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Local Farmer Holds Global Record For Food Safety

PRAIRIE GROVE (KFSM) – A Prairie Grove farmer has been rated No.1 in the world for his food safety procedures in an audit by Global Gap, a German-based or...

PRAIRIE GROVE (KFSM) - A Prairie Grove farmer has been rated No.1 in the world for his food safety procedures in an audit by Global Gap, a German-based organization that sets food safety standards for agricultural products.

The farmer, Dave Sargent, 75,  is a big supplier of produce to local Walmarts. Sargent said he retired as a dairy farmer when he was 62, then decided he wanted to try something new. When he began growing produce 10 years ago, he only had a third of an acre. He has expanded over the years and has nearly 1,000 acres in Prairie Grove.

"I love what I do, I love it more than a football player loves playing in the Super Bowl," Sargent said.

Sargent grows squash, green beans, soybeans and wheat. He said his first year he sold $5,000 of produce to Walmart. Today, he has a $1.5 million contract with the world's largest retailer.

His success has gained international attention. Government officials from China visited his farm on Thursday (April 9) to learn more about his methods.

"To me, it's a great honor to be a part of something that can help to influence the sustainability of our world," Sargent said.

He said he's ranked globally for food safety because he simply follows procedures.

"Attention to detail, that's the bottom line, and doing everything the way it's supposed to be done," Sargent said.

Sargent said he's looking to technology to improve his farm even more. He's building a tractor that will steer itself and uses GPS to plant seeds.

"We need it to take maximum use of our land and to be as productive and efficient as we can be," Sargent said.

He said in the next 4-5 years, he plans on having robots harvest his crops. He said it will cut down on the possibility for contamination by taking humans out of the equation.

Sargent's farm is northeast of Prairie Grove.

 

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