UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Extension has produced a series of videos, on-line courses, and other tools to assist growers in their employee training efforts. Links to these resources can be found at Tree Fruit Training and Self-Paced Learning Resources in English and Spanish – Fruit – Forage and Food Crops (psu.edu). Young and beginning growers will also find the resources useful for self-paced learning.
Topics include pruning and training fruit trees, trellis construction, food safety, business planning, orchard scouting and spray application, worker protection, farm safety, fruit harvest, and orchard planning and establishment. A video [Young Grower Alliance — Penn State College of Agricultural Sciences (psu.edu)] describes an Extension network for beginning growers from diverse backgrounds. Spanish speakers will find networking opportunities at Penn State Extension Agricultura en Español – Home | Facebook.
Highlights for the winter season include apple tree pruning, food safety, and best practices for protecting essential employees from COVID-19.
Training videos on apple tree pruning include “The Apple Orchard System Blueprint” [The Apple Orchard System Blueprint – Fruit – Forage and Food Crops (psu.edu)] and Pruning and Training Apple Trees—both available in Spanish and English. The blueprint video is a demonstration of seven fundamental components of a successful intensive apple system “blueprint.” The pruning and training video covers basic principles for pruning and training apple trees and new strategies to improve fruit quality in modern plantings.
Numerous resources are available on the important topic of “Produce Farm Food Safety for Produce Growers and Farmworkers.” The bilingual resources [Bilingual Produce Safety Education – Fruit – Forage and Food Crops (psu.edu)] include posters, flip charts, downloadable manuals and articles, and videos. The best practices manual helps farm managers train farm employees on Good Agricultural Practices (GAPs), worker health and hygiene, and preventing produce contamination. A flip chart provides food safety tips in both English and Spanish for fresh produce handlers.
Pamphlets and posters in English and Spanish communicate best practices and health services for agricultural employee protection from COVID-19. These are downloadable from Downloadable Pamphlets on Health Guidance for Agricultural Workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic – Coronavirus (psu.edu) and Downloadable Posters on Practices and Services to Protect Agricultural Workers from COVID-19 – Coronavirus (psu.edu).
Find the entire set of tree fruit self-paced learning and employee training resources at Tree Fruit Training and Self-Paced Learning Resources in English and Spanish – Fruit – Forage and Food Crops (psu.edu). For more information, please contact Maria Gorgo, mag38@psu.edu.
— Penn State Extension