November/December 2015 — NCGT has released two videos that illustrate best postharvest handling practices to maintain product quality and extend shelf-life, limiting post-harvest disorders and loss of sales:

Best Practices for Temperature and Humidity Management for Fresh Produce

Best Practices for Grading and Packing of Fresh Produce

NCGT will be sponsoring three full-day Postharvest Handling for Enhanced Shelf Life workshops in Spring 2016, time and location TBD.

Geared toward producers selling into wholesale markets, as well as Extension Agents who are assisting growers nbso online casino reviews with wholesale market expansion, these full-day, hands-on workshops will offer a variety of tools to assist growers in meeting US Grade #1 Standards.   The day will include a demonstration of two postharvest cooling techniques — forced air cooling, and room cooling with the use of a coolbot and the NC State Pack n Cool System — and hands on grading of produce by the participants.

For more resources on postharvest handling, please see the Resources for Producers section of the NCGT website.

This article originally appeared in the November/December 2015 NC Growing Together Newsletter.