A University of California-Davis professor told almond growers that good agricultural practices take time.

Trevor Suslow also separated myths from truth regarding salmonella and almonds for a crowd at the 33rd annual Almond Industry Conference.

Suslow said salmonella migrates through the almond shell into the nut and can live in dry soil and in a barn for more than a year – longer than E.coli.

He also listed four principal on-farm sources of potential contamination. They are:
 

  • Contaminated water used for irrigation or for foliar sprays;
  • Manure used as fertilizer that has not been adequately composted;
  • Droppings from domestic and wild animals including birds and rodents that can be spread in irrigation water or by human activity;
  • Poor human hygiene practices resulting from inadequate or insufficient toilet and hand washing facilities.