inspection. Smaller farms are exempted from the GAP requirement, but Theuri said that doesn’t mean all growers shouldn’t follow the practices.

Growers who complete the webinar series will receive certificates indicating they have completed work toward becoming GAP-certified, something Theuri said has helped growers get their produce in with large retailers such as Walmart.

“Food safety has become a big issue for consumers, and we’ve had a few well-known cases of foodborne illnesses due to poor ag practices,” he said. “Once people know what the pathogens are and how they get into produce, they can reduce the risk significantly.

“Many fresh produce buyers now require their suppliers to have third-party audits to verify safe food production and handling practices on the farm,” he continued.

“Anyone who sells produce at local markets or donates to food pantries, including farmers, farmers’ market coordinators, community/market garden coordinators … and gardeners, can learn how to keep produce safe from production to the market.”

The series’ topics include:

•What is GAP? What are worker health and hygiene concerns?

•Water quality and testing; soil management and soil amendments

•Post-harvest produce handling

•Record-keeping; traceback; recalls; what happens during an audit?

Theuri noted if smaller growers wish to become GAP-certified, U of I extension has grants available that would cover 75 percent of the cost up to $450. Typically, the rate for inspections is approximately $100 an hour, and for one farm the total usually falls around $400, he said.

For more information, call Theuri at 815-933-8337 or email him at jtheu50@illinois.edu