SOP_NUMBER: 409.03.08 TITLE: Fruit Production REFERENCE_CODE: IVM01-0008 DIVISION: Executive (Corrections Division/Facilities Operations) TOPIC_AREA: 409 Policy-GCI Facility Farms EFFECTIVE_DATE: 2004-09-01 WORD_COUNT: 1026 POWERDMS_URL: https://public.powerdms.com/GADOC/documents/105478 URL: https://gps.press/sop-data/409.03.08/ SUMMARY: This policy establishes procedures for fruit production operations at GDC farms to supply products for institutional food service. It applies to all GDC farms with fruit operations and covers planning, soil and leaf sampling, pruning, harvesting protocols for berries, security measures, and safety requirements including OSHA compliance, chemical safety training, and mandatory weekly safety meetings for farm staff and inmates. KEY_TOPICS: fruit production, farm operations, blueberries, strawberries, soil sampling, leaf analysis, harvesting, food service, inmate labor, farm safety, OSHA compliance, chemical safety, pesticides, fertilizer, pruning, crop planning, farm management, institutional farms ======================================================================== FULL TEXT: ======================================================================== |GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS
Standard Operating Procedures|Col2|Col3| |---|---|---| |**`Functional Area: `**
`CORRECTIONS DIVISION/`
`FACILITIES OPERATIONS`|**`Reference Number: `**
`IVM01-0008`|**`Revises`**
**`Previous`**
**`Effective Date:`**
`12/15/02`
| |**`Subject:`**
`Fruit Production`||| |**`Authority:`**
`DONALD/ADAMS`|
`9/01/04`|`Page`**`1`**` of`
**`4 `**| ``` I. POLICY: GDC fruit operations shall generate products for institutional use in effort to meet the requirements of the Food Service Master Menu and shall endeavor to do so at a reasonable cost. II. APPLICABILITY: All GDC farms with fruit operations. III. RELATED DIRECTIVES: NONE IV. DEFINITIONS: NONE V. ATTACHMENTS: NONE VI. PROCEDURE: A. Fruit Production: 1. Fruit production operations function under the overall direction of the State Farm Administrator. The institutional farm manager is responsible for daily operations. 2. Decisions regarding type of fruit to be grown, variety of fruit, number of trees/bushes/vines needed, and any other matters which will have an impact on production, shall be made only through consultation with the State Farm Administrator who ``` |Functional Area:
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`IVM01-0008`| ``` will in turn consult with the Food and Farm Services Manager. 3. Farm manager should endeavor to keep informed of advancements and improvements in fruit production through consultation with University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service agents and specialists, attending any available related short courses, and availing himself of any other available resource. 4. Routine replacement of fruit trees/bushes/vines shall be with planting of the same variety only unless otherwise approved by the State Farm Administrator. a. Plants shall be purchased from reputable nurseries. b. Plants shall be certified to be disease free. c. Orders for plants shall be placed on a timely basis for correct and proper plantings. B. Planning and Preparation Measures: 1. Production levels and quality of fruit for a given year are heavily dependent on planning and preparation which must be a priority at the proper time. 2. During September and October, separate soil samples will be taken from the area in which each variety of fruit is grown, and forwarded to the local county extension agent for analysis by the University of Georgia. These analyses and any resulting recommendations will become guidelines for soil amendments for the upcoming year. 3. During June and July of each crop year, leaf samples will be obtained and forwarded to county extension director for analysis by the University of Georgia. These analyses will determine if appropriate fertilization levels are being obtained. If an analysis is unfavorable, University recommendations ``` |Functional Area:
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`IVM01-0008`| ``` will be followed to meet the fertilization requirements of each variety of fruit. 4. Preplanning of needs for fertilizer, oils, fungicides, insecticides, nematicides, herbicides, and growth regulators is essential in order to follow proper purchasing procedures. 5. A detail plan for each crop year will be forwarded to the State Farm Advisor. C. Pruning: 1. Blueberry bushes will have excessive growth of limbs and new shoot growth removed after harvest of blueberries has been completed in July. D. Harvest: 1. All farm staff shall be acutely aware of the importance of harvesting fruit crops in a timely manner. The timely and efficient harvest of fruit crops require a coordinated effort to insure adequate labor, supplies, and transportation are available each day. It is the responsibility of the institutional farm manager to coordinate these efforts. a. The farm manager should advise the institutional warden of anticipated labor needs a minimum of thirty (30) days prior to the projected harvest date. After harvest begins, labor needs must be monitored daily by the farm manager to insure needs are met. b. An accurate inventory of supplies (i.e. packaging material, sugar, etc.) must be maintained at all times to insure harvesting needs are met. 2. Blueberries and Strawberries: a. Upon maturity, berries are harvested and those to be used for Central Food Distribution are carried daily to the processing plant. ``` |Functional Area:
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`IVM01-0008`| ``` b. Berries are de-stemmed, washed, placed in plastic bags. Blueberries are boxed to thirty pounds each; strawberries are boxed to twenty pounds each. c. Berries are returned to institution, placed in freezer, and delivered to the Central Food Distribution Unit in Milledgeville in truckload lots. d. Way bills are properly prepared and distributed. e. Berries for institutional fresh use are weighed and delivered to Food Service. Upon each delivery way bills are properly prepared and distributed. E. Security: 1. All farm staff in non-security positions shall be acutely aware of the need for inmate security at all times and shall support correctional officers in security-related functions if it is necessary for the maintenance of security. Said staff shall also observe all facility rules concerning security in all contexts, and shall seek clarification from supervisors or correctional officers when in doubt concerning some security aspect of the farm operation. F. Safety: 1. All equipment shall be operated and maintained in accordance with the federal government's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rules and regulations. 2. Before using equipment, inmates are to be instructed as to proper operation, maintenance, and service. 3. Prior to applying chemicals, inmates are to be instructed in the safe methods of use, and are issued gloves, goggles, and other protective clothing as may be required. The federal Worker Protection Standard and OSHA rules and regulations ``` |Functional Area:
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`IVM01-0008`| ``` regarding hazardous chemicals shall be assumed to apply. 4. A shower area is designated and maintained at all times for proper and adequate cleaning if so needed. 5. Weekly safety meetings pertaining to work area specific topics will be mandatory. A copy of the meeting minutes including list of attendees should be maintained on site for a period of two (2) years. 6. It will be the responsibility of all farm staff to monitor farm operations on a daily basis to insure the safety of both the staff and inmates assigned to this work area. ```