September 2020 - 13

FOOD SAFETY
transference of the virus to humans
by food, " Smith said. " The pathogen's
transferred by droplets from the respiratory
system - a cough or a sneeze ... that's the
biggest risk. "
A group for growers
Although CPS has significant
involvement from retailers as well as
growers, Smith stressed the growers are
heavily involved - and growers have
and continue to work with retailers on
food safety issues.
Before Smith taking the chairman's
seat on the CPS Board of Directors, the
group was led by Dave Corsi of Wegmans
Food Markets, a retail powerhouse in the
Northeast. Smith is not the first grower
to head up the organization, with Steve
Patricio of Westside Produce serving
in the office for a few years starting in
2011. Retailers and growers alike are
committed to ensuring the highest level
of food safety, Smith said.
In a news release announcing the
change, Corsi was
complimentary
about his
successor.
" Vic is the type
of guy that doesn't
take no for an
answer, " Corsi
said. " Instead, he
asks, 'Why can't
we?' That attitude
has earned him
widespread respect in the industry. "
Add to that attitude a position as a largeDAVE
CORSI
scale grower-shipper of vegetables for
packaged salad producers and large-scale
vegetable shippers. JV Smith Companies
grows crops year-round in four different
areas, including 22,000 acres split between
Yuma, Arizona and Baja, Mexico. It also
has about 11,000 acres in the Salinas
area and 3,000 acres in south central
Colorado. The crops include commoditylike
vegetables such as celery, broccoli,
cauliflower and green onions; in addition
to greens such as iceberg lettuce, Romaine
and baby arugula.
" We try to bring all those different
operations in different states together
and try to create a synergy of the
knowledge and experience, and the
customer base, to be relevant to all of
our major customers, " Smith said.
Regardless of size, all growers
should be aware and up-to-date on
food safety concerns.
" Anybody that's producing food and
entering the food supply chain should
be very concerned, " Smith said. " The
old days of 'Well, we've always had cattle
around the hills and we've always grown
vegetables in the valley, and we've never
had a problem' - those days are gone.
" If you want to sell it to a retailer,
you better have a food safety program
in place, " he said. " If they're limiting
themselves to farmer-market-type
scenarios, then OK, you still don't want
to poison anybody, don't want to hurt
anybody. You could still have an impact
on a group of people, albeit not a
multi-state outbreak. " VGN
ACTIVES.wilburellis.com
CONTACT YOUR LOCAL WILBUR-ELLIS REPRESENTATIVE TODAY
For information only. Not a label. Prior to use, always read and follow the product label directions. Wilbur-Ellis logo and Ideas to Grow With are registered trademarks of Wilbur-Ellis Company LLC. Romeo is a registered trademark of Agrauxine. K-32224
The four W's of food safety
Vic Smith of JV Smith Companies breaks down some potential food safety hazards on
agricultural operations into the four W's:
1. Waste - Farm waste including trash can be a source of pathogens and attract rodents.
2. Water - Contaminated agricultural water is a possible source of pathogens.
3. Workers - Farms should have a food safety policy for staff and employees.
4. Wildlife - A variety of wildlife - birds or mammals - can act as vectors for new
pathogens that would not otherwise exist on the farm operation.
FUNGICIDE
FORTIFY YOUR CROP
The Natural Partner
for Biologicals
Romeo®
induces the
signaling of plants' internal
defense mechanisms that
fortify the plant to withstand
future fungal attacks.
*Romeo is not registered for use in California.
PREVENTIVE
DISEASE CONTROL:
TRIGGERS PLANTS' NATURAL
DEFENSES THAT PREVENT
ONSET OF PLANT DISEASES
STRENGTHENING:
INCREASES CONCENTRATION
OF DISEASE-FIGHTING ANTIMICROBIAL
COMPOUNDS FOR
7-10 DAYS
COMPATIBLE WITH
OTHER CHEMISTRIES:
IMPROVED PLANT
FUNCTION ENABLES
TANK-MIXED CHEMISTRIES
TO PERFORM BETTER
VGN | SEPTEMBER 2020 | 13

http://ACTIVES.wilburellis.com

September 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of September 2020