Organic Materials Management

On-Farm Composting

Green highlighted words indicate definitions and links to the glossary section.

Composting on the farm is a natural! Plant trimmings, straw, animal bedding, and vegetable culls make excellent feedstock for a compost pile. Some farmers also bring in material from off the farm, such as yard trimmings from landscapers, to give them additional feedstock. While many farmers use existing equipment, such as a front loader, to turn the compost pile, others invest in special equipment designed specifically for this purpose.

Do I Need a Permit?
While most on-farm composting operations do not need a permit, those that process more than 2,500 cubic yards of material per year are required, at a minimum, to notify their local enforcement agency (LEA) of their operation. This table on "Regulatory Tiers for Composting Operations and Facilities" may help you determine if you need to contact your LEA. Information on regulations pertaining to composting is available here.

How to Compost on the Farm
For a simple guide on the basics of composting, check out the CIWMB's publication Composting: Nature's Way to Recycle, Pub. #500-94-014. The publication may be ordered in hard copy from the CIWMB’s Publications Clearinghouse or downloaded in PDF format.

The On-Farm Composting Handbook $25 (ISBN 0-935817-19-0)
An excellent resource that discusses a variety of methods of on-farm composting. The book also discusses the carbon to nitrogen ratio of common farm feedstock. This information will help you figure out the best mixture of ingredients to facilitate the composting process. Excerpts of the book are included in the referenced Web site. It is produced by and available from the Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service, Cornell University, 152 Riley-Robb Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853; 607-255-7654.

The Field Guide to On-Farm Composting $14 (ISBN 0-935817-39-5) is an informative 118-page spiral-bound guide published by the Natural Resource, Agriculture, and Engineering Service. The guide is designed as a companion book to the above On-Farm Composting Handbook for use in the field. It does not provide the in-depth information on a number of topics presented in the Handbook, especially relative to site selection, economics and marketing. The guide is also available for purchase at the above website.

Related Outside Links

Farm-Scale Composting Resource List--Information provided by ATTRA (Appropriate Technology Transfers for Rural Areas).

Cornell Composting--Provides access to a variety of composting educational materials and programs developed at Cornell University.