Cornell Cooperative Extension Orange County

The CCE Orange County Wholesale Producer Readiness Program made significant headway in helping Hudson Valley producers prepare for the food safety requirements that come with increased scale of production and produce sales. A key requirement of the FSMA legislation is a one-day food safety training certificate for produce farms. The only currently accepted curriculum for this training certficate has been created by the Produce Safety Alliance, and staff working on the Wholesale Readiness Program is already certified as an instructor of this material. 

The CCE Orange County program provides one-on-one technical assistances and classes for new farmers and landowners who are seeking to add commercial agriculture ventures to their property. The program emphasis on technical assistance for diversified and sustainable crop production in the lower Hudson Valley and beyond, especially providing broad-based support for farmers within our neighboring counties. We plan, conduct and offer in-person classroom trainings and also participate in professional development on this and similar topics (GAPs, FSMA, OFRR, etc.) for farmers and landowners. CCE Orange County also participate in peer learning opportunities with other Regional Navigators, American Farmland Trust, Glynwood, NOFA-NY among others on land protection, rent or lease agreement, taxes etc. through networking events.