Don Stoeckel

Based in Minneapolis, Minnesota

Don is an environmental microbiologist and long-term collaborator with the Cornell National Good Agricultural Practices Program on water quality issues and as an instructor of online coursework. He led laboratory research for 15 years at Battelle Memorial Institute and the U.S. Geological Survey. He has academic teaching experience at the Ohio State University, Auburn University, Columbus State Community College, and Cincinnati State Technical and Community College. He took a hiatus from Produce Safety Alliance during 2021-2022 to serve as water quality specialist for the California Department of Food and Agriculture, Produce Safety Program. Don’s professional activities ranges across topics including water quality monitoring in rivers, streams, and ground water; tracking sources of water quality impairment; development of conceptual models to depict contaminant fate and transport through water systems; and modeling public health consequences from water contamination. He has authored numerous peer-reviewed research articles as well as extension publications, government reports, review articles, and book chapters. 

As Special Projects lead at PSA, Don develops and delivers technical seminars and workshops to meet the needs of diverse audiences across a broad spectrum of topics, in particular water quality, Good Agricultural Practices concepts, and requirements of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule. Don provides leadership for the PSA team in development of new materials that respond to new rules of the Food Safety Modernization Act that are relevant to farms, and changes growers, educators, and regulators should understand during the continued evolution of the FSMA Produce Safety Rule.

Selected Publications

• Spence, R., Wall, G., Stoeckel, D., Belias, A., Bihn, E., Calderon, N., Clements, C., Coronado, I., Leaman, S., McEntire, J., Nieto-Montenegro, S., Noble, M., Salas, S., Scott, V., Tynan, K., Wood, S. (2023). "Industry Guidance: Pre-Harvest Agricultural Water." IFPA Food Safety Council Agricultural Water Working Group. 
• Stoeckel, D., Clements, D., Fisk, C., Wall, G., Bihn, E.A. (2019) (updated 2023). FSMA Produce Safety Rule Water Requirements: Insights to Get You Organized! Focus on Harvest and Postharvest Uses. Produce Safety Alliance, Cornell University Extension.
• * Devarajan, N., Weller, D., Jones, M., Adell, A., Adhikari, A., Allende, A., Arnold, N., Baur, P., Beno, S., Clements, D., Olimpi, E., Critzer, F., Green, H., Gorski, L., Gruber, A., Kovac, J., McGarvey, J., Murphy, C., Murphy, S., Navarro-Gonzalez, N., Owen, J., Pires, A., Richard, N., Samaddar, S., Schmidt, R., Scow, K., Shariat, N., Smith, O., Spence, A., Stoeckel, D., Tran, T., Wall, G., Karp, D. 2023. Evidence for the Efficacy of Pre-harvest Agricultural Practices in Mitigating Food-safety Risks to Fresh Produce in North America. Frontiers in Sustainable Food Systems 7: 1101436
• Stoeckel, D., Clements, D., Ramos, T., Saunders, T., Villarreal, M., Bihn, E. 2023. FSMA Produce Safety Rule: Agricultural Water System Inspection is Different from the Proposed Agricultural Water Assessment.  Produce Safety Alliance, Cornell University Extension.
• * Irakoze, Z., Nwadike, L., Stoeckel, D., Bhullar, M., Byers, P., Gragg, S.E. 2022. Evaluation of Peroxyacetic Acid and Chlorine as Treatments for Surface Water for Post-Harvest Uses in the Produce Industry. Water 14(23):3890
• *Zhao, Y., Haley, O.C., Bhullar, M., Stoeckel, D., Nwadike, L. 2022. Knowledge and Current Practices Related to Agricultural Water Microbial Quality among Kansas and Missouri Produce Growers. Food Protection Trends 42(6): 460-470
• *Bihn, E.A, Mangione, K.J., Lyons, B., Wszelaki, A.L., Churey, J.J., Stoeckel, D.M., Worobo, R.W. 2021. Development of an Irrigation Water Database to Identify Water Resources and Asses Microbiological Risks During the Production of Fresh Fruits and Vegetables. Frontiers in Water 3: no pagination.
• *Woods, K., Acuña-Maldonado, L., Clements, D., Fisk, C., Stoeckel, D., Wall, G., Bihn, E. 2020. Produce Safety Alliance Train-the-Trainer Course: Developing Trainers to Support Fruit and Vegetable Growers. Food Protection Trends 40(6) 435-449.
• *Wall, G., Clements, D., Fisk, C., Pahl, D., Stoeckel, D., Woods, K., and Bihn, E., 2019, Meeting Report: Key outcomes from a collaborative summit on agricultural water standards for fresh produce. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Technology 18:723.
• Stoeckel, D., Bihn, E., Tocco, P., Schuh, M., Phillips, B., and Deng, K. 2018, Agricultural water testing and the FSMA Produce Safety Rule.  Association of Public Health Laboratories. Bridges 20:5-8.
• Korajkic, A., Stoeckel, DM, and Griffith, JF. 2016, Validation of Microbial Source Tracking Markers and Detection Protocols:  Considerations for Effective Interpretation. Chapter 3.4.2 in Yates, M.V., Nakatsu, C.., Miller, R.V., Pillai, S.D. (eds). Manual of Environmental Microbiology, 4th Edition.  ASM Press, Washington, DC.
• *Harris, L, Bender, J., Bihn, E., Blessington, T., Danyluk, M., Delaquis, P., Goodridge, L, Ibekwe, A., Ilic, S., Kniel, K., LeJeune, J., Schaffner, D., Stoeckel, D., and Suslow, T. 2012, Framework for developing research protocols: Evaluating microbial hazards and controls during production that pertain to the quality of agricultural water contacting fresh produce that may be consumed raw. Journal of Food Protection, 75(12): 2251-2273.

*Denotes peer-reviewed publications

Training Manuals

• Acuña-Maldonado, L., Bihn, E., Brown, A., Chapin, T., Danyluk, M., Ducharme, D., Fisk, C., Goodrich Schneider, R., Gunter, C., Jadeja, R., Langford, T., Malekian, F., Mitchell, B., Clements, D., Saha, J., Schneider, K., Smith, M., Stoeckel, D., Strawn, L., Stull, K., Taylor, M., Wall, G. 2019. PSA Advanced Trainer Workshop. Version 1. Southern Center for Food Safety Training, Outreach, and Technical Assistance & The Produce Safety Alliance
• Bihn, E. A., Wall, G., Landis Fisk, C. C., Humiston, M., Pahl, D., Stoeckel, D., Way, R., & Woods, K. (2017). Produce Safety Alliance National Curriculum. Version 1.1. Produce Safety Alliance, Ithaca, NY.
• Myers, D.N., Stoeckel, D.M., Bushon, R.N., Francy, D.S., and Brady, A.M.G., 2007, Fecal indicator bacteria (ver. 2.0):  USGS Techniques and Methods 9-A7.1.  pp. 73.