Use

Survey

2016

Vegetable

Chemical

Use

Survey

Michigan: September 21-22

Indiana: October 3-4

Ohio: October 5-6

Presenters: Jim Collom, Jamila Sani, and Benjamin Weber

How will I get paid?

Use Project Code: 136

for costs associated

with VCUS

When is VCUS due?

November 1-30% returned

December 1-60% returned

January 7, 2016-100% returned

Return to the Regional Field Office

in East Lansing, MI

Response Rates-2014 and

2010

Michigan: 79.7% (82.6%)

Ohio: 83.2% (82.9%)

U.S: 79.7% (83.8%)

How is VCUS 2016 different

from 2014?

No fertilizer data in 2016 (this is picked

up every other cycle)

Addition of Microbial Food Safety

Practices Section

What is VCUS and why is it

important?

The Water Quality Initiative mandated the development

of a comprehensive database describing the nature of

agricultural chemical use in the United States.

NASS data used to build a database for USDA’s Pesticide

Data Program (PDP).

FQPA Requires EPA to conduct review of tolerance levels

for re-registration of pesticides.

Why should a farmer report?

Do you like the EPA?

The NASS chemical program consistently shows

that farmers use pesticides at much lower than

label rates.

NASS program helps to keep chemicals available

for farmers to use

(Michigan Pesticide Recert Credit)

Overview of Questionnaire

Front Page, Introductions – Make sure to enter IC004 in

military time.

Page 2, Change in Operating Status – Make sure we are

collecting data from the correct person.

Operators were prescreened in June or July.

Substitution is allowed.

Substitution is valid if the new operator can report all

chemicals for the 2016 calendar year and managed this

operation separate from an existing operation.

Substitution is not valid if the new operator incorporated

the land into an existing operation or cannot report all

chemicals applied during the growing season.

Overview of Questionnaire

Page 3, Screening – Verify if the operator has the target

crops.

Did operation have any target crops

Ohio: FM sweet corn, proc cucumbers, pumpkins, FM tomatoes

Indiana: FM sweet corn, watermelons

Michigan: Asparagus, proc snap beans, FM carrots, FM sweet

corn, FM and Proc cucumbers, pumpkins, squash

Day-to-day decisions

Other partners if in a partnership

Section A

Land Operated

Acres on Operation

What is this???

Acres on Operation

What is this???

There is an insert in each questionnaire with the farm

acres from the pre-screener that was conducted in the

Spring

Verify acres with operator

If the operator’s acres have changed, then fill out section A

If the operator’s acres have not changed, then code IC 801

with a “1” and skip to section B

Do not show the insert to anyone other than the operator,

spouse, or partner. Data is confidential!

Acres on Operation

10.5

800.0

760.0

50.5

x

Acres on Operation

45.0

36.1

Section B: Vegetable

Acres

Target Crops -- Michigan

Target Crops -- Ohio

Target Crops -- Indiana

Section B – Target Vegetables

Section B – Target Crops

Section B – Target Crops

Example

Grower has sweet corn (24.5 acres), cucumbers for

pickles (10 acres), pumpkins (1.5 acres), and turnips

(0.1 acres)

Sprayed pesticides on sweet corn and pickles

Section B – Target Vegetables

Sweet Corn 818 24.0 1

1Proc

Cucumbers10.0

Pumpkins 738 1.5

Turnips Do not include; Not a target crop

920

Section B – Office Use Box

Put the total number of target crops reported

Edit uses this to verify all target crops were keyed

3

Section D

Pesticide Applications

DuPont Assure II Sweet Corn 818

Roundup Ultra Sweet Corn 818

L

L

---

---

2

3.20

1.00 ---

--- 15

13

24.5

24.5

2

1

41159

Section D: Pesticide

Application

1. Use this if the chemical is not in the booklet

2. EPA number is essential to querying the database

3. If the chemical appears on multiple pages, you only need to list

it once

4. If the chemical appears on multiple questionnaires, list it once

on each questionnaire

5. Get as much data as possible

1 Herbicide DuPont Assure II L 352-541Database Lookup showed the product code for this chemical to

be 40470

Section E

Pest Management

Practices

Section E: Pest Management

Practices

Section E: Pest Management

Practices

Section E: Pest Management

Practices

Section E: Pest Management Practices

SECTION F: MICROBIAL FOOD SAFETY PRACTICES

The biggest overhaul of the food safety system since the first national law was passed over a century ago.

The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was signed into law on January 4, 2011 and expected to be finalized in 2015 and 2016.

FSMA is a law requiring produce growers and postharvest operations, among others, to comply with certain food safety standards to reduce the risk of microbial contamination that could result in foodborne illness and death.

Focus: A risk-based approach to preventing foodborne illness by reducing microbial contamination of food products, including produce

FSMA affects all stages of the food production-to-marketing system including, regulations for produce growers and produce post-harvest operations.

FOOD SAFETY MODERNIZATION ACT

BURDEN OF FOODBORNE ILLNESS

PUBLIC HEALTH IMPLICATIONS Foodborne illness places a significant public health burden that’s largely

preventable on the American people:

• About 48 million (1 in 6 people) get sick each year

• 128,000 are hospitalized

• 3,000 die

Immune-compromised individuals are more susceptible:

• Infants and children

• Pregnant women

• Older individuals

• Chemotherapy patients

It’s not just a stomach ache – it can result in life-long chronic disease:

• Arthritis

• Kidney failure

OBJECTIVES OF THE MICROBIAL SURVEY

Provision of data on both produce grower and post-harvest food safety practices in order to analyze the impact of FSMA on the produce industry.

Determination of the cost or burden of compliance to the industry.

Improve the capacity to effectively trace and track food and potential foodborne contaminants.

Provide information needed to review health data and to issue guidance documents or regulations setting contaminant-specific performance standards for the most significant foodborne contaminants.

YOUR TERRIFIC JOB ON THE 2015 PPHMFSPS!!!

Produce Post-Harvest Microbial Food Safety Practices Survey separate survey was conducted/enumerated last year.

ACRES OF PRODUCE GROWN

QUESTION 1: All acres used to grow produce by operation.

- Record only once even if double or triple cropped

- Include: all produce (not just vegetables), non-bearing vegetable acres.

QUESTION 2: Total acres of produce grown on the operation.

- Record all acres harvested.

- Account for all acres harvested including multi-cropped acres.

QUESTION 3: Top five crops grown on the operation.

- Top 5 crops based on ACREAGE not revenue.

- Include multi-cropped acres e.g. 25 acres of asparagus harvested twice should be recorded as 50 acres.

FOOD SAFETY PLANS FOR PRODUCE

QUESTION 10 & 11: Any safety food plans? Written? Commodities covered?

- A food safety plan identifies how the respondent plans to deal with any potential microbial food safety risk on his/her operation. It

should include (minimally):

• An assessment of microbial risk

• Identification of food practices in place to reduce microbial risk

• A description of how practices are implemented

Food Safety Plan – Commodities Included

- Most will say they have one safety plan for all produce – very plausible.

- Possibility of having more than one for growers with many types of commodities.

QUESTIONS 12-15: ALL ABOUT AUDITS!

Include: Third Party Audits and group audits such as Global GAP (Good Agricultural Practices)audit.

• If the respondent had an audit in 2015 but it covers 2016 crop, then mark that they he/she had an audit.

Exclude: Self-audits, sustainability or organic program audit, and regulatory audits e.g. State public health or FDA.

Types of Audits: Mark all audits that cover operation whether they were separate or jointly.

Number of Audits: Make sure respondent does not try to include an organic audit in Item 14 (Row i)

Cost of Audit: Total cost of audits listed in Item 14 that respondent paid for.

• If somebody else paid for audits besides the grower, write a note.

WATER TESTS & TREATMENTS

Question 16: MAJOR source of water for the produce operation is the focus (use codes on page17 for columns 2-5). No drinking or hand washing water.

• Used during production that does not touch harvested part of the crop.

• Used during production that touches harvested part of the crop.

• Used for harvest and post-harvest activities where it touches the produce or a food contact surface.

Question 17: Record total number of water tests on all water sources.

Question 18: Record cost of all water tests in Q17 that were paid for by grower. Include: supplies and lab costs. Exclude: labor costs for staff.

Question 19: Record total cost of water treatments used in the operation. Include: supplies and lab costs. Exclude: labor costs for staff.

MANURE QUESTION 20: Consider only animal manure products.

Column 1: Manure treated with a physical or chemical process such as pasteurization, heat drying, or alkali stabilization could be pelletized chicken litter, pasteurized cow manure, etc.

Column 2: Is compost made by a method validated by a scientifically recognized, controlled microbial process that is actively managed and meets time/temperature requirements from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)?

• Static aerated pile composting: aerobic @ >=131 F for 3 days then curing.

• Turned composting: aerobic @ >=131 F for 15 days, >= 5 turnings then curing.

Column 3: Mark all the ways that apply – documentation that manure was adequately treated to reduce pathogens.

*See IM for Certificates of Conformance and Analysis.

HARVEST LENGTH & PACKING/PACKAGING

QUESTION 22: Record the number of days of harvest for ALL produce commodities.

• Include: only the days when harvest actually occurs.

• Exclude: intervals when no harvesting occurs (ignore intervals between harvests).

QUESTION 23: Did operation pack or package any produce?

• Packing: Putting produce into shipping containers

• Packaging: Putting produce into consumer containers e.g. clamshells, pint baskets, 3-lb poly bags, etc.

QUESTION 23a: Length of packing season i.e. number of days when they packing actually occurs.

Exclude: intervals when no packing occurs.

TOOLS OR ITEMS THAT TOUCHED THE CROP

QUESTION 24: Record frequency of cleaning and/or sanitizing tools, machinery, work surfaces, containers etc. that are used in harvesting, packing or other post-harvest activities.

If a custom harvester is used, do not check YES for rows A and B in column 1.

If grower does not directly control packing (e.g. packed by someone else for a fee), then they should not answer questions about tools and machinery used during packing.

Record frequency of cleaning (washing, rinsing or brushing off debris) in column 2 using frequency codes on the bottom of the table (1,2,3,4,5,6,7).

Record frequency of sanitizing (disinfecting) in column 3 using frequency codes on the bottom of the table (1,2,3,4,5,6,7).

FOOD SAFETY EMPLOYEES QUESTION 27: Strictly number of food safety employees ONLY!

Individuals with an important responsibility for day-to-day food safety on the operation. Not total number of people working on the operation.

Include: employees working on documentation and harvest foreman with an important role in day-to-day food safety.

See list of exclusions in IM page 546

QUESTION 29: Number of people responsible for only harvesting crops on the operation who have been trained in food safety practices.

- Record type of people harvesting (column 1)

- Number of people who worked on the operation in 2016 (column 2)

- Number of people in column 2 that have been trained in food safety by the operation (column 3)

- Average # of minutes training provided for workers (column 4)

- Cost of training materials to operator (column 5)

TOILETS & HANDWASHING FOR HARVEST CREWS

QUESTION 30: Interested in information about toilets and hand washing sinks within a quarter mile of produce field.

• Strictly applies to harvest crews NOT other field workers.

• Column 2: Number of toilets/port-a-potties and hand washing sinks.

• Column 3: Number of days facilities were provided to harvest crew.

QUESTION 31: Methods to reduce potential of uncontrolled runoff.

• Check all methods that apply.

• If no method is employed, or if someone claims they have no potential for uncontrolled water runoff, mark ‘other’ and write a note.

WE APPRECIATE ALL YOUR HARD WORK!!!