Produce Safety Alliance trainer’s page
Welcome, PSA Trainers and PSA Lead Trainers! Learn more about registering PSA Grower Training Courses, required course documentation, training materials, and training support. For more information about attending a PSA Train-the-Trainer Course and becoming a PSA Trainer or PSA Lead Trainer , visit the Produce Safety Alliance website.
Trainer resources
Growing Training Course Registration
Register a course
To register a PSA Grower Training Course, at least one PSA Lead Trainer is required to be present and engaged for the entire course. A separate course registration form and supporting documentation must be submitted to the AFDO office for all PSA Grower Training Courses. AFDO will confirm that all trainers have attended the PSA Train-the-Trainer Course, assign each course an identification number, and send the training information including payment details and paperwork that must be submitted after the training is complete. Upon receipt of the required documentation and payment for certificates, AFDO will issue and send the certificates directly to PSA Grower Training attendees who have completed the course.
Register PSA Grower Training CoursePSA Grower Training Courses must be registered at least 2 weeks in advance of the training date to ensure proper paperwork can be completed. AFDO reviews course registrations within 5-7 days of receiving the registration form.
The response can be: Registration approved, Registration pending modifications (itemized), or Registration denied. Please read the PSA Grower Training Course Requirements prior to submitting your PSA Grower Training Course Registration Form. If necessary, AFDO will forward course registrations to the PSA for review and comment.
General PSA Grower Training Course Requirements
All PSA Grower Training Courses must be registered with AFDO at least two weeks in advance of the course and include at least one PSA Lead Trainer who will be present and engaged through the entire course. Additionally, all trainers planning to deliver PSA Grower Training curriculum modules must have attended a PSA Train-the-Trainer Course and be PSA Trainers. AFDO will confirm that all trainers have attended the PSA Train-the-Trainer Course during course registration.
| Requirements | Recommendations |
|---|---|
| All PSA Grower Trainings must be registered with AFDO 2 weeks in advance. | Scheduling and registering trainings further in advance will allow AFDO and the PSA to ensure the educational materials and paperwork are received in time. |
| All PSA Grower Training Courses must have at least one PSA Lead Trainer who is present and engaged through the entire course. | Having more than one PSA Trainer or PSA Lead Trainer is ideal, as delivering 7 modules can be a lot for one person. |
| All PSA Grower Training Courses must be delivered in a language that is easily understood by participants and must use a PSA Grower Training manual in that same language. For example, if the participants primarily speak and read in Spanish, then the approved Spanish translated materials must be used. | If you need a translation that is not available, contact the PSA to discuss a process that will result in an accepted translation or alternate language training delivery. |
| All PSA Grower Training Course participants must be provided a printed copy of the current edition of the PSA Grower Training Manual. This includes courses delivered remotely. | You may provide additional educational materials beyond the PSA Grower Training Manual. |
| For participants to receive their certificates of course completion, they must be present for all seven of the PSA Grower Training curriculum modules. | Multi-day trainings are approved, but a record that all attendees were present at all seven modules may be requested. |
| Remote delivery courses are led in real-time by instructors and delivered with video conferencing software, such as Zoom or Webex. See the Temporary PSA Grower Training Course Policy. | The PSA has an Online Grower Training Course that satisfies the same requirement at the in-person and remote PSA Grower Training. See Online PSA Grower Training Course for more information. |
| All PSA Grower Training Courses must be delivered in a language that is easily understood by participants and must use a PSA Grower Training manual in that same language. For example, if the participants primarily speak and read in Spanish, then the approved Spanish-translated materials must be used. | Recommended in-person PSA Grower Training Course attendance is 30-50 people to facilitate discussion and answer questions. |
Modifications to PSA Course Materials and Course Delivery
The PSA recognizes the diversity of fruit and vegetable growers across the country, including the wide range of commodities grown, farm sizes, regional climates, and market venues. The PSA curriculum has been designed as a standardized course and is intended to provide a consistent foundation of produce safety and FSMA Produce Safety Rule information. The course materials have been vetted and reviewed by subject matter experts, FDA Division of Produce Safety staff, University educators, regulatory officials, produce growers, and produce industry members from all over the country, and as a result, the text and content have been scrupulously selected. For this reason, the text content of the curriculum modules cannot be changed.
Three items that can be modified within the educational materials include the following:
- Photos in the Power Point slides may be changed to better represent a particular region, commodity, or audience.
- Addition of University or business logos on the introductory slide of each curriculum module. The PSA logo must remain on all curriculum slides.
- Addition of supplemental content, as long as the information is not presented on the PSA PowerPoint slide background to denote the content is not part of the standardized curriculum.
The following are approved modifications and limitations of the PSA Grower Training Course delivery.
- Multi-day Training Options: The PSA Grower Training Course agenda may be modified to accommodate a multi-day program, or a change in start or end times for the training day, provided that all seven curriculum modules are presented. Trainers are responsible for keeping track of attendance if modules are delivered on separate days. Any participant who does not attend all seven PSA Grower Training Curriculum Modules will not be eligible to receive a certificate. If the training is scheduled over multiple weeks, AFDO reserves the right to request attendance sheets to confirm that each participant has attended all seven PSA Curriculum Modules, if necessary.
- Remote Options: Remote delivery courses are led in real-time by instructors and delivered with video conferencing software, such as Zoom or Webex. See the Temporary PSA Grower Training Course Policy.
- Online Delivery: The PSA has an Online Grower Training Course that satisfies the same requirement at the in-person and remote PSA Grower Training. See Online PSA Grower Training Course for more information.
Course documentation
The following documents are provided to the PSA Trainer or PSA Lead Trainer upon approval of a course. It is the responsibility of the PSA Trainer or PSA Lead Trainer who registers the course that all documentation is completed in full and returned to the AFDO office following the conclusion of the course.
PSA Grower Training Course attendee spreadsheet
- To be completed by PSA Trainer or PSA Lead Trainer
- Must denote which participants have paid to receive the PSA/AFDO Certificate of Course Completion
PSA grower training course evaluation (completed by each participant)
- Must distribute to all participants
- For in-person courses, evaluations must be printed on white paper to facilitate proper reading by PSA evaluation software. For remote delivery courses, the unique link to the Qualtrics evaluation must be provided to all course attendees.
- Originals must be collected by PSA Trainer or PSA Lead Trainer
- Certificate Order Form
Course conclusion
At the conclusion of your course, to submit the following documents — use the instructions below:
PSA Grower Course Attendee Spreadsheet
- Email the spreadsheet to: afdo@afdo.org.
- Include the course number in the title of the email or reply to the course approval email you received from the AFDO office.
- The document must be sent the AFDO office in electronic format for importation into the main Produce Safety Alliance database.
- Do not alter any of the field names on the spreadsheet.
- Please type the names exactly as the students want them to appear on their certificates.
PSA GROWER TRAINING COURSE EVALUATIONS
Submit scanned Evaluations online:
Use the scan and upload instructions found here
OR
Submit original paper evaluations by mail:
Produce Safety Alliance –
ATTN: Evaluation Processing
Food Research Laboratory
665 W North Street
Geneva, NY 14456
IMPORTANT: Course evaluations and course agendas must include the trainer for each module indicated for use with processing evaluation data
Payment can be sent via check to AFDO, 155 West Market Street, 3rd Floor, York, PA 17401
For Remote Delivery PSA Grower Trainings
The PSA Grower Training Course Manuals can be purchased in English or Spanish for $50 plus shipping from the New York
Provide the unique Qualtrics URL to all course attendees. Course attendees must fill out the evaluation within 1 week of the course conclusion. An evaluation report will be sent to the course registrant approximately 1 week after course conclusion.
IMPORTANT: Course evaluations and course agendas must indicate the trainer for each module for use with processing evaluation data
Using the certificate order form, payment can be sent via check to AFDO 155 West Market Street York, PA 17401 3rd Floor
Training materials
Each participant must receive a printed PSA Grower Training Course Manual, even for remote delivery courses.
The PSA Grower Training Course Manuals can be purchased in English or Spanish for $50 plus shipping from the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station (NYSAES) Bookstore. Requests for training materials must be placed at least three weeks in advance of the scheduled course to ensure order processing and delivery. The NYSAES Bookstore and the PSA will not be responsible for any extra fees associated with shipping materials for rush delivery.
If you cannot access either web resource please contact Michele Humiston at mmc15@cornell.edu or (315-787-2287) for assistance.
Currently, printed manuals are available in English and Spanish. Additional translations of the PSA Grower Training manual and educational materials are available to download for commercial printing at Grower Training Manual Resources Links. Translations NOT organized by the PSA must be approved for use. Please contact Donna Clements (dmp274@cornell.edu) for translation requests and approval.
Training Support
The Produce Safety Alliance is committed to providing trainers with technical assistance and responding to any questions that may arise before, during, or after a PSA Grower Training Course has been scheduled and offered. The following are resources that may help in answering questions.
Produce Safety Alliance WebsiteContains information about scheduled trainings, curriculum materials, additional learning opportunities (such as webinars and newsletters), University contacts and collaborators, and links to FSMA Produce Safety Rule information.
Produce Safety Educator’s Group
This group is comprised of educators who have an interest in providing technical assistance and educational opportunities for fruit and vegetable growers. The group was formed in 2013 and meets on a monthly basis by toll free teleconference or webinar to discuss produce safety topics, challenges to training and outreach, continuing educational opportunities, and regulatory and PSA policy updates. The group is open to the public. To sign up for meeting notifications, click here.
View Produce Safety Educators Group Presentations and audioProduce safety scientific research
Produce safety covers a wide variety of topics from irrigation water quality to worker training. The citations for the scientific literature supporting the recommendations provided in this curriculum are included in the PSA Train-the-Trainer Course Manual and available online, organized by the module in which they are referenced. There is a plethora of scientific literature beyond what is listed in this curriculum. Several collaborative databases and FSMA Regional Centers exist for produce safety research. A few are listed below.
National Good Agricultural Practices Program: Research & Extension Database
gaps.cornell.edu/database.html
Center for Produce Safety: Global Research Database
centerforproducesafety.org/global_research_database.php
Western Center for Food Safety
wcfs.ucdavis.edu/
North Central Region Center for FSMA Training, Extension, and Technical Assistance
ncrfsma.org/
Northeast Center to Advance Food Safety (NECAFS)
uvm.edu/extension/necafs
Southern Center for Food Safety Training, Outreach, and Technical Assistance
sc.ifas.ufl.edu/
Western Regional Center to Enhance Food Safety
agsci.oregonstate.edu/wrfsc