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Special funding opportunities were used during 2004 to train fruit and vegetable growers and their employees about the importance of food safety issues from the time the produce is harvested to the time it leaves the farm. OFBF partnered with MAAHS, USDA's Risk Management Agency, OSU Extension and others to help growers meet food safety marketplace demands by ensuring that safe food is delivered to consumers.

Good Agricultural Practices, developed by researchers at Cornell University, have been implemented in Ohio as part of the Ohio Specialty Crop Food Safety Initiative. This was funded initially from a USDA grant through the Ohio Department of Agriculture and later through a partnership agreement with USDA's Risk Management Agency.

The initiative included workshops, on-farm bilingual training for employees, materials and posters for on-farm use, on-farm consultations, technical articles and more.

The on-farm consultations ranged from simple reviews of practices to preparing comprehensive food safety plans to preparing for third party audits that are sometimes required by buyers. The main goal was to assist growers in maintaining and developing markets for their products.