Food, Farm, & Ornamentals Businesses

Overview

Farmers, food producers, nursery workers, and professional landscapers need to be aware of the regulations that apply to their businesses and the resources available to help them succeed. Topics in this section include:

• Food & Farm Businesses
  Resources for commercial agricultural producers and food processors and producers.
• Ornamental Horticulture
  Information for landscapers, lawn-care professionals and greenhouse and nursery employees.

Publications

Commercial and Professional Publications

• Land Application of Pulp Mill Lime Mud
• Environmental Policy Statements: Explaining What You Do, How You Do It, and Where You Want To Go
• Metal Concentration Standards for Land Application of Biosolids and Other By-Products in Georgia
• Mortality Management and the Georgia Dead Animal Disposal Act
• Guidance on EPA Spill Prevention, Control and Countermeasures (SPCC) Rule for Farms and Other Facilities
• A Guide to National Policy Regarding Alien Workers: 2007 Regulations Simplified

To see other publications, go to the CAES Publications site or the FACS Publications listing.

News

For the latest news about Extension, visit Georgia FACES. News you can use about Georgia family, agricultural, consumer and enviromental sciences.

• Consumer, farmer opinions sought on FDA's proposed new food safety act
• Nigerian delegation visits Tifton campus, south Georgia farms on tour
• Agbiosciences driving economic growth and job creation in the South
• UGA college seeks nominees for Georgia Ag Hall of Fame
• Survey says: Georgia farmers interested in forming food hubs as a means of marketing produce, fresh meat, and eggs
• UGA trained Agribusiness Development Team deploys to Afghanistan
• Gabon and Georgia strike a deal to foster agricultural development
• UGA's Southeast Energy Options Conference features Jimmy Carter and alternative energy experts
• 2013 Ag Forecast to focus on agricultural exports
• Georgia's burgeoning network of food hubs already making connections between farmers and local markets

Websites

UGA-affiliated sites

• Food Product Innovation & Commercialization
  Department of Food Science and Technology affiliate offers multiple services, including product development, packaging engineering, storage assessment, consumer testing, market planning, business development and market access to food businesses.
• Food Science Extension Outreach program
  Specializes in food safety and provides extensive resources on relevant laws and regulations, a detailed guide to starting a new food business and a detailed calendar of frequent workshops.
• Starting a New Food Business
  Extension Food Science provides services like process approval, product classification and nutritional facts panel for your food product; offers training seminars covering food industry regulations, business planning, and process improvement; and documents important regulations from the Georgia Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration.

External sites

• Georgia Department of Agriculture
  Gives a detailed overview of the organization's structure including its separate divisions dedicated to animal industry, plant industry, marketing, fuel & measures, and consumer protection. Distributes the biweekly Farmers and Consumers Market Bulletin comprising timely news, advertisements, and cooking recipes. Includes a kids' page with links to activity resources and educational websites.
• Obtaining a UPC Bar Code
  Homepage of the global non-profit GS1 describes the organization's supply-chain standards for barcodes (including a guide to obtaining one) business messaging, data synchronization and RFID tracking. Also provides news, a calendar of trainings, a catalog of prominent businesses using GS1 standards, and frequently asked questions.
• USDA Food Safety & Inspection Service
  Provides educational materials in text and video formats covering food preparation in commercial and home environments, emergency and illness responses, and food labeling. Reports news, including recalls. Includes a calendar of meetings and events.

Training

Cooperative Extension offers training within local communities on a wide array of topics. To see if there are training events in your area, please visit our calendar.

• Better Process Control School
  This pamphlet summarizes the course satisfying FDA and USDA requirements to certify supervisors of the canning of low-acid or acidified foods. The pamphlet describes the course content, exams, daily schedule, registration, cost, and transportation. It includes a registration form.
• Food Safety & Processing Calendar for 2011
  This calendar of food safety and food processing workshops includes links to informational brochures and registrations for the workshops as well as the sponsored lodgings.
• HACCP for Nut Processors
  This pamphlet summarizes a course on food safety and HACCP programs for nut processors. The pamphlet describes the course content, daily schedule, registration, cost, lodging and transportation. It includes a registration form.
• In-Plant Control of Microbial Contamination for the Food Industry
  This pamphlet summarizes a course on food safety and HACCP programs. The pamphlet describes the course content, daily schedule, registration, cost, lodging and transportation. It includes a registration form.