What do you feel about the USDA's recommendation that meat be first heated
to 160 degrees F before dehydrating, to avoid illness from Salmonella or E.
coli?

"Why is Temperature Important When Making Jerky?	
http://www.fsis.usda.gov/FactSheets/Jerky_and_Food_Safety/index.asp

Illnesses due to Salmonella and E. coli O157:H7 from homemade jerky raise
questions about the safety of traditional drying methods for making beef and
venison jerky. The USDA Meat and Poultry Hotline’s current recommendation
for making jerky safely is to heat meat to 160 °F before the dehydrating
process. This step assures that any bacteria present will be destroyed by
wet heat. But most dehydrator instructions do not include this step, and a
dehydrator may not reach temperatures high enough to heat meat to 160 °F.

After heating to 160 °F, maintaining a constant dehydrator temperature of
130 to 140 °F during the drying process is important because:

    * the process must be fast enough to dry food before it spoils; and
    * it must remove enough water that microorganisms are unable to grow.

Why is it a Food Safety Concern to Dry Meat Without First Heating it to 160 °F?	

The danger in dehydrating meat and poultry without cooking it to a safe
temperature first is that the appliance will not heat the meat to 160 °F – a
temperature at which bacteria are destroyed – before it dries. After drying,
bacteria become much more heat resistant.

Within a dehydrator or low-temperature oven, evaporating moisture absorbs
most of the heat. Thus, the meat itself does not begin to rise in
temperature until most of the moisture has evaporated. Therefore, when the
dried meat temperature finally begins to rise, the bacteria have become more
heat resistant and are more likely to survive. If these surviving bacteria
are pathogenic, they can cause food borne illness to those consuming the
jerky. ..."