Re: [compost_tea] Re: MICROBIOLOGY TESTING of COMPOST TEAS

From: <soilfoodweb_at_aol.com>
Date: Sat, 25 Dec 2004 02:17:44 -0500
Butch Ragland asked if I have ever operated a large composting operation. 

I have worked at large composting operations.  I have worked with, and am still working with, composting operations that receive municipal green materials, with operations that receive tankfuls of abbatoir waste on a daily basis, with operations that make 5 to 7 wind rows of 250 to 300 foot length a week.  I work with a number of worm composting operations as well.  I work with small scale composting operations, from 4 foot piles, to hand-turned 100 foot long windrows. 

I have never been in charge of operating those composting systems on a daily basis, but I work closely with the people who are in charge of them.  My concern and the charge I am given when hired by these operations, is to help them make compost which contains the beneficial biology needed by plants, without human pathogen contamination. 

It is possible, if you understand microbiology. 

I am not the only one who understands how to do this.  The Luebke's figured it out, with Pfeiffer's help.  I have read a great deal about composting, but I'd say Howard's book was probably the most useful, as well as Steiner's and Pfeiffer's books.  The Cornell composting handbook is useful for the physical and chemical aspects of composting, but you have to wade through quite a bit of engineering lack-of-microbiology-understanding in that book.  Some of my best friends are engineers, you understand, but.....  grin!

I earned my Bachelor's degree with a double major in Biology and Chemistry, my Master's and Ph.D. degrees in microbiology, and have made compost for a long time. 

Hope this lets you understand some of my background in composting. 

What brought on this question? 

--
Elaine Ingham
President, Soil Foodweb Inc.
SFI Corvallis, OR
SFI Port Jefferson, NY
SFI Lismore, NSW, Australia
SFI Cambridge, New Zealand
SFI Culiacan, Mexico
SFI Jerome, Idaho
SFI South Africa
http://www.soilfoodweb.com


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Received on Sun Dec 26 2004 - 17:41:08 EST

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