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  • From: Aaron Brower <aaronbrower AT yahoo.com>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] GAPs (was: New Cooler Construction)
  • Date: Fri, 21 Dec 2012 12:32:59 -0800 (PST)


 "I missed a GAPs meeting recently and heard that whoever was doing the course was telling everyone that composted animal manure was being looked at as no longer acceptable.  Wish I was there to confirm that.  Absurdity..."

I attended a GAPs informational meeting last year and the guy said that if a deer pooped in the vegetable fields I would have to mark off a ten foot circle around the poop and couldn't harvest from that circle for the rest of the year. As food handlers we all need to take risks very seriously but that is ridiculous. 
Not using composted animal manures? There is so much wrong with that thinking I'm not sure where to start.
Maybe they should remove any reference to agricultural practices and talk about food handling. Anyone recommending against using animal manures knows nothing about good agricultural practices. 
Around here, big ag is no longer considering their animal manures to be problems but assets. Now that artificial fertilizers aren't so cheap and now that sustainable practices are beginning to trickle up to big ag, any negative attention given to animal manures would be a big set back, I think.
Also, Gaps has a hard time dealing with diversified operations. If a grower even has a dog, points are going to be deducted. 
  
Aaron


From: Richard Stewart <rstewart AT zoomtown.com>
To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Sent: Friday, December 21, 2012 10:59 AM
Subject: [Market-farming] GAPs (was: New Cooler Construction)

Heck, from what I understand some Universities are requiring it from the farms they work with for interns.  We've been working a couple groups here in the Cincinnati area to start a sustainable ag program where several farms are involved.  We've offered to add a class room to our future packing building and office when we expand in return for labor received from a 18 month internship program.  One of the parties asked if we were certified.  Not IF we followed GAP but if we were certified.  Voluntary certification currently, in the State of Ohio for the business we do will cost us over 10% of our gross income from the crops and process we current would need to certify.

Currently waiting to see what route things go right now.  I missed a GAPs meeting recently and heard that whoever was doing the course was telling everyone that composted animal manure was being looked at as no longer acceptable.  Wish I was there to confirm that.  Absurdity...

Richard Stewart
Carriage House Farm
North Bend, Ohio

An Ohio Century Farm Est. 1855

(513) 967-1106
http://www.carriagehousefarmllc.com

On Dec 21, 2012, at 8:55 AM, KAKerby AT aol.com wrote:

Andy, I don't recall if you said so earlier, but was this GAP certification voluntary, or do your customers require it?  I know some folks are facing markets where it's not required per regulatations, but as Richard was saying it's getting to be a requirement for some buyers.  Just curious.  We started selling eggs to a regional food hub this past year and planned to expand our offerings in 2013, but I wonder if GAP certification would be a requirement down the road if we took that particular road.  I suspect that it will be, even if it never becomes a regulation.
Kathryn Kerby
Snohomish, WA
 

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