UMass Vegetable Winter School

Register for all 7 classes of Vegetable Winter School

To register for individual classes, use the links beneath the individual class dates below.

Registration is limited to 40 participants. Cost is $475 for all 7 sessions, or $68 per session.

Send a different employee from the same farm to each session, or attend all 7 sessions yourself for the same price.

Twelve contact hours available for the vegetable pesticide license category.

This course is designed to provide growers with regulatory certainty in a time of many regulatory changes. Leave winter school ready for a Commonwealth Quality Program (CQP) audit and the peace of mind that you are prepared to handle the requirements of: the Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA), EPA Worker Protection Standards (WPS), Nutrient Management Regulations, and changes in Employment Law.  Get up to date on research and IPM practices important to vegetable growers and gain a competitive advantage in a heavily regulated market.  Each farm will get detailed support in developing food safety and nutrient management plans, training employees in WPS, developing standard operating procedures compliant with regulations, and preparing an employee handbook and a whole farm IPM plan. This course is designed for farm owners, managers and employees. 

**Due to bad weather, we have rescheduled the Food Safety 2 and Risk Management sessions. Please take note of the changed dates.

• Jan 10th Soil and Nutrient Management. Instructors: Katie Campbell-Nelson (UMass Extension Vegetable Program) and Hotze Wijnja (MDAR Chemist, Crop and Pest Services)
  • Soil & Nutrient Management Registration
• Jan 17th – Food Safety Produce Rule Part 1. Instructors: Lisa McKeag (UMass Extension Vegetable Program) and Michael Botelho (MDAR Commonwealth Quality Program)
  • Food Safety Part 1 Registration
• Jan 24th – Food Safety Produce Rule Part 2. **Due to bad weather, this session has been rescheduled to Tuesday, February 21st.**
  • Instructors: Lisa McKeag (UMass Extension Vegetable Program), Michael Botelho (MDAR Commonwealth Quality Program) and Amanda Kinchla (UMass Extension Food Science Extension Faculty)
  • Food Safety Part 2 Registration:www.regonline.com/vegwinterschoolfoodsafety2
• Jan 31st – EPA Worker Protection Standards. Instructors: Natalia Clifton (UMass Extension Pesticide Education) and Laurie Rocco (Pesticide Inspector, MDAR)
  • Six contact hours available for the vegetable pesticide license category.
  • EPA Worker Protection Standards Registration: www.regonline.com/vegwinterschoolepa
• Feb 7th – Advanced Topics in Integrated Pest Management. Instructors: Angie Madeiras (UMass Extension Plant Diagnostician), Sue Scheufele (UMass Extension Vegetable Program)
  • Six contact hours available for the vegetable pesticide license category.
  • Integrated Pest Management Registration: www.regonline.com/vegwinterschoolIPM
• Feb 14th – Employee Management and Labor Laws. Instructors: Kristen Wilmer (Community Involved in Sustaining Agriculture) Frank Diluna (Murtha Cullina Attorneys at Law) and Massachusetts Department of Labor Agriculture Inspector
  • Employee Management & Labor Laws Registration: www.regonline.com/vegwinterschoollabor
• Feb 21st – Food Safety Produce Rule Part 2. Instructors: Lisa McKeag (UMass Extension Vegetable Program), Michael Botelho (MDAR Commonwealth Quality Program) and Amanda Kinchla (UMass Extension Food Science Extension Faculty)
  • Food Safety Part 2 Registration: www.regonline.com/vegwinterschoolfoodsafety2

• Feb 28th - Financial and Technical Assistance & Risk Management Principles. Instructors: Tom Smiarowski and Paul Russell (UMass Extension Risk Management Specialists)

  • Financial and Technical Assistance and Risk Management Principles Registration: www.regonline.com/vegwinterschoolriskmanagement

Thanks to support from:

The New England Vegetable & Berry Growers’ Association (NEVBGA) is offering a $50 rebate to members who register for Winter School. Members should send a copy of their registration confirmation to: secretary[at]nevbga[dot]org (secretary[at]nevbga[dot]org) to receive the rebate. To become a member, contact the secretary or visit nevbga.org, or click on the logo above.