Compost Production And

Participant Identification

• Compost producers or suppliers? Compost for the Small • Vegetable and fruit farmers? and Midsize Farm • Field crop, forage, and grain farmers? • Animal husbandry / manure managers? John Biernbaum • Others? Michigan State University • Making compost on farm? • Purchasing compost?

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Motivations: Why use Compost? • Nutrients • Stable Soil Organic Matter (SOM) – Including a growing medium • Soil Biology

Composting as an essential Resource Management Strategy

and not as a Rye-Vetch Waste Management Strategy No Compost Big Beef 3 4

70 A: ‘Big Beef’ a 60 b

50 bc

40 c c c No Compost 30 Compost 20 (kg/12 plant)

Marketable yield Marketable yield 10

0 Rye Monoculture Rye Polyculture Rye Vetch Polyculture 70 a B: ‘Mountain Fresh’ 60

50 b bc

40 bc No Compost cd 30 Compost d

20 (kg/12 plant) Marketable yield Marketable yield Rye-Vetch 10 Compost 0 Big Beef Rye Monoculture Rye Polyculture Rye Vetch Polyculture 5 6 Cropping System 7 8

SOM/Compost Contributions to Chemical Properties

• Readily available nutrients (N, K, Ca, ?) • Slowly releases nutrients (N,P,K, Ca, Mg, S) • Micronutrients • Soil pH • Cation exchange capacity

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Rates of Compost Application Does just estimating the amount of NPK Cu ft/ Gal/ Cu yd/ Ton/ Inches Lbs N applied explain the benefits of compost? Rate 100 100 acre acre (1%N) sqft sqft deep

Low 2 1 0.1 0.75 dusting 20 Historically, a critical or negative portrayal of organic farming and Mod 5 2.5 0.25 2 dusting 50 gardening was that you can’t apply Mod 10 5 0.50 4 0.075 100 enough nutrients by applying organic (1/16) matter or compost so why bother (the High 20 10 1.0 8 0.12 (1/8) 200 preverbial NPK mentality).

Assumes moist weight of 1000 lbs/cu yd Not exactly equivalent rates due to rounding. 11 12

What are the additional benefits of Organic Int. C adding compost? I

C

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Relationship of total soil C to 150-d mineralizable pools of C and N

w 1c 17000 2c Organic

2c 16000 cc w cc s 15000 1c Compost

) s

-1 14000

13000

w

total C (mg kg (mg C total 12000 2c 1c s Fertilizer 1300 11000 cc 1200 -1 ) 10000 1100 s 9000 w 2c Conventional 1000 75 cc 1c 70 65 900 60 150-d C pool (mg kg 55 150-d N pool (mg kg 50 15 16 -1 45 800 ) 40

Organic Matter Pools Compost vs. Cover Crop Active SOM Disease suppression Effects on SOM Macro-aggregation Nutrient supply 10 Compost Fresh Organic 6 Matter Stable SOM Cover Crop (Humus) 3 Manure Cation Exchange Capacity Micro-aggregation 0 6 12

Months after soil incorporation

17 18 Compost and Green Manure 1 +1 > 2 ? Added Benefits? How many lbs of SOM/acre?

• Acre furrow slice = 2,000,000 lbs Soil • 1% OM = 20,000 lbs/acre organic matter • 1 ton of compost = 2000lbs so OM increases 10% • 10 ton of compost = 20,000 lbs so OM doubles to 2%

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Organic Matter Increases Water Stable SOM/Compost Contributions Absorption and Retention to Physical Properties

• Increased water absorption • Increased water retention • Improved drought tolerance • Reduced soil erosion • Improved root health

From Attra

21 Publication 22

Water Absorption Increases Water Retention Increases

Figure 3. Effect of straw rate on water infiltration on a silt Figure 2. Available water content with increasing soil loam soil (7). organic matter (6). 23 24 SOM/Compost Contributions to Physical Properties • Rodale Institute: 1 lb of carbon can lead to 40 lbs of water held • OM is about 40% carbon. • So, 1% OM = 20,000 lbs OM/ 40%C =8000 lbs C x 40 lbs water/lb C = 320,000 lbs water = 40,000 gallons • 10 ton/acre OM ~= 40,000 gallons per acre extra water holding capacity?

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Compost Uses and Application

• Transplants • High Tunnels • Field Production – Higher rates – Lower rates

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Compost Top Dressing Soil Blocks

29 30 Compost Extracts or Tea

On-Line Organic 31 32

High Tunnels With Manure Spreader

5 gal bucket / 20 sq ft to 1 cubic foot/ 20 sq ft (7.5 gal)

5 cubic foot / 100 sq ft 3 to 4 cu yd/ 30x96 hoophouse

80 yd/acre or 40 ton/acre

No leaching from rain No freezing of the ground

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Factors influencing application rate include tractor Uniform application can be a challenge, speed, spreader settings and compost particularly at low rates. How uniform is characteristics (moisture) necessary?

35 36 It is easier to see the uniformity of application on a cultivated field, compared to a field with crop residue.

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For lower rates of application, lime or fertilizer Distribution is influenced by the weight and application equipment may be more practical. moisture content of the compost.

Rolling belt Gate moves adjusts compost. rate.

Spinning disc throws compost.

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How much does it cost to purchase and apply compost?

How does the cost of purchasing compare to the cost of making compost?

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Cost Estimates and Examples (Assumes bulk density is 1000 lbs/yd moist.) Composting Methods – So Many Options!

Fast or Slow? Patient or No? Rate $ / Ton $ / cu yd $ / acre Cool or Hot? Seeds or not? 1 ton 50 25 50 Shallow Sheet or Piled Deep?

5 tons 50 25 250 Walled Containers, Open Piles or Long & Winding Windrows?

10 tons 50 25 500 Turned Weekly or Weakly Turned? 20 tons 50 25 1000 Pitchfork or Loader or Dedicated Turner?

47 Pallet Compost: hay, straw, wood shavings, peat, etc – after 7 Data from Will Brinton – Composting for Sustainability months with no turning or mixing but water has to be added.

Cow Manure @ 120 Poultry Manure @ Days 150 Days Organic Method Organic Cost in Matter Nitrogen Nitrogen Matter $/wet ton Loss Loss (%) Loss (%) Loss (%) (%)

No-Turn 70 51 75 72 $3.05

Bucket 78 60 79 76 $6.74 Loader Pile made April 8, 2006 Turner at 73 53 79 78 $14.34 Picture Sept 27, 2006 each 2 wk January 2007 6 months, no turning Turner 2x 80 64 88 86 $41.23 per week On-Line Organic 50

1 bale of each + ~ 100 gal water Each ¼ bale absorbed about 5 gallons Pear Tree Farm Transplant & Tea Mix 160oF in 3 days (October 10, 2011)

Amount of comfrey and soil shown used per bale of others. Wood Comfrey Straw, Peat, Hay1, Hay2, Soil Shavings These components are readily available to make

On-Line Organic 51 a very reproducible mix, low N, good fungal activity52

53 54 Cleaned up with a pitch fork, heats well.

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Piles Constructed May 30, 2009 Picture Taken June 25, 2009

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6 hay @ $3 = $12 3 straw @ $2 = $6 3 shaving @ $6 = $18 3 peat @ $10 = $30 Total = $66

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65 66 40” x 40” x 48” = 1.6 cu yd ($66)

What is the cost for Transplant Mix?

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71 72 73 74

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July 16, 2008

77 78 79 80

Piles Constructed May 30, 2008 August 15, 2008 Picture Taken June 25, 2008

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Compost Example

Material Quantity $/Unit $ Total Est. cu yd

straw 40 bales $3.00 $120 15

wood shavings 20 bales $5.00 $100 6

sphagnum peat 10 bales (3.8) $12.00 $120 2.5

alfalfa hay 20 bales $4.00 $80 7

grass hay 20 bales $3.00 $60 7

leaf mold 8 cu yd 15 $120 15

veg/weed “compost” 8 cu yd 10 $80 10

field soil 8 cu yd 5 $40 5

October 28, 2008 Total $720 68

83 Small Batch Compost Example Cover Piles – Prevent Leaching

Lbs/cu ft Cu ft % % Lbs Cost Material Lbs Lbs N (dry) comp/luse N C C ($)

1 Grass hay (G) 9 5.5 / 7 40 2.0 0.8 45 18 1 @ $3

1 Alfalfa hay (G) 9 5.5 / 7 50 3.0 1.5 45 23 1 @ $4

2 Straw (B) 10 10 / 14 60 0.7 0.42 50 30 2 @ $3

2 Wood Shavings (B) 15 6.5 / 16 80 0.18 0.14 55 44 2 @ $5

2 Aged Leaves (B) 15 6.5 / 8 100 1.0 1.0 40 40 2 @ $2

Spaghnum Peat (N) 8 3.8 / 6 (40) $10

Soil (N) 80 3.8 / 3.8 (300) $3

Total 42 / 62 750 3.86 154 $40/yd

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Windrows For Large Scale Large Scale Windrows

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Unfed or Molded Hay

89 90 Lots of Straw Roundbales The Composting Process Water Heat

CO2 Organic Matter Minerals Organic Compost matter, Water Pile minerals, water, Micro- microbes organisms

Raw Materials Finished compost

O2

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Seven Manageable Factors Microbial Populations Change Over Time

• What Microbes are present A=mesophilic • Substrate Carbon:Nitrogen Ratio 160 – Density (weight), moisture B=thermophilic 140 – Availability, particle size C=mesophilic 120 D-maturation F • Oxygen (Porosity and Bulk Density) o 100 • Moisture 90 Active Phase Curing Phase Temperature • Temperature 70 • pH 50 • Time AB CD Time

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Which microbes? Manageable Factors and Organisms

• Bacteria Factor Bacteria Fungi • Actinomycetes • Fungi C:N Favored <20:1 Favored > 25:1 • Amoeba Water High Moisture Low Moisture • Protozoa Oxygen Survive low O2 Need >6% • Nematodes Temperature Up to 170F Most < 140F • Together are thee “Soil Food Web”b” pH Slow at <5 Ok at pH <5 Time Faster Slower Reproduction Reproduction

95 96 C:N of Manure Varies by Diet Ease with which carbon compounds grass vs alfalfa vs grain are broken down:

• Carbohydrates Easy • Hemicellulose • fats/oils • cellulose, chitin • lignin Hard

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101 102 103 104

Convective aeration warm air

Ambient air Ambient air

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Adapted from T. Richard Air Flow and Pile Size Water Content Effects on Aeration

>10 ft.

6-8 ft.

Excessive moisture No O2 Adequate O2 Adequate moisture with air-filled pores with water-filled pores

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Summary: The Composting Process Manageable Factors Water Heat • Microbes CO2 • Carbon:Nitrogen Organic – Density (weight), moisture Matter – Availability, particle size Minerals Organic • Oxygen (Porosity and Bulk Density) Compost matter, Water Pile minerals, • Moisture water, microbes • Temperature Micro- organisms • pH • Time Raw Materials Finished compost

O2

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