New E. coli research begins at UVM
SOUTH BURLINGTON – Manure's boon to crop fertility is well known; its role as a source of unhealthy bacteria on fresh fruit and vegetables is being scrutinized by researchers at the University of Vermont.
A three-year study of E. coli populations and their migration to spinach crops begins this fall at a UVM test site near Swift Street in South Burlington.
On Monday, applications of manure from the university's student dairy herd were followed by selective spraying of an easily traced, three-species "cocktail" of benign E. coli.
Federal food-safety guidelines in 2011 mandated a 9-month waiting period between fresh manure spreading and harvest of vegetables and fruits typically consumed without cooking.
That guideline is being revised, in part due to pressure from short-season farmers in Vermont, according to UVM.
The university's research is being funded with a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
Read more about the study in this Sunday's Green Mountain section or online at www.burlingtonfreepress.com.
Contact Joel Banner Baird at (802) 660-1843 or joelbaird@FreePressMedia.com. Follow him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/vtgoingup.