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Clemson University at Work to Insure Saftey of Crops from Flooded Fields

Making It Grow Minute

  With  a thousand year flood, the waters that washed over much of our state may have  carried pollutants from a variety of sources. Some people  are concerned about food grown on possibly polluted soils.

Here is some information from the Vermont Journal of Law about that topic. "Scientists, farmers, and organic certification specialists have been concerned about testing for pesticides, heavy metals, and microbial contamination in flooded farm soils. Heavy metal testing is relatively straightforward, but both pesticides and microbial pathogens pose a challenge."

On a positive note, they go on to say that many pollutants degrade with the passage of time. Clemson’s Food Safety and Nutrition Team and agronomy and vegetable specialist are already working with farmers to insure the safety of our food supply. 

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Amanda McNulty is a Clemson University Extension Horticulture agent and the host of South Carolina ETV’s Making It Grow! gardening program. She studied horticulture at Clemson University as a non-traditional student. “I’m so fortunate that my early attempts at getting a degree got side tracked as I’m a lot better at getting dirty in the garden than practicing diplomacy!” McNulty also studied at South Carolina State University and earned a graduate degree in teaching there.