Newsletter 
Winter 2016 

Mud Management on Horse Farms We are in the middle of our winter season – you may have noticed – and for those of you who own horses, one of your key barn management challenges is dealing with MUD - boot sucking, rancid smelling, hoof rotting MUD.  Horses are very hard on bare ground, particularly when it is wet and exponentially when there are organics present.

Organic material in the form of horse manure is very difficult to collect from muddy paddocks, thereby compounding the problem with each passing rainy day.  It seems that your one choice is to strip the mud from the paddock area, replace it with either coarse woody “hog fuel” or free draining gravel, and then diligently pick the manure from the paddock area.  And what do you do with the manure that you collect?  Compost It!

One of the benefits of installing an O2Compost System is that you can collect horse manure from stalls, paddocks and pastures, compost it and spread the stabilized finished product on the pastures during the spring through fall months of the year.  By collecting it and processing it all year long, you are able to keep MUD under control. You are also able to sequester it from the environment and thereby protect surface and ground water resources. 

For more on MUD Management and other Farm Management Strategies, subscribe to “Horses for Clean Water”, a non-profit organization founded by our good friend Alayne Blickle.  To learn more about MUD Management Strategies, visit: http://www.horsesforcleanwater.com/blog/.

Aerated Static Pile Hands-On Workshop
April 20-23, 2016

For those who are interested in gaining first-hand experience with the Aerated Static Pile (ASP) Method of Composting, I strongly encourage you to attend our upcoming Hands-on Workshop in April. This will be our eighth training event and I guarantee that you will:  1) learn everything that you need to know to set up your own ASP system back home; and 2) have a lot of fun in the process.

We limit the number of participants to eight people to ensure that everyone gets hands-on experience and all of their questions answered.  In addition to building a 150 cubic yard ASP System, we also visit several local compost facilities (small, medium and large) that all utilize the ASP strategy. We also have group discussions and work with each individual to develop a clear plan for starting up or transitioning your own facility. Following the workshop, we continue to offer suggestions and guidance during the weeks that follow.

To learn more, click here to see our Flyer for the event. To register, send an email to sherri@o2compost.com or call us at 360-568-8085. We hope you can join us this spring! 

Planning for 2016 Construction Projects

February and March are the perfect “Planning Months”.  Now is the time to consider your options for how to best manage your organic wastes this coming spring and summer.  By planning now and having your compost system design in-hand, you can secure a contractor well before the construction season hits, and his bids are likely to be lower because he’s hungry for work.  Construction season is just around the corner.

Food Waste Collection, Composting and Urban Farming
By Peter Moon

There is a grassroots movement afoot and I want you to be aware of it.

Earlier this year, I had the opportunity to participate in a workshop* that focused on food waste collection, composting and urban farming. There were roughly 100 people in attendance, the majority of whom may be characterized as “Millennials” (born in the 1980’s to early 2000’s).  From my vantage point they seemed very young – AND, I came away from the event fully inspired by their passion, energy and creativity. 

These are young people who are striving to make a difference in their communities and they are setting an example that will have national implications. They are utilizing human energy (bicycles to collect residential food waste in local neighborhoods) and social media (Facebook, Twitter and Instagram) to connect food waste generators with those who can use the finished product – urban farmers. 

They are business minded and they are creating awareness that organic waste management is not someone else’s problem.  They view composting and urban farming as an opportunity to demonstrate sustainability in its purest form.

If you are feeling discouraged about “the youth of America today”, please take a few minutes to visit one or more of the following websites and you too will become inspired:

Please support their efforts either by subscribing to their services, becoming a volunteer, or contributing money to one or more of their fundraising projects.

*The workshop was orchestrated by Brenda Platt of the Institute for Local Self-Reliance, and was part of the US Composting Council’s 2016 Annual Conference in Jacksonville, Florida.

 New Compost Systems Come On-Line

OWNER:  Lisa H.

LOCATION:  Rolling Hills Estate, CA

Customer Feedback: "It's very fun and feels good to do my bit for the environment. To see and witness the process of something turning into something else is amazing."

More info on O2Compost project page.

OWNER:  Suzanne Z.

LOCATION:  Oregon City, OR

Customer Feedback: "It is important to make your farm green and protect the waterways from contamination."

More info on O2Compost project page.

OWNER:  Anonymous

LOCATION:  Minnesota

Customer Feedback: Contacting O2Compost simply "sounded like a good idea."

More info on O2Compost project page.

Coming Events

March 10, 2016
Water Rights & Policies for Agriculturists & Wineries
- Walla Walla Community College in Walla Walla, Washington
View Press Release for more information.

April 4-11, 2016
Bio Cycle West Coast 16
- San Diego, California
For more information, visit http://www.biocyclewestcoast.com/

April 10, 2016
Environment Council of Rhode Island Conference & Tradeshow
- Providence, Rhode Island
O2Compost will be represented by J. Eric Scherer a this year's event.
For more information, visit http://www.environmentcouncilri.org/content/2016-compost-conference-trade-show

April 20-23, 2016
ASP Composting Hands-On Workshop
- Seattle, Washington
This 3-day class bridges the gap between the classroom and the field.
View our Flyer for more information.
To register, email sherri@o2compost.com or call our office 360-568-8085.