December 2022 - 32

INDUSTRY NEWS
Woeste headed to
Florida Hall of Fame
John T. Woeste, described as a
longtime champion and tireless
supporter of Florida agriculture,
will be inducted into the Florida
Agricultural Hall of Fame.
Woeste was dean and director
of the Extension service at the
University of Florida's Institute
of Food and
Agricultural
Sciences (UF/
IFAS) from
1976 until his
retirement 19
years later.
While there,
he championed
the selection,
professional
JOHN T.
WOESTE
growth and development of 400
Extension faculty, specialists,
agents and staff.
He revived the agricultural
law program at UF, adding
funding and organizational
guidance for the program,
earning him the U.S. Department
of Agriculture Unit Award for
Distinguished Service in 1987.
Courses in agricultural law are
now taught at the UF Levin
College of Law. He encouraged
the development of a national
agricultural weather working
group, which he chaired, and
the Florida Automated Weather
Network (FAWN), a program still
used extensively by the industry
during the winter months. He
also encouraged and supported
focused programs by multicounty
agent teams, several
of which received national
recognition for extension
program effectiveness.
Since retiring, Woeste has served
as a member of the board of
the Florida Rural Rehabilitation
Corporation (FRRC) and has been
president since 2001. Citing a
need to support students from
rural areas and farms, the FRRC
established its first scholarship with
the College of Agriculture and Life
Sciences in 1985. These scholarships
have supported hundreds of
students over the years.
Florida cattleman Donald
Quincey is also being inducted
into the hall of fame.
The induction ceremony will
be at the Florida State Fair's
Agricultural Hall of Fame
Banquet on Feb. 14.
Online tool reinforces
sanitation practices
The Washington State
Department of Agriculture (WSDA),
the University of Georgia and
New Mexico State University have
developed an online-animated tool
with three learning modules to
help educators and farm managers
reinforce fundamental cleaning
and sanitizing concepts.
Cleaning and sanitizing minimize
potential contamination from
pathogenic microorganisms on
surfaces such
as tools and
equipment,
reducing crosscontamination
and the chance
of spreading foodborne illnesses.
Proper sanitization is a requirement
of the Food Safety Modernization
Act (FSMA) Produce Safety Rule.
Farms covered by the FSMA
must inspect, maintain, clean, and
- when necessary appropriate -
sanitize all food contact surfaces, to
protect against the contamination
of covered produce.
In connection with the launch
of the online tool, WSDA
sought feedback from anyone
implementing or educating on
produce safety practices, including
farmers, packers and distributors,
extension educators, government
and non-profit employees, and any
other agricultural professionals,
through an online survey.
The tool emphasizes how to
select a sanitizer and monitor its
concentration using test strips
and titration kits. It simulates
how to follow proper monitoring
procedures, evaluate results and
record findings.
The modules are interactive
and require users to apply critical
thinking and realistic decisionmaking.
All content is available in
English and Spanish.
To learn more or access the tool,
go to farmsanitizing.nmsu.edu.
BASF receives public
outreach award
BASF Agricultural Solutions has
won a Crop Science Award for Best
Public Outreach Program for an
advocacy campaign for farming.
The company relaunched its
campaign, " Farming, The Biggest
Job on Earth, " (agriculture.basf.
com/global/en/about_us/biggestJoin
Us In-Person for Our 46th
Annual Convention!
Pre-Convention Workshops and Bus Tour January 30
Greenhouse Vegetables, Pruning, Soil Health, Profitable Bakeries
Farm Transitions, FSMA, Spotted Lanternfly, Adams Co. Bus Tour
Michael Kilpatrick - Thriving in Uncertain Times
Trade Show with over 160 exhibitors featuring the latest in grower and direct marketing supplies
Keynote Speaker
717-677-4184 www.mafvc.org 717-694-3596
32 | VegetableGrowersNews.com
Educational Sessions all 3 days with 50 sessions on Tree Fruit,
Stone Fruit, Small Fruit, Sweet Corn, Tomatoes, Pumpkins,
General & Organic Vegetables, Urban Agriculture, Marketing,
Greenhouse Ornamentals, Labor & Farm Management, Spanish

http://farmsanitizing.nmsu.edu http://www.mafvc.org http://www.VegetableGrowersNews.com

December 2022

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of December 2022