University of Idaho Extension Web Site Helping Potato Growers

Farms whose produce is used in federal food programs or sold to an increasing number of major processors and fresh packers must pass U.S. Department of Agriculture Good Agricultural Practices audits, a task that can be daunting.

To help Idaho's potato growers clear the audit hurdles, the University of Idaho Extension educators have developed a Web site on which producers can learn about the audit's procedures and requirements, and familiarize themselves with the paperwork an Idaho State Department of Agriculture auditor may ask to see.

The site also provides a helping hand at filling out forms electronically.

"We are trying to make it really easy and offer a one-stop source so growers can get all of their information here,"says Nora Olsen, a UI Extension potato specialist who worked on the site with educators Steve Hines and Dale Baker.

The effort is a proactive one, says Olsen, because potato products have not been implicated in contamination incidents which the audit seeks to prevent.