Description
This is a decision tree titled "Maryland Department of Agriculture Produce Safety Rule Eligibility and Exemption Flow Chart," labeled "Part I," with the Maryland Department of Agriculture seal in the header.
The flow begins at a green diamond labeled "Start." An arrow leads down to the first decision box: "Does your farm grow, harvest, pack, or hold produce? (fruits, vegetables, microgreens, mushrooms, sprouts, nuts, and herbs) Sections 112.1 and 112.3(c). Complete the Produce Safety Rule Registration Form."
From this box, a NO branch (red circle labeled NO) leads right to a red octagon: "STOP. You are not covered by the Produce Safety Rule." That ends the flow.
A YES branch (green circle labeled YES) leads down from the first box to the next decision box: "Is it for personal consumption only?"
From "Is it for personal consumption only?", a YES branch (green circle labeled YES) leads to the right and up to the same red "STOP. You are not covered by the Produce Safety Rule" octagon, ending the flow.
From "Is it for personal consumption only?", a NO branch (red circle labeled NO) leads left and down to the next decision box: "Is any of the produce you grow and sell usually consumed raw?"
From "Is any of the produce you grow and sell usually consumed raw?", a NO branch (red circle labeled NO) leads right to a red octagon: "Produce that is rarely consumed raw, as listed on the exhaustive list in Section 112.2 is not covered by the Produce Safety Rule (e.g., asparagus, beets, corn, eggplant, okra, potatoes, pumpkins, winter squash). Complete the Non-Covered Commodities Exemption if you are only growing produce that is on the exhaustive list. Reassess eligibility if new crops are grown." That branch ends there.
From "Is any of the produce you grow and sell usually consumed raw?", a YES branch (green circle labeled YES) leads down and to the right to the next decision box: "Is your three-year average of gross produce sales less than $33,297† †Adjusted for inflation (Based on 2022, 2023, 2024)."
From that sales question, a YES branch (green circle labeled YES) leads right to a red octagon: "You are exempt from the Produce Safety Rule. Complete the Sales Value Exemption form annually as it applies." That branch ends there.
From the sales question, a NO branch (red circle labeled NO) leads down to a box: "My three-year average of gross produce sales is greater than $33,297†." From that box a YES branch (green circle labeled YES) leads left to the terminal instruction "Proceed to Part II."
Outside the flow, in the bottom right corner, is a funding acknowledgment note stating that the publication is supported by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of a financial assistance award U2FFD007444 totaling $1,280,384 with 100 percent funded by FDA/HHS, and that the contents are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement by, FDA/HHS, or the U.S. Government.
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