Project Abstract/Summary Missouri Department of Agriculture Funding Opportunity Announcement PAR-16-137 The Missouri Department of Agriculture is dedicated to the promotion and protection of the state's agriculture industry. A recent MDA and Missouri Farm Bureau-funded economic impact study determined that agriculture is the state’s number one industry with more than 88 billion dollars of annual economic impact. With nearly 100,000 farms on more than 28 million acres of farmland, the agency works to connect farmers with consumers. Establishing a Produce Safety Program which is compliant with the requirements of the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) is complementary to the Department's mission "To serve, promote, and protect the agricultural producers, processors, and consumers of Missouri's food, fuel, and fiber products." As a result, it is our intention to oversee both outreach and enforcement activities with the funding that is available under Competitions A and B. During the first year, the Department will evaluate existing statutes and regulations to determine what authority has already been granted to the agency and what changes need to be made to allow inspections of produce farms to occur. This is a critical first step. At the same time, an inventory of farms will be conducted to determine what producers are subject to the Produce Safety rule. This will be based in large part on a survey of specialty crop producers that will be conducted during the summer of 2017. Methods for capturing the information needed to build an effective farm inventory will be thoroughly considered so that it can be gathered, maintained, and shared in a manner which supports an integrated food safety system. As the size of the regulated community is assessed, the department will hire essential personnel and conduct a self-assessment to determine what resources are available and which are needed to build the state Produce Safety Program. This will be a thorough review including aspects such as facilities, staff, equipment, and finances. Throughout the grant period, the department will partner with Extension at the University of Missouri and Lincoln University to provide training to producers. This outreach will rely on seasoned educators and be offered to as many farmers as possible with an emphasis on reaching producers who are covered by the FSMA Produce Safety rule. This will allow us to 1) educate before we regulate, 2) achieve greater compliance with the rule, and 3) minimize the risk of food borne illness no matter who grows the produce. Finally, the department will design and evaluate a compliance program to regulate growers who are covered by the Produce Safety rule. This will be done building upon other regulatory programs within the agency and in partnership with FDA. In the final phase of the grant, we will develop a strategy that will allow the Produce Safety Program to be a sustainable effort with the long-term goal of reducing consumers’ risk of ...