If you pick up random stuff from the forest floor there is no way to know what is in/on it. It is entirely possible the manure of some animal carrying a pathogen transmittable to humans will be present.

Having said that it isn't something I would be too concerned about, but everyone has their own comfort level.

Yeah, I guess anything is possible....
Guess I'll just dig down a little deeper....

Can't you just make some compost with your kitchen garbage and weeds and no animal products or manures and make that into compost tea? Or take some finished compost that has been made with manure, and gotten hot several times, and make that into compost tea? I don't see why the tea should be any less healthy than the compost itself. Do You?

If it's not a rhetorical question, then yes, you apparently can make compost tea out of just about anything organic.

My problem right now is that I don't have any compost that I have made, and I'm not willing to trust a bagged source.

Will be making compost in short order, but need to start somewhere.

Based on what I read on the USDA website, really got me wondering and thinking about all these aerated tea and unaerated tea recipes floating around on line. Looks like a lot of damage/pathogens can be MULTIPLIED by seemingly innocent "mistakes" with composting and just in general with suspect materials being included in the tea.

Specifically, when you aerate (and even if you don't aerate but to a much lesser degree) you not only have the potential to multiply (in a very significant way.... especially when adding sugars etc) good microbial populations but also the bad.

Just has me wondering a little.

So, in a round about way, in answer to your question, yes, I think the tea is only as healthy as the compost that goes into it.

Now as far as my compost making skills; I have none. So, for me it MAY not be worth the gamble (that I perceive currently) to use a compost tea that I manufacture from compost of my own making. The info that I have read has certainly led me to decide NOT to get into the whole aerated compost tea arena (for now).

Now whether the USDA is overly concerned about this, I can't say, but apparently they are concerned.

Unless you are considering going into commercial production to market what you are growing and will be grossing over $5,000.00 annually you need not be concerned about the USDA and those "organic" standards.
If you are thinking about making compost tea then you should really read what Dr. Elaine Ingham has to say about how to do this since she is the primary proponent of compsot teas.

Here is a link that might be useful: Brewing Compost Teas

My take on it is that if the USDA is concerned, then MAYBE there IS reason to be concerned about "recipes" and the potential consequences of using tea that is not brewed "properly". Looked at it in that light, it doesn't matter if I plan on going commercial or not. It also brings up the question as to whether there is POTENTIAL for commercially "organically" grown produce to harbor more pathogens than synthetically grown.

Understand that I am all for organic production in produce. However, when it's applied at the commercial level, it MAY be turning a blind eye, if it is at least not considered that there MAY be potential for some bad consequences also.

Just for discussion.

I found the link you provided while I was researching teas and found it very informative. There is certainly info in there that will help with my tea making in the future.

However, after reading it, it became one of the reasons that I started having some concerns/reservations about the potential for people to start aerating teas too casually.

She in fact implies that the only proper way to make teas is to use the aeration equipment. Based on what I have read, the whole aeration process is/was pretty much an "american" adaptation only available until relatively recently.

Other organizations do in fact agree that unaerated teas are alternatives. That coupled with the fact that they are potentially safer, has led myself to believe that that is probably where I want to start.

On picking up random stuff off the forest floor.
Went out yesterday looking for that "humus" layer that I intended to bring back to make my tea with. Well, it just ain't there.
If it is there, it's not more than an inch thick, so, I guess I kind of need to rethink the whole humus thing. Maybe just a shovel two of the first 6" or so of soil would do the trick of adding good microbes to my tea.

However, I think I did figure out what "sand loam" actually is. All these trees are planted on sand land and there is this very interesting sandy textured soil that is just below the leaf surface. I'd bet money that that is what's considered sand loam.

Anyway, thinking now that I might just put some of that in the bucket with my alfalfa tea (yeah, I started brewing a 30 gallon can of it... yippee, I pulled another trigger).

Also started thinking of some other materials that might be interesting to add to the tea for the purposes of increasing the microbial population.

In particular, there is a "stump hole" of a pine tree that is probably 30+ years old that I can reach my whole arm down inside of and pull out this interesting peat like material. Thinking that probably has all kinds of good creatures in it.

Then there is this area in a bottom that kind of stays wet for long periods that kind of has a similar material in it. Might consider using it.... at least the surface maybe. Could that harbor some bad stuff because it remains wet over a portion of the year?

Anyway, just thought I'd update so there is no confusion in that I'm interested in teas in general.

Aerated water is good for the roots. It builds pockets in the medium to absorb more water so the roots absorb more water. Sterilized manure should not make anybody sick. The oxygen in the tea along with natural sugars gives the beneficial micro organisms air to breathe to stay alive and energy to grow so that when it is immediately applied they stay alive in the medium to ward off fungus and disease.