Since January, all farms that fall under the Produce Safety Rule are required to adhere to the new regulations.
This town hall will specifically address Harvest and Post-Harvest agricultural water, helping farms understand what inspectors will be looking for during the inspection season.
The Colorado Department of Agriculture’s (CDA) Agricultural Workforce Development Program (AWDP) is now accepting applications from agribusinesses looking to hire interns in 2025.
Throughout October, we are joining the Food and Agriculture-Information Sharing and Analysis Center (Food and Ag-ISAC) to celebrate Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
To help promote multi-faceted uses of agricultural land, the Colorado Department of Agriculture is now accepting applications for the Agrivoltaics Research and Demonstration Grant Program. Open for the second year in a row, the program funds projects that demonstrate and research the use of solar generation on agricultural land.
With seeds sprouting and harvest season just around the corner, the Colorado Department of Agriculture’s Produce Safety Program will host a public webinar to review cleaning and sanitizing practices, with a focus on food contact surface contamination.
Yesterday, the Colorado Agricultural Commission approved, and Commissioner of Agriculture Kate Greenberg adopted an emergency rule to help limit the spread of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza (HPAI) in Colorado. Since the initial detection of HPAI in dairy cattle in March 2024, the virus has spread to dairies in at least nine states, including Colorado.
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA) Produce Safety Rule ended harvest and post-harvest agricultural water enforcement discretion for both large and small farms who use water during or after produce harvest. The Colorado Department of Agriculture (CDA) staff inspects farms to ensure compliance with subpart E of the Produce Safety Rule, which sets standards for how to test, treat, and monitor the water used during the harvest and post harvest activities, such as harvesting, packing, holding, and transporting of the produce.
To help demonstrate one of the many ways agriculture can contribute to addressing the effects of climate change, Colorado is investing $500,000 in projects that help advance the use of agrivoltaics in the state.
Agrivoltaics is the practice of co-locating solar energy installations and agriculture, with crops or grazing land beneath or between rows of photovoltaic panels. Now, farmers, ranchers, and other landowners with innovative ideas on how to use agrivoltaics in Colorado will have a chance to apply for funding for their projects.
In the 1980s, G.I. Joe: Real American Hero animated TV series concluded each cartoon episode with a Public Service Announcement (PSA) for children: “Now you know, and knowing is half the battle!”
Emergency preparedness and disaster management for a farm, ranch, or ag business follows that same mantra. If you know how to prepare, respond, and recover from an animal disease incursion or a natural disaster like flooding or wildfire, then you just need to follow your plan and act accordingly.
Farm owners and operators in Colorado have a chance to learn more about the requirements of Harvest and Post Harvest Water in subpart E of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Produce Safety Rule on agricultural water requirements for covered produce.