Wash and Pack Stations are an essential part of almost all diversified produce farms. In this session we will tour the wash and pack stations at My Father's Farm in Seguin and Plant It Forward Farms in Houston. We discuss the equipment, design options, and special considerations when building or modifying a wash and pack station to increase efficiency, maintain the quality of your produce, and keep your products safe and clean post harvest.

Pedro Schambon is the owner and operator of My Father's Farm, a certified organic farm since 2008 in Seguin, Texas.  His farm is GAP, GHP, and FSMA Certified by the USDA. He has experience with selling at farmers market, through a CSA, to restaurants and distributors and wholesaling to HEB and Central Market. He has spent the past 4 years developing Pro-Farmer Software to handle day to day operation of a farm.

Rachel Folkerts manages the farmer education and farm production programs at Plant It Forward Farms in Houston. Plant It Forward (PIF) is a nonprofit organization with the mission to empower refugees to develop sustainable farming businesses that produce fresh, healthy food for their community. Rachel earned a B.A. in Environmental Science from Washington University in St. Louis, then spent two years with the Peace Corps in Senegal advising on sustainable agriculture techniques. She speaks Wolof and French. Originally from Iowa, Rachel quickly adapted to the Houston climate and is enjoying the diversity this international city has to offer.