Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/63050
www.gras2p. com. F through the audit process and has a team of ten trained auditors to conduct preau- dits. Several of the Hort Association's audi- tors are themselves growers who have been trained on internal auditing and HACCP and GlobalGAP procedures. The preaudits serve as the internal audits that GlobalGAP requires before growers go through the official audit, so growers can identify areas where they might be out of compliance and make corrections before the final audit. The cer- tifying company NCSI conducts final GlobalGAP audits for GRAS2Pparticipants at a preferential rate. Last year, four packers signed up to do working with GRAS2P: Matson Growers in Selah and Washington Fruit and Produce Company, Columbia Reach, and Hansen Fruit and Cold Storage in Yakima. GlobalGAP offers individual grower certification (Option 1) or group certification (Option 2). Under Option 1, growers become indi- vidually certified under GlobalGAP each year and hold their own certifications, which means they would still be certified should they move to a different packer. Under Option 2, the warehouse holds the GlobalGAP certification on behalf of its growers. All growers must have annual preaudits, but only the square root of the total number of growers in the group (for example, 10 out of 100) needs to be audited by GlobalGAP in a given year. Brunner said there was some push- back from growers initially because tree fruits are considered low-risk products in terms of food safety. However, most grow- ers who have gone through the GRAS2P training found they were already follow- ing most of the requirements and didn't MAKE YOURSELF HEARD! at growing@ goodfruit.com or mail to 105 S. 18th Street, Suite 217, Yakima, WA 98901. We would like to hear from you. We would like to hear your opinion! W www.goodfruit.com rite to "In the Box" training and preauditing through GRAS2P: Blue Star Growers in Cashmere, Blue Bird in Peshastin, McDougall and Sons in Wenatchee, and Cowiche Growers in the Yakima area. More than 250 growers went through a half-day training session on the manual and had preaudits. This year, another four companies are or more information about GRAS2P, check the Web site have to make many changes, other than documenting their practices. Many of the GlobalGAP practices are also required by the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries. "It wasn't as hard as they were anticipating," she said. The GRAS2Pprogram has been funded by two Specialty Crop Research Initiative block grants that the Hort Association has received through the Washington State Department of Agriculture. The associa- tion received $195,000 in 2010 and $172,577 in 2011. Growers can purchase training tools from the association, even if their ware- houses are not participating in GRAS2P. The food safety training manual costs $125. A DVD on worker orientation and food safety is available in English or Span- ish for $30. A laminated master poster of all the posters that Washington growers are required by the state or GlobalGAP to display on their bulletin boards is avail- able in Spanish and English at a cost of $70 per set. • $313 per month oac Payments as Low as Lease Lease a new T4000 Series Tractor for as low as $313.00 per month o.a.c. Call for details •T4000V and T4000F Series Tractors (62 to 82 PTO hp) •TNV-A Series Tractors (60 to 80 PTO hp) •BURROWS TRACTOR Yakima & Wenatchee, WA •SUNNYSIDE NEW HOLLAND, LLC. Sunnyside, WA GOOD FRUIT GROWER MAY 1, 2012 15