Officials search dairy farm linked to E. coli

State officials today released details of their search of the southern Minnesota dairy farm linked to an E. coli outbreak.

The information is contained in a search warrant issued on May 26 for the Michael Hartmann farm by a district court judge in Sibley County.

The search was conducted that afternoon at 3 p.m. The investigators left the farm that day with a long list of items, including unpasteurized raw milk and cream as well as raw milk cheeses, cheddar, gouda and pepperjack among them.

The officials also took 80 manure samples. The state health department later found harmful E. coli in many of the samples.

The state health department says E. coli in the farm's dairy products has sickened five people. The warrant says Michael Hartmann refused to sign the search report of his farm, so the details were read to him.

A statement from a representative of Hartmann's says separate testing of the farm's products found no E. coli, but says there is a possibility the farm received contaminated ingredients.