Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/717894
www.goodfruit.com Good Fruit Grower SEPTEMBER 2016 43 with a low-foaming cleaning solution with enough pres- sure to create a turbulent flow. Another suggestion was placing sanitation workers on each production shift to keep areas free of debris and push away standing water. "Their job during production is just to go out and just pick up stuff off the floor," Owens said. The workshop featured both classroom presentations from Hanrahan and Owens as well as live demonstra- tions by sanitation workers inside packing facilities. At each packing house rotation, employees donned nylon protective "banana suits" to spray chlorine foam, scrub with green abrasive sponges and pressure rinse drains, dump tanks, belts, sorters and stem cutters on a cherry line. One of the bigger lessons from the workshops: Seek dirt and grime in places where it's not easily visible, such as inside hollow table legs. At Washington Fruit and Produce, workers even clean the tops of ceiling beams, said Jeff Nordstrom, the com- pany's food safety administrator, leading a group during one of the facility rotations. Crews also take apart pieces of equipment to clean inside and around them. He said food safety managers will have to adjust to the peculiarities of their own lines. For example, his crews rinse debris down into the bottom of the dump tank and hose it out a side hatch. Another facility turns on the ele- vator belt to bring it up where workers can more easily reach it. Borton and Sons and other plants teach sanitation workers to swab for Adenosine Triphosphate, usually called ATP tests, which reveal proteins — not actual pathogens — after cleaning but before sanitizing each area. "Sanitizers are not your end-all," said Jeremy Leavitt food safety and compliance manager for Borton and Sons. "It's your insurance policy." The company also tests periodically for specific pathogens — Listeria once a week and E. coli and salmonella once a month. Borton and Sons gives incentives for cleanliness standards, another oft-repeated suggestion, granting a $25 gift card for each week with no positive ATP results, and offers pizza parties for teams that reach longer milestones. • tJ Mullinax/Good Fruit Grower • Enter different row spacings: the controller automatically maintains your rate per acre. • Compensates for changes in ground speed. Automatic Rate Controller Option 400 gallon TTN profile Powerblast 400 gallon wheel-well Pulblast • 52" outside tire width w/11Lx15 tires • adjustable width wheel centers Rears Airblast Sprayers POWERBLAST PULBLAST Interchangeable axial flow fans to match blade pitch and air volume to your application and horsepower. Electric fan clutch Rears Constant Velocity Hitch powers through 90° turns Rears centrifugal pump and Rears gearbox: manu- factured by Rears for more than 40 years. Simple pressure adjustment to maintain accurate calibration in different row spacings. This is a time tested design for a wide range of applications. Variable pitch fans available in 28" & 36" dia. 100 - 600 gallon units with tank profiles for your application. Rears Constant Velocity Hitch available for most Pul-Blast models Piston actuated diaphragm pump or Rears centrifugal pump. Agricultural Equipment and Dealer information 800.547.8925 made in made in u s a u s a made in u s a Towers bring the nozzle closer to the spray target. Tower height and profiles to match your application. Tune air volume: adjustable air doors independently control target zones Match Rears' aggressive air delivery engineering to your application with Vertical Wall, Over-the-Row, or Grape Elbow towers.