compost - Carolina Farm Stewardship Association

Photo by Lori L. Stalteri

By Aimee Colf, Horticulture Agent, Anson Cooperative Extension

The definition of acceptable “organic” methods may vary greatly between gardeners because no standard definition exists for organic gardening at the homeowner level. Meanwhile, commercial growers must complete an organic certification process and adhere to National Organic Standards. These growers rely on the Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) which determines products approved for use on certified organic operations. Compared to conventional gardening, organic options for insect pest, disease, and weed management are fewer in number.

Organic gardening involves practices aimed at building soil health and plant nutrition.

In this article we will address creating a healthy environment for soil microbes, types of organic fertilizers, and specifically, insect pest management.

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By Katie Perry, CFSA Education Team Intern

According to the Environmental Protection Agency, Americans produce an estimated 36 million tons of food waste each year. This waste is dumped in landfills where it decomposes and releases harmful greenhouse gasses. And yet, all this waste has the potential to produce viable, nutrient-rich soil through composting. Not only can composted waste be used to regenerate compacted, nutrient-poor soils on farms, it also has the potential to diversify revenue for farmers through on-farm composting.

So what does it take to run your own on-farm composting operation? As a part of the upcoming Sustainable Agriculture Conference, CFSA will be hosting a pre-conference workshop that will provide attendees with both a greater understanding of composting, as well as the resources and contacts needed to get a compost operation up and running. In anticipation of this event, I had the opportunity to sit down and discuss the “dirty” details of on-farm compost with Rhonda Sherman, one of the presenters of CFSA’s pre-conference event.

Let’s start with the basics: what is composting and why should we do it?

Composting is the aerobic decomposition of organic materials by microorganisms under controlled conditions into a soil-like substance called compost. During composting, complex organic substances are broken down into simpler substances and produce carbon dioxide, water, minerals, and stabilized organic matter (compost). The process produces heat, which can destroy pathogens (disease-causing microorganisms) and weed seeds. Once they are converted into compost, organic wastes can be used to mulch landscaping, enhance crop growth, enrich topsoil, and provide other benefits.

How can compost byproducts be used on a farm?

Compost can be used as a soil incorporant, mulch, turf or other plant topdressing, an amendment to growing mixes, and a blend with topsoil. Compost can also improve soil structure, reduce fertilizer requirements, improve water infiltration and drought tolerance, reduce soil compaction and crusting, improve root growth and yields, increase microbial and earthworm populations in soil, protect plants from disease, slowly release nutrients to plants, improve nutrient-holding capacity, enhance crop growth, and increase ease of cultivation. Compost can also be used to prevent erosion of hillsides, embankments, and roadsides.

Are there any farms in the area that are already utilizing compost for profit?

Some family farmers have chosen to develop large-scale permitted composting facilities. In the Triangle region, Brooks Compost Facility is a Level 3 permitted facility located on the family’s 375-acre farm. The family owned and managed operation has 20 full-time employees and they service organic materials generated in the Triangle, Triad, Southern Pines and Fayetteville areas. They have collected food waste since 1999 and service over 150 locations. They composted 12,000 tons of commercial food residuals in 2012.

One of the other workshop speakers also created a composting facility in 2006 on his 100-acre farm in Dallas, NC. Jim Lanier’s Earth Farms Organics diverts organic materials from the Charlotte area, including food waste.

What other kinds of aspiring composters would benefit from attending this event?

During this workshop, we will teach more than the average backyard composter needs to know. But anyone who wants to compost their food waste, livestock manure, crop residues, or other materials would benefit from attending this workshop.

How did you get involved in composting?

I have been working with waste management and waste reduction since 1980. In 1993 (when I was hired by NC State University), I began shifting my focus from recycling to composting. I was elected to the US Composting Council and co-founded the National Backyard Composting Program. In 1994, my extension factsheet Worms Can Recycle Your Garbage was so popular that it changed the focus of my work to keep up with public demand. For the past 17 years, I’ve held the only annual Vermiculture Conference. People from 107 countries have contacted me about vermicomposting. In North Carolina, I’ve served on the board of directors of different incarnations of the NC Composting Council. For the past nine years, we have taught a 5-day Compost Operations Training Course on large-scale composting. The hands-on portion of the course is held at my two-acre Compost Learning Lab at NC State.

Any last thoughts?

Composting involves much more than placing organic materials in a pile and letting them decompose. This workshop provides you with not only a greater understanding of composting, but also resources and contacts you need to get started making, managing and using on-farm compost as a value-added product. Topics will include the composting process, various methodologies for creating compost, types of farm-scale equipment, managing your compost system, legal requirements, ensuring product quality, beneficial uses of compost, and application methods. Learn how to set up and manage an effective composting operation!

Interested in learning more about what it takes to establish and operate a successful on-farm composting system? Rhonda is one of six highly experienced and knowledgeable composting professionals who will be hosting CFSA’s On-Farm Compost workshop on November 4th. During this intensive, attendees will also have a chance to learn more about the technical side of on-farm composting, such as the legal requirements and quality monitoring systems that form the foundation of any successful operation. Tickets are still available so don’t miss out on this unique opportunity to learn more about establishing your very own compost operation!

by Danielle

I’ve always liked the idea of total utilization of natural resources. As a young girl, I marveled at the genius with which the Plains Indians hunted and utilized buffalo – using fur for clothing, meat for food, horns for cups, skulls for ceremonies, hooves for glue, bones for tools and weapons, muscles for thread, and even stomachs for carrying liquids. Early in my life, I latched on to recycling. But now, as a young adult, I am much more aware of the potential to be environmentally conscious that goes beyond recycling. In my quest to do exactly that (by way of an online coupon), I discovered the art of vermicomposting.

Vermi-wha?

Essentially, vermicomposting is the equivalent of creating a small, contained (and much-less-stinky) composting pile in a small space. Proper ventilation and housing of waste eliminate the stench commonly associated with composting. As a result, vermicomposting is ideal for city dwellers looking to take their greening efforts to the next level. Resources needed to create your own mini-compost pile are limited and easy to obtain: a box, the right type of bedding (cardboard, newspaper, or peat moss), some soil, and moisture. Oh yea. And red worms.

Worms?!

Yes, worms. They’re the essential ingredient. They eat the table scraps given to them and produce nutrient-rich “castings” a.k.a. worm poop. Due to the design of the vermicomposting system, the castings can be harvested and used to make household plants extra resilient. You reuse your food scraps, your wormy pets eat like kings, and your flowers are full and brilliant. Everybody wins!

There are a lot of different options for a worm house if you’re considering starting a vermicomposting system. You can buy containers made for exactly that, or you can save a lot of money and make your own. I had the most luck with the design presented in Worms Eat My Garbage wherein the reader is taught to create multiple levels within the same box. The castings fall into a collection receptacle as the worms do their job and work through each level of dirt. NOTE: This method also minimizes hand-to-worm contact, for those who get squirmy at the thought of handling the creepy crawlers.

Once I started my quest for vermicomposting utopia, I quickly realized I generate anywhere between two and three pounds of food scrap waste each week! It was a great feeling to finally have a way to put to use all of the vegetables, grapefruits, orange rinds, apple peels, lettuce and cabbage, celery ends, spoiled food from the refrigerator, coffee grounds, tea bags, and egg shells I was throwing in the trash.