[compost_tea] Re: Re: Re: USNOP non-example? - ICTC

From: Kirk Leonard <kirk_at_oregonatural.com>
Date: Sun, 18 Jul 2004 14:50:05 -0700
Dave and Steve, thanks for your excellent posts.

You've sparked for me a picture with this:

> Getting the idiot-proof brewers and additional data built up is a much
> better use of energy.

This can be done, though differing from what Dave suggests.  Here's a
possibility:  We find the raunchiest manure compost possible, make sure it
includes significant pathogens, ship it registered to compost tea makers who
want to test with it.  Testing by machine - 3 times? 5 times? - make
25-30 gals tea using a gallon of this weird compost, a cup of molasses, two
cups of kelp, two ounces humic or fulvic acid, and a teaspoon of citric
acid, for example.  Bigger or smaller machines scaled on compost and
ingredients as appropriate.

Something like this becomes a standard for testing a tea machine for
pathogen busting capacity anywhere.

Test the tea for indicator ecoli and enteric bacteria.  Keep a pre-defined
set of test parameters and documentation on everything.  Gather and organize
it.  I'd volunteer to help on this.  Might be able to find some bad manure
compost, though I'd have to hunt...:-)

Appreciate Steve D's post on same subject.  Seems unfortunate today's US
admin is in charge.  To "empower organic farmers to use compost teas under
NOP guidelines" is a great idea but there need to be some guidelines, hmm?
We can fix this if we speak up.

I think what Steve means is use the CTTF recommendations, which I also
support if we can get our arms around required testing.  Recommendation #4
is not a good or workable one yet -- too many needless tests possible and
not consistent with how people use tea.  Tests should be focused on tea
machines and methods, not every different tea produced.

ICTC event was excellent.  75 or so folks in and out from all over US and
Canada.  Lots of different interests, great people, presentations, lots of
tea pros there, and phenomenal learning.  Doc E's new real time test stuff
is a real breakthrough.  Mini-workshops are great.  Nick has the best big
landscaping ACT spray truck setup I've seen so far (except for the excess
noise:).  We should be doing these events more places.

Everything USDA chooses to post on NOP is at www.usda.ams.gov/nop.  From a
true organic perspective, USNOP may be a sham, but I'll be damned if compost
teas aren't ok, and definitely not raw manure.

Here's some hopes and a prediction:  I hope NOSB will adopt the CTTF
recommendations with a fix for the test requirements.  I hope USDA/NOP will
be honest and timely in bringing that to NOP regulations, early next year.
I predict there will be some problems with that, requiring congressional
intervention, no matter who is President, and many public comments.  If we
have some data based on the machine test scenario I've suggested, we'll have
a leg up on their schtick.

I know Steve and others may be perturbed by comments like those in my last
post, but the truth is NOP has evidenced a push to ban compost tea and we
need to make sure that doesn't happen.  Sometimes you just gotta push back.

USNOSB supports compost tea, has twice.  Why doesn't USDA/NOP?

Kirk



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Received on Mon Jul 19 2004 - 00:11:21 EDT

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