Workshops: Food safety, grafting in March

A couple of workshops are being offered in March. They include:

» Grafting workshop on March 30 at 6:30 p.m. in room 149 at the Southwest Higher Education Center in Abingdon. Participants will learn basic grafting techniques and will have the opportunity to graft seven apple trees to take home. The cost of the workshop is $20 per person and pre-registration is required. To register, call 276-676-6309. Make check payable to Washington County VCE. If anyone would be willing to supply apple scion wood, call the extension office.

» A Food Safety Best Practices for Farmers Market Growers, hands-on workshop focusing on minimizing food safety risks from farm to consumer, will be held from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on March 29 at Virginia Highlands Community College, Abingdon. In the workshop, we will discuss the relevance of food borne illnesses and provide a risk-based frame work so participants can learn how to assess their production, harvest and post-harvest handling practices.

We will also look at trends in food safety practices at Virginia's farmers markets, and offer suggestions and examples of best practices that can be implemented. The workshop will feature Dr. Renee Boyer, Virginia Tech Food Safety Extension Specialist; Phil Blevins, VCE-Washington ANR Agent; Kelli Scott, VCE-Montgomery ANR Agent, Sandy Stoneman, VCE-Area Food Safety Agent; Kathleen Reed, VCE-Roanoke ANR Agent; and Amber Vallotton, VT Fresh Produce Food Safety Team Coordinator.

This workshop will be held in Abingdon at Virginia Highlands Community College in the LRC Building Auditorium. The cost of the workshop is $25 and includes refreshments, lunch and all handouts. A certificate of training and door prizes will be awarded at the end of the program. For questions, contact Sandy Stoneman, 276-613-3334 or email sandyst@vt.edu. Since space is limited, pre-registration is required.

Mail a check or money order for $25 to Montgomery County Extension Office, 755 Roanoke St. ?Ste. 1 G, Christiansburg, VA 24073 or register online at https://quikpayasp.com/vt/commerce_manager/payer.do?orderType=VTVirginiaCooperativeExtension. Under the "Extension Office Box" box, choose Montgomery. Under the "Program Area" box, choose Agriculture and Natural Resources. For "Name of Program" type Produce Safety Workshop-Abingdon.

Person's with a disability who need any assistive devices, services or other accommodations to participate in this activity, call 540-382-5790 during business hours of 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. TDD number is 800-828-1120.