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Spring is Here - Time to Start Composting!

As spring arrives and the northern states begin to thaw out, we once again face the issue of what to do with all of that manure. Along with the spring thaw comes the "ambiance" of a sopping wet manure pile, along with flies and mosquitos and neighbor complaints. Less obvious, but far more insideous, is the black "manure-tea" that can impact streams, lakes and even our own drinking water.

Spring is the best time to begin composting and the O2Compost Training Program is the best way to get started. By constructing your aerated compost system this spring and learning how to operate it through the summer and fall months, you will be fully operational and confident with your skills as a compsoter by the time next winter rolls around. Best of all... this time next year you will have well-aged compost ready for your pastures and garden and you'll think to yourself, "Now THAT was a good investment". Visit our website to learn more.

Seeing is Believing - Compost Facility Tours

On Friday, June 19, O2Compost will be hosting the first "Seeing is Believing" compost workshop and facility tour in Seattle, Washington. When I lead workshops on composting, the participants typically nod their heads as I discuss the principals of aeration and I answer basic questions about how long the process takes and how to use the compost, etc. BUT... when they actually see one of our compost systems up and running and have an opportunity to talk with the owner-composter, they have an "AHA!" experience. I can almost see the light bulb turn on above their heads.

The workshop portion of our "Seeing is Believing" Tour will be held at Pilchuck Veterinary Hospital, the Pacific Northwest leader in equine care. In addition to talking about the basics of composting, we plan to have experts talk about parasite control, feeding programs, pasture management, and related topics. Lunch will be provided and there will be an opportunity for you to meet with other horse owners from all around the country. Following the workshop, we will embark on a tour of six compost facilities each designed by O2Compost and representing all sizes and varieties of systems, including our new Paragon Compost System, provided in association with Barn Pros. You will have an opportunity to meet the compost operators and learn from their experience. We also plan on demonstrating the Greystone Pasture Vac (see article below) and the Stablers Cylindrical Manure Spreader.

The day will end with dinner at Red Hook Ale Brewery in Redmond and an open discussion about the events of the day. Having the Tour on Friday will leave the entire weekend ahead to visit points of interest in Seattle, including Pike Place Market, the Space Needle, ferry rides across Puget Sound, a Seattle Mariners baseball game, world class restaurants, and tons of fantastic shopping.

There will be a charge of $150 per person for the workshop, but this will be credited back to you if you decide to move forward with your O2Compost Training Program during the course of the weekend. To register for this one of a kind opportunity, please contact kirsten@o2compost.com. Space is limited so please register early!

For more information about each of the participants, please visit these websites:

http://www.pilchuckvet.com/services/horses.htm
http://www.barnpros.com
http://www.pasturevacuums.com/about.html
http://www.thestablers.com
http://www.redhook.com

Composting at Dunwishin Farm - Sterling, MA

Bob and Kathleen Nickerson invested in the O2Compost Sterling Training Program in April 2008. They built their system during the summer months and began operating last fall. Given that they are located in Massachusettes, it clearly qualifies as a cold weather system.

During a trip to Boston last fall, I had the opportunity to meet Bob and see his system first hand. As a retired engineer, Bob is one of my best "students". He thoroughly enjoys the prospect of converting a waste to a value-added product and in so doing, he is rigorous in collecting temperature data and communicating his observations for our review. I love it when our clients take full advantage of our technical support and Bob and I have had a lot of fun working together and becoming friends. Click HERE to view an example of one of Bob's data sheets.

In the months ahead, I hope to visit Bob again and create a video tour of his system so that you, too, can see it "first hand".

Greystone Pasture Vac
Practical Solution to Pasture Clean-Up, or Just Pure Folly?

In concept, vacuuming up the manure piles in a horse pasture makes complete sense. By removing the raw manure, you are very effectively reducing breeding habit for flies, controlling reinfestation of parasites, managing invasive weeds, and improving grass quality for more even grazing. From a composting standpoint, vacuuming up manure piles also makes sense because it saves a great deal of time over hand-picking and the vacuuming action breaks up the manure balls, making the manure easier to compost and yielding a uniformly textured finished product.

Greystone America offers a pasture vac that has had mixed results. If you do a web search for "pasture vacuums", you will find their website as well as several other links to negative comments about Greystone. I did some research about this issue and I learned the following:

Greystone Pasture Vacs were first developed in Australia in 2005.
Greystone America was formed in 2006 with an assembly plant located in Las Vegas, Nevada.
As part of their original design, they used a 2-cycle engine that required a gasoline-oil mix.
This engine was loud and problematic, resulting in many complaints back to the manufacturer.
The service offered by the management of Greystone America was by all accounts less than desirable, resulting in even more complaints.
The owner of Greystone, Mr. David Oberhofer, closed down the Las Vegas operation in the fall of 2008 and moved it to Monroe, Washington, a neighboring city to O2Compost.
They are now using a 4-cycle Honda engine that uses regular gasoline and is much quieter to operate. Upgrades are now available for all previous Greystone 2-cycle vacuums.
They have made other modifications to the vacuum that greatly improve its overall utility.
The new managers of Greystone America, Pat and Nikki Jutte, are committed to providing excellent service. In fact, they are in the process of contacting all previous Greystone customers to investigate and resolve past problems with earlier versions of the Pasture Vac and Maxi Vac.
Pat and Nikki can be reached at 206-817-3459. Please give them a call if you have questions or concerns and mention that you read this article in the O2Compost Newsletter.