07/15/2026
This is literally why “Know Your Farmer, Know Your Food” is SO IMPORTANT…
There’s currently a multi-state breakout—specifically hardest hit in our state, Michigan—of an illness that’s being confused for a bacteria… Bacteria are everywhere, including the soil, including e. coli, c. diff, pseudomonas, pneumonia, staph, strep, enterococcus faecalis, salmonella, listeria… including on your skin. You literally cannot avoid bacteria...
That said, this current specific “outbreak” in the news is a HUMAN protozoan PARASITE—Cyclospora cayetenanis, from HUMAN P**P (NOT animal p**p). Either a farmer was using humanure fertilizer that wasn’t properly treated, or someone with this parasite didn’t properly wash their hands after using the bathroom and was touching all the produce—like a farm worker, store employee, or someone shopping… Given the scope of the issue, our money is on it being an issue at a waste treatment facility… It wasn’t “the government” per se, but it IS legal per the USDA regulations in 48 states to use humanure aka “bio-solids” on produce crops, and many big farm operations use it—except in Connecticut and Maine—but it’s a CHOICE to use humanure biosolid fertilizer, and it’s SUPER CHEAP FERTILIZER that conventional fertilizers are VERY expensive right now… “The government” is also responsible for the administration and oversight of the public waste treatment facilities that MAKE these biosolid fertilizers... It’s LITERALLY why you should shop LOCAL, shop SMALL, get to know the farmers growing all your food and ask them questions about HOW they grow it!
WE here at Iron Creek Farm do NOT use and have NEVER used ANY biosolid fertilizer from any government-operated waste treatment facilities or any other sources other than our own PROPERLY COMPOSTED livestock manure, farm produce and yard waste (that like the farm we use ZERO chemicals on our yard), wood ashes from our own wood-burning stoves and fire pits, and locally sourced wood chips. We also do NOT accept ANY food waste from restaurants, businesses, schools, or any other facilities or sources. The compost used for our hay and pastures is composted and aerated for a minimum of one YEAR, then spread with a traditional “manure spreader” at the proper time and conditions. The natural manure dropped in the pastures by our livestock is spread after the animals are moved off, then allowed to rest in place for a minimum of 30 days plus at least one good rainfall before livestock is returned to that pasture. The compost used for the produce is DOUBLE composted for a MINIMUM of TWO years, and only applied to the soil pre- or post-season, or around the base of existing perennial crops like the raspberries, asparagus, and fruit trees etc when they are DORMANT, and worked into the soil. We are putting this same food on OUR table as well, and want to be sure we are providing OUR clients with the best food possible just like WE want for ourselves!
Because of this outbreak, we highly recommend that you wash all your produce CAREFULLY and THOROUGHLY, and cook it to 160°F minimum. If you don’t have a food thermometer, NOW is a great time to invest in one! And personally, in our opinion, if you aren’t sure how it’s grown and what fertilizer has been used, it would be wise to temporarily skip any raw produce like lettuce and uncooked vegetables and fruit like strawberries, and definitely hard pass on anything cheap from the big growers or imported from less-developed countries with lower farming and processing regulations UNTIL THE SOURCE OF THIS PARASITE IS DISCOVERED.
Our prayers go out for all the people who are suffering from this issue… speedy recovery to you… 💞
Monica, Jon, and Nathan
Iron Creek Farm
