Fruit and Vegetable News

Annalisa Hultberg, Extension Educator, food safety In periods of prolonged drought, you might be seeing more nibbles, chew marks and other signs of animal intrusion in your produce fields. Animals are seeking water, just like our plants, in the hot and dry conditions. Some farmers and gardeners have been asking about the safety of eating produce with visible bite marks. Be careful with any produce that has visible signs of animal damage, as where there is chewing, there is potential fecal contamination that can cause illness.  Pathogenic bacteria, viruses and parasites such as toxigenic E. coli or Salmonella that might be present in fecal contamination are the most serious risk posed by animals.  Saliva has also been shown to potentially carry pathogens that can make humans sick, though it is not well-documented or likely to be a primary vector. Feces and dried feces in dust are the primary way animals spread illness to humans via fresh produce. Can you just wash the contamin...

  Annalisa Hultberg, Extension Educator, food safety Many regions of the state are in moderate to severe drought, which is impacting water tables and wells. Are you seeing changes to your water table or wells running dry? Are you making changes on your farm because of a dropping water table?  Take this two question poll to tell us. There are reports in some areas of wells running low or dry. If your source of ground water is dropping, you might turn to lakes, streams or ponds for irrigation water for your crops. While this type of water can be used for irrigation with caution, surface water should never be used for postharvest uses like washing vegetables, washing hands, or sanitizing and cleaning surfaces. As a rule, surface waters like ponds are considered the highest risk to produce safety since their quality can be highly variable and they are susceptible to contamination from animals and other sources of fecal contamination. This wa...