What if it doen’t? What if the weather and rains have caused any number of fields to essentially have the same problem?

If the contaminated water affects tomatoes can it not also affect the spinach growing in the next field or miles down stream?

Agricultural practices are now so uniform that I think we should no longer be surprised if the mon-culture practice deliver uniform results with large scale events.

“Acheson acknowledged the difficulties in investigating the outbreak and said federal officials are already pondering ways to avoid similar problems the next time the nation faces a large outbreak linked to fresh produce.

He said the FDA is exploring the idea of forming an interagency task force to help coordinate the work of federal agencies and state health departments.

The produce industry has a role to play in avoiding a repeat of this difficult outbreak investigation by ensuring that its products are safe, Acheson said. One reason for the frustrating slowness of the trace-back studies is that most growers, packers, and distributors still maintain paper records. “Electronic record-keeping would enhance traceability,” he said.

Also, he said Congress still has not required food companies to build in food safety controls that the FDA requested last November when it released its food safety plan.”

Well, now they’re saying that it might not just be the tomatoes, that there could be cross contamination with other veggies.

Here we are a year later, and now WE are the canaries in the coal mine!

Funny, I don’t hear anyone laughing now.

didn’t we warn them last year, when the pet food recalls happened?

And did they not ignore us, and/or laugh at us…saying that we were “overeacting?”

Boy, how time changes things.

Unfortunately, it has to be raw, but the garlic will zapp the nasty bacteria in your stomach before it has a chance to make you sick.

After getting sick, raw garlic will still help with the bugs, but you’ll still need supportive care from green tea (adds needed fluid and is astringent, so tightens up that gut, which probably really needs that help right now! ;-)) and whatever else you like to help get yourself through the misery.

Full Disclosure: I am a member of the Garlic Seed Foundation, have been a speaker at its Garlic Roundtables both times they came to PA, have evaluated varieties for the USDA and yes, grow a lot of garlic. But, if you know anything about the Garlic Seed Foundation (pretty much the premier garlic organization in the US), we’re almost all in sustainable ag (so make almost no money) and are very honest — especially when it comes to garlic, which is the premier crop for anyone, anywhere! :-D (Yes, I’m harvesting right now and a bit punch-drunk on sulfur! ;-))

Now South Mud Creek is not very long, maybe 5 miles or so for the originating springs. But if that much concentrated goo got into the amount of water we had then you know its really quite a bit. Since I watch these things I know the contractor that spread that manure actually did it the right way… They injected it into the ground (not just spread on the surface) and the farmer immediately worked up the soil and planted it.

So, if I had organic veggies planted in my fields what do you think they would smell like now? What would be on them? What do you think would happen if they were harvested and then mixed in with tons of other similar veggies that may not have had the same problem and distributed back out to stores and eateries?

Here’s an additional clue. Within the last 10 years in Wisconsin we have had no fewer than 3 “100 year” floods with this last one some calling a 500 year variety. No doubt you have seen the footage of Lake Delton emptying into the Wisconsin River taking a few large homes with it?

As the weather changes, so do the fields. When the fields change so do the plants. As the plants change, so you. Maybe we need to hear less about dog cars than dog carts?