Partner Farm Program

The CAFF Food Safety Partner Farm Program is an in-depth partnership between farms in California and CAFF. CAFF food safety staff work one-on-one with the Partner Farm to guide them through updating their food safety practices on their farm to achieve whatever food safety goal(s) decided on at the start of the partnership. We recognize that on-farm food safety for small farms looks very at every single farm given the unique risks and circumstances present at every farm. We provide this type of technical assistance to help address the need we’ve heard from growers that they’d like more guided assistance in updating their farm’s food safety program. 

The Partner Farm Program is an in-depth partnership between a farm and CAFF food safety staff. Over a 4-12 months period we work with farmers to help:

  • determine food safety goals for their farm 
  • develop a plan of action identifying small steps to achieve those goals 
  • hold farmers accountable for meeting their food safety goals
  • answer questions and provide guidance on different options for reducing risks
  • develop a food safety program and culture that works for their farm

Once a Partner Farm completes their goals, the farm hosts a field day with nearby growers. The farmer(s) share their story with other local growers and show food safety changes (e.g. wash station design changes) made during our partnership.

CAFF food safety staff meet with Partner Farms to learn more about the farmers’ food safety goals. After goal setting, CAFF and the farmers work together to develop a food safety action plan, which organizes their goal(s) into small steps and helped the farmer achieve their end food safety goal(s). Some farmers are already familiar with good agricultural practices and need to keep track of their practices through recordkeeping. Others need more guidance to implement and document good agricultural practices. Farmers can expect to make changes related to the following topics:

  • Water
  • Worker Health & Hygiene
  • Equipment, Tools and Buildings
  • Animals: Domestic, Wild and Livestock
  • Harvest and Postharvest

We are currently planning for the next round of the Partner Farm Program. Sign up for CAFF’s e-newsletter for updates or check back here in Fall 2022. If you are interested in more information or have questions, you can email Grace Perry at grace@caff.org.

Meet our Partner Farms