Moe, J. 2021, DFI Food Safety Plan - Part 1: Farm Location, Facilities, and Management, Desert Farming Initiative, University of Nevada, Reno

Location, Facilities & Supplies

DFI is located on approximately 5 acres in Reno (Valley Road Field Lab at UNR). Our Valley Road site includes 8 hoop houses, 1 greenhouse, a commercial wash station, storage facilities, 2 acres of open field and approximately 0.5-acre of orchard. Desert Farming Initiative address:

Office location and Valley Road farm site:
920 Valley Road, Reno, NV 89557
39°32’29”N; 119°48’33”W

DFI Valley Road Site – 920 Valley Road Reno, NV 89557

This site is primarily flat; stormwater drainage from this site is generally to the south/southeast. Surrounding land uses are agricultural uses to the north (including livestock facilities and research plots), agricultural greenhouses to the south, office and educational buildings and parking to the west and North Wells Avenue to the east. UNR livestock facilities are located directly to the west and north of Fields 2 and 3 (2.5 acres) at the north end of the Valley Road site. The fields were in alfalfa production 2003-2005 and have been managed by DFI for annual and perennial crops since then. Hoop houses were constructed in 2014 on a former gravel parking lot.

DFI Facilities

Valley Road Facilities

DFI Wash and Pack House – 920 Valley Road Reno, NV 89557

The DFI Wash and Pack House was constructed in 2014 and is used for all produce washing, packing and storage activities. 

DFI Equipment and Supplies

DFI tools, equipment and supplies are stored in and around the Wash House, locked storage containers (in front of the NAES Greenhouse Complex) and in the joint NAES equipment storage garages. Equipment for handling cleaning, sanitation and agricultural chemicals are clearly labeled and used exclusively for those materials. All tools and equipment are maintained according to the Pre-Harvest Risk Management and Wash House Cleaning procedures (see Part 3 of this Plan).

Chemicals

Only individuals with (or under supervision of a person with) a Pesticide Applicators License may apply regulated substances on the farm. Non-regulated chemicals are only applied by trained individuals. All workers will be instructed in using the Chemical Safety binder in the Wash House as part of their Health and Hygiene Training. Staff handling pesticides will receive pesticide safety training according to Pesticide Safety Training procedures.

All refueling takes place away from produce fields/hoop houses to minimize the risk of petroleum contamination. If any chemicals are spilled in the field, immediate action is taken to control the leak/spill source. Any contaminated soil is removed from the ground and contained. Spills and corrective actions are immediately documented in an email to farm management, including illustrations or diagrams to show the contaminated area, excavation area, and waste removal.

Crops

Crops grown at DFI include:

  • Apples
  • Swiss chard
  • Carrots
  • Beets
  • Kale
  • Cauliflower
  • Radish
  • Turnip
  • Head lettuce
  • Baby greens
  • Cabbage
  • Cucumber
  • Tomato
  • Pepper
  • Eggplant
  • Herbs
  • Garlic
  • Onion
  • Squash
  • Melon

DFI’s producer status is updated annually in March with the Nevada Department of Agriculture, and organic certification is udpated annually based on inspection by CCOF.

DFI crops are not commercially processed. The average produce sales during the previous 3-year period at DFI exceeds $25,000. Financial records are maintained in the DFI office to demonstrate this (see Part 4 of this Plan). All DFI produce is sold within 275 miles of the farm. Produce is not sold outside of the State of Nevada. The amount of produce sold direct to consumers (retail) and wholesale varies each year. 

Traceability

Production areas and crops are identified by hoop house/field plot number in the Harvest Log and Traceability Log (see Part 3 of this Plan). This combination of logs enables produce to be traced back to their source in the event of a food safety recall. The logs are completed and reviewed by managers on a regular schedule. This system allows produce to be traced one step back in the field and one step forward to our distributor. The following information is recorded and included in labeling to allow for product tracking.

Harvest and traceability information recorded includes:

  • Date of harvest
  • Hoop house/field where produce was harvested
  • Crop/variety
  • Quantity harvested
  • Quantity distributed/delivered
  • Customer
  • Staff responsible for each step

All produce packed for sale is labeled prior to storage/delivery:

  • Farm name and physical address
  • Crop/variety
  • Washing instructions
  • Date harvested
  • Wholesale buyer or market

To test our traceability process, a mock recall of a produce delivery is conducted each year. In the mock recall, we contact one of our buyers, identify a shipment received from us, and track how much of the product has been sold and how much is still in inventory. This information is linked to the DFI Harvest Log and Transport and Traceability Log by harvest date and recorded in the Mock Recall Log.

Health & Hygiene

DFI farm staff and crew agree to follow the health and hygiene policies defined below.

Employee Training

All employees, interns and volunteers receive health and hygiene training when they start working on the farm as well as ongoing refresher courses. Training includes instruction on all company policies related to worker health and hygiene and, where appropriate, job specific training as required by law (i.e. pesticide applicator license or training). Training is conducted according to the procedures for Health and Hygiene Training and then the Health and Hygiene Policy is signed when training is complete.

All employees, interns and volunteers receive food safety training from a Produce Safety Alliance certified trainer at the start of work on the farm as well as ongoing refresher courses. All those involved in any processes relating to the growth, harvest, washing, storage and transportation of our crops receive this training. Training includes instruction on all policies related to food safety; employee training is documented in each individual's Training Checklist.

Visitor and Volunteer Rules

Visitors are defined as anyone on the farm within production areas. All visitors will read the Visitor Policies and sign in and out on the Visitor Sign In Log located in the wash house. 

Handwashing and Toilet Facilities

All visitors, volunteers and employees wash their hands according to the DFI Health and Hygiene Policies. Clean and well-maintained restrooms and handwashing facilities are provided for all employees and visitors in the wash house, Knudsen Resource Center and NAES Greenhouse Complex (all less than ¼ mile from work areas). Signs are posted in restrooms to instruct employees to wash their hands before returning to work. All toilet/restroom facilities are properly supplied with single-use towels.

These facilities are checked on a daily basis by UNR Facilities Maintenance (775-784- 8020, website link here). Restroom facilities are serviced, restocked and cleaned each afternoon.

In the event that temporary sanitation facilities (Sani cans) are used in the field, they are located and managed in a manner that minimizes the risk of produce contamination. In the case of a Sani can spillage occurs in or near field boundaries, the following clean-up steps are performed:

  1. Any affected produce is immediately disposed of in a covered waste bin.
  2. The contaminated area will be marked off with caution tape or string with an added 10 foot barrier.
  3. Signs in appropriate languages will be posted at the perimeter prohibiting entry to the contaminated area.
  4. People and animals will be kept out until the area is sufficiently decontaminated.
  5. Any solid waste still resting on the surface will be collected and removed to the waste bin.
  6. Any affected permanent structures will be hosed off and disinfected with a diluted bleach solution.
  7. The sanitation unit will be cleaned and replaced by the company providing the units and maintenance services.
  8. Spills and corrective actions are documented.

Illness and Injuries

Injuries

First aid kits and manuals are available for use in the wash house, in the Suburban, delivery van and in the propagation greenhouse. The supplies are checked and updated quarterly and as needed and recorded in the First Aid Kit Log. 

All visitors and employees are to deal with injuries immediately. Employees must notify the farm management and fill out an Illness/Injury Report. If the injury is critical or life threatening, 911 will be called for proper care. In the event of an accident with UNR vehicles, a UNR Vehicle Accident Form will be completed.

If blood or other bodily fluid should come in contact with produce or in the field, immediate action is taken and farm management is notified. After assuring the safety of those involved, farm management will immediately inspect the area where the injury occurred. All contaminated surfaces will be removed to a plastic bag with a shovel/gloved hands and discarded. All affected plant materials, produce and packing materials will be discarded in the dumpster located at the NAES entrance. Soil and produce will be cleared 2 feet in every direction to ensure there is no further contamination. Affected tools and surfaces of structures will be cleaned with soap and water and sanitized.

Illness

Any employee who is sick notifies farm management immediately and does not handle crops/produce. The following symptoms prohibit an employee from working and handling fresh produce:

  • Diarrhea
  • Fever
  • Vomiting
  • Jaundice (when the whites of the eyes are yellowish and the skin has a yellowish tinge)
  • Sore throat with fever
  • Lesions (including boils or infected wounds, however small) on the hand, wrist, or any exposed body part

If any of these symptoms are present, the employee, volunteer or visitor will leave the premise and these conditions are recorded in an Illness/Injury Report.

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