From steved@ncatark.uark.edu Thu Jun 22 11:51:34 2000 Date: Thu, 22 Jun 2000 09:25:06 -0600 From: Steve Diver To: sanet-mg@ces.ncsu.edu Subject: Manure, Food Safety, E. coli, Organic Farming Two good articles on safety with animal manures, and a resource pointer to an ecological farming magazine for your information: Steve Diver ============================================= 1. Reducing Risks from E.coli 0157 on the Organic Farm By *David G. Patriquin, Biology Department, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada Online at: Eco-Farm & Garden - Summer 2000 http://www.cog.ca/efgsummer2000.htm INTRODUCTION What is E.coli? Food handling: consumers' first line of defense E.coli 0157 on the farm REDUCING OCCURRENCE AND RISKS OF 0157 ON THE ORGANIC FARM Handling and processing manure Feed and Water Minimal use of antibiotics Probiotics Survival in soil A special role for earthworms? Treating liquid effluents CONCLUSION Provisional Guidelines SOURCES *David Patriquin is a Professor of Biology at Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. He conducted his graduatework in marine icthyology, botany and microbiology. Since the mid-70's, he has conducted research on systems and methods of organic management in collaboration with farmers and landscapers. He has functioned as a 3rd Party certification agent for organic organizations in eastern Canada and Maine. He has published 50+ papers in the refereed scientific literature. This article was researched and written in response to a request from the Canadian Organic Growers made in February of 2000. 2. Eco Farm & Garden http://www.cog.ca/issuesefg.htm $24/4 issues per year for Eco Farm & Garden A combined publication of Canadian Organic Growers (formerly published Cognition) and Resource Efficient Agricultural Production (REAP)-Canada (formerly published Sustainable Farming-REAP). Canadian Organic Growers Box 6408, Station J Ottawa, Ontario K2A 3Y6 http://www.cog.ca Resource Efficient Agricultural Production (REAP)-Canada Box 125 Maison Glenaladale Ste-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec Canada H9X 3V9 514-398-7743 514-398-7972 Fax reap@interlink.net http://www.reap.ca See online articles from past issues of Sustainable Farming-REAP at: http://www.reap.ca/publications.htm 3. Manure and Food Safety By Liz Maynard Manure is great for improving soil and supplying nutrients to plants. But manure use can also result in environmental pollution and increased risk of food-borne illnesses. This article discusses how to minimize the risk of contaminating food with disease-causing organisms found in manure. Manure can be home to a number of micro-organisms which make people sick. The grower can help to prevent these illnesses by reducing the chance that disease-causing microbes will get onto fresh produce. Regarding manure, this means 1) physically separating fresh manure from vegetable crops; and 2) promoting biological activity to decrease the number of dangerous microbes in the manure. Physical separation includes keeping manure away from vegetables in space and in time. Biological activity can be promoted by composting, allowing manure to age and decompose naturally, and incorporating manure into the soil. Criteria for minimizing microbial contamination of vegetables from manure are outlined below. If you use manure, how do your practices measure up? * Storing Manure - Run-off from storage area should not contaminate vegetable production fields, vegetable packing and marketing areas, or water sources used in irrigation or packing lines. - Wind-blown particles from stored manure should not reach vegetable production fields or vegetable packing and marketing areas. - Equipment used for manure or used in and around manure storage area should not contaminate vegetable production fields or vegetable packing and marketing areas. - Manure should be actively composted. * Applying Raw/Fresh/Slurry Manure - Do not apply manure within 120 days of vegetable harvest. - Do not apply manure to fields where root or leafy greens crops will be grown that year. - Apply manure after harvest in the fall, (preferably to cover crops), or to agronomic crops. - Incorporate manure into soil. From: Vegetable Crops Hotline Purdue University Cooperative Extension Service No. 371 March 23, 2000 http://www.entm.purdue.edu/entomology/ext/targets/newslett.htm =============================================== To Unsubscribe: Email majordomo@cals.ncsu.edu with the command "unsubscribe sanet-mg". If you receive the digest format, use the command "unsubscribe sanet-mg-digest". To Subscribe to Digest: Email majordomo@cals.ncsu.edu with the command "subscribe sanet-mg-digest". All messages to sanet-mg are archived at: http://www.sare.org/san/htdocs/hypermail