Best Practices: Preharvest Water Sample Collection

UGA Extension contacts:
Laurel Dunn, Andre Luiz da Silva, and Govindaraj Dev Kumar

With increased water testing requirements due to the U.S. Produce Safety Rule and third-party audits, more farms are submitting water samples to third-party labs for microbial analysis. This brief video demonstrates the best practices for collecting a water sample from a pond or other irrigation source, including the sample type needed by a produce grower for their microbial water quality profile for the Produce Safety Rule. The authors describe when a sample may be needed, where to collect the sample, and proper sample handling during and after collection.

Published by University of Georgia Cooperative Extension. For more information or guidance, contact your local Extension office.

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