Resources
Essential resources for compliance, regulation, and growth.
Western Growers Science works with regulators, legislators, universities and other scientists to create resources that assist the fresh produce industry with maintaining compliance, staying up to date on regulatory changes and planning for future opportunities. These resources include commodity specific guidelines, webinars, fact sheets, and SOPs.
Food Safety Resources
Commodity Specific Guidelines
- Commodity Specific Guidelines for the Melon Supply Chain – 11/7/2005
- Commodity Specific Food Safety for Green Onions Supply Chain- 2/26/2010
- Commodity Specific Food Safety for Culinary Herbs – 1/24/2013
- National Commodity Specific Food Safety Guidelines for Cantalopes and Netted Melons – 8/2/2013
- Mushroom Good Agricultural Patices Program – Industry-Wide Food Safety Standards for Fresh Mushroom Growing, Harvesting, and Shipping – 1/11/2016
- Commodity Specific Guidelines for the Fresh Tomato Supply Chain – 9/1/2018
Information Sheets
- LGMA Assessing Animal Activity in the Field – 9/10/2014
- Seasonality Webinar Series Key Takeaways – 11/4/2020
- Transition Period Practices for Leafy Green Operations – 11/10/2020
- Canada Import Requirements – Q&A Sheet – 9/15/2021
- California Flooding Events Soil Sampling and Testing – 5/23/2023
- Assessing Soil Fertility – 2/16/2024
- Ag Water Rule Compliance Dates and Documentation Requirements – 5/8/2024
- Agricultural Water Assessment and Risk Based Outcomes – 5/20/2024
LGMA Approved Appendices
- Appendix A – Agricultural Water Assessment and Remediation – 4/25/2020
- Appendix B – Technical Basis Document – 6/5/2020
- Appendix C – Pre-harvest Product Sampling and Testing Protocol – 7/1/2024
- Appendix E – Environmental Health Standards for Composting Operations – 10/20/2021
- Appendix F – Assessing the Effects of Weather Conditions on Environmental Sources of Human Pathogens – 6/5/2020
- Appendix G – Evaluating Contamination Risk Related to CAFOs – 6/11/2020
- Appendix R – Root Cause Analysis for Water Resources – 6/4/2020
- Appendix S – Harvest Equipment Cleaning and Sanitation – 5/12/2025
- Appendix X – Soil Collection for Cadmium Analysis – 6/11/2020
- Appendix Y – Practices to Reduce Cadmium Uptake by Spinach – 6/11/2020
LGMA Approved Guidelines
Peer-Reviewed Articles
Reports
Resources, Infographics
SOPs, Guides, and Manuals
- Irrigation Water Sampling -SOP – 9/5/2019
- Ag Water System Assessment -SOP – 9/5/2019
- Conducting Root Cause Analysis A “How-To” Guide for the Produce Industry – 7/7/2021
- When to do Root Cause Analysis A Decision-Making Guide for the Produce Industry – 7/7/2021
- What to Consider When Soil Sampling – 1/12/2024
White Papers, Briefs
- CPS STEC Issue Brief 1 – Hypothesis Risk Matrix – 1/1/2022
- CPS STEC Issue Brief 2 – Leafy Green Production Patterns and Practices – 1/1/2022
- CPS STEC Issue Brief 3 – Regional Cattle Management Profile – 1/1/2022
- CPS STEC Issue Brief 4 – Genomics and SNPs – 1/1/2022
- CPS STEC Issue Brief 5 – Bioaerosol Risk and Crop Setback Distances – 1/1/2022
- What to Consider When Soil Sampling – 1/12/2022
- Primer: Preharvest Pathogen Testing of Leafy Green Products – 3/28/2024
- Primer – Sampling for Optimized Results and Data Analysis – 5/16/2024
- The Role of Primary Plastic Packaging for Consumer Safety – 11/23/2024
Webinars
- How to Use WGS Public Databases Part 1
- How to use WGS Public Databases Part 2
- Sanitary Transportation Rule & Industry Webinar – 6/20/2016
- Overview of FSMA rules impacting the produce sector – 12/21/2016
- Produce Testing – Current state, benefits and challenges – 1/31/2017
- Water Testing Methods – Laboratory Bench Findings – 4/26/2017
- Crisis Preparation and Communications Strategies – 4/25/2018
- Are you FSMA compliant? Update on compliance, enforcement, training and implementation resources – 2/15/2018
- Food Safety Highlights – CPS Symposium 2018 – 7/2/2018
- Livestock Facilities Operation and Environmental Controls – 10/10/2018
- Are You FSMA Ready? Can On-Farm Readiness Reviews Help? – 11/1/2018
- Global Reach of the U.S Produce Industry – Slides – 5/22/2019
- Irrigation Water Treatment 101: – 11/14/2019
- Root Cause Analysis and Produce Safety – 12/10/2019
- The Current State of Rapid Testing for the Fresh Produce Sector – 8/26/2020
- Leafy Green Seasonality Part 1 : What we know about leafy green seasonality and transition periods – 9/16/2020
- Leafy Green Seasonality Part 2: Industry Efforts, Tools and Best Practices to Consider Before and During Transition Periods – 9/30/2020
- Leafy Greens Seasonality Webinar Series Part 1: What We Know About Seasonality Issues – 9/16/2020
- Leafy Greens Seasonality Webinar Part 2: Industry Efforts, Tools and Best Practices to Consider Before and During Transition Periods – 9/30/2020
- Whole Genome Sequencing Webinar Series – 2/3/2021
- A Whole Genome Sequencing Primer: WGS 101
- The Science of Whole Genome Sequencing an Overview for the Food Indsutry
- Whole Genome Sequencing Regulatory Applications
- Whole Genome Sequencing in the Industry: Case Studies
- Whole Genome Sequencing in the Industry: Metagenomics and Beyond
- Root Cause Analysis – Industry Guidance Document Intro – 8/26/2021
- Appendix C Overview Webinar – Slides – 9/1/2021
- Appendix C Overview Webinar – 9/1/2021
- Root Cause Analysis- Industry Guidance Document Intro – 8/26/2021
- Science of Preharvest sampling Webinar- Slides – 9/20/2021
- Proposed Ag Water Requirements- What are the Experts Saying? – 1/26/2022
- REP Strains- CDC and FDA Perspective and STEC Investigation Learnings – Slides – 5/18/2022
- New Organic Certification Rules: Are You Ready? – 2/13/2024
- The Next Frontier of Environmental Monitoring: Tracking & Tools – 4/9/2024
- Exploring Data Science Basics & Leveraging Your Data – 4/18/2024
- Future-Proof Your Farm Innovative Soil Health Strategies – 5/21/2024
- Novel Aggregated Sampling and Testing Methods for Pathogen Detection in Produce – 6/13/2024
- FSMA Final Rule of Pre-Harvest Agricultural Water – 6/24/2024
- Impact of Food Waste: Environmental and Economic Insights – 7/28/2024
Environment, Sustainability and Climate
SOPs, Guides, and Manuals
Other Science Resources
Webinars
- Making Sense of AgTech Trends Webinar – 10/31/2016
- New Technologies in the Food Supply Chain – 2/28/2017
- Robotics – Opportunities and Challenges in Automating the Produce Industry – 3/29/2017
- How are producers, applicators and beekeepers working together – 5/24/2017
- Build Smarter Supply Chains – 6/12/2023
Members Resources Hub
Members can go to the Resource Hub to access additional food safety and science resources. These resources include the Food Recall Manual, the Food Inspection Manual, and the Growers Guide to FDA Assignment Sampling Visits.
From Our Members
Western Growers is in my corner, working for me and fighting the good fight for our industry. We remain loyal members because they have consistently shown us value.
Robby Barkley
Barkley Ag Enterprises, Inc., Yuma, AZ