Keeping Local Produce Safe: N.H. Farmers Get Assistance from Extension

You know that water is necessary for growing plants, but you might be surprised just how much your local farmer thinks about their water. Water isn’t just used for irrigation, it’s also needed as a vehicle to deliver fertilizer and to wash produce after harvest. And, as the current cyclospora outbreak is highlighting, water can also be a source of disease-causing contamination. 

Farmers in New Hampshire have the support of UNH Extension, which has programs to help design water usage systems that will both provide for sustainable harvests and reduce risks of water-borne pathogens such as cyclospora. And, according to Wendy Johnecheck, state specialist and associate professor for Extension, consumers should feel confident consuming fresh produce from local farms, as there’s no evidence linking a New Hampshire farm to the current outbreak, which has sickened thousands across the country. 

That’s a credit, says Johnacheck, to the work that farms across the state have done to stay up-to-date with best practices around water management and use, often with help and guidance from Extension. 

“We’re the support system,” Johnecheck says. “The farmers are front-and-center.” 

Extension supports for local farmers range from online resources to on-farm visits to the newest effort, a program that will help farmers to build what Johnacheck calls a “water budget,” a report that details how much water a farm will need in a given year, so that the farmer can plan ahead for where they will get that water. 

When it comes to best practices for water safety, Johnecheck says that many farmers are already where they ought to be. For example, drip irrigation is often utilized because of its efficiency. It’s also a safe way to irrigate, as for most produce the water doesn’t contact the part of the plant that’s eaten. 

Consumers can also be assured that large farms are required follow certain practices defined by the Food Safety Modernization Act, enforced by the state’s Department of Agriculture, Markets and Food, which require regular, documented inspections and maintenance of agricultural water systems, and testing for E. coli if untreated groundwater is used to wash produce after harvest.  

Extension provides resources to assist farmers in complying with these rules, and hosts meetings for farmers to get together and learn about how their colleagues are addressing shared problems.

“New Hampshire growers are doing an amazing job in investing in all these resources. Some of these hazards and risks are risks are age old, and some of these are evolving anew,” says Johnecheck. “It takes infrastructure. It takes money. It takes investment for them to be doing it. They're continuing to evolve. We're continuing to work with them. Water is one of our key areas that we're working on.” 

For general information about Ccyclospora in New Hampshire, visit www.dhhs.nh.gov/programs-services/disease-prevention/infectious-disease-control/cyclosporiasis. 

For information targeted to growers, visit https://extension.unh.edu/blog/2026/07/production-practices-protect-nh-crops-cyclospora-contamination