A peer-reviewed article on agricultural water risk assessment, developed by Western Growers Science in collaboration with several contributors, has been published in the May/June 2026 Food Protection Trends, offering practical insights to support growers as they continue to work through implementation of the current agricultural water requirements. 

On May 6, 2024, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration finalized revisions to the Produce Safety Rule, Subpart E: Agricultural Water, and announced new compliance dates. The rule became effective July 5, 2024, with staggered timelines based on farm size: large farms (>$500,000 in produce sales) were required to be in compliance by April 7, 2025; with small farms ($250,000–$500,000) by April 6, 2026; and very small farms ($25,000–$250,000) by April 5, 2027. 

As of April 2026, large and small farms are now subject to the revised pre-harvest agricultural water requirements, while very small farms have one additional year to comply. The current provisions introduce risk-based agricultural water assessments, requiring farms to evaluate their water systems, uses, crop characteristics, environmental conditions and adjacent land use to identify potential hazards and implement mitigation measures to minimize risks associated with pre-harvest agricultural water.  

The peer-reviewed article in Food Protection Trends examines agricultural water use in the United States. It outlines key elements of FDA’s requirements for inspection, monitoring and maintenance of agricultural water systems, as well as the development of a written agricultural water assessment under Subpart E. This article provides practical insights to support implementation of the new requirements and strengthen management of agricultural water systems. Click here to access it. 

For FDA’s latest pre-harvest water resources, click here.

For the WG’s pre-harvest water resources, click here.

For the 2025 Industry Guidance on Pre-Harvest Water, click here.