University of Maine Cooperative Extension Compost School

University of Maine Cooperative Extension Compost School

Summary

Summary
This project provided training to Extension, NRCS, FSA, conservation district, and state department of agriculture personnel from New England through the University of Maine Cooperative Extension Compost School. The course covered all phases of composting through classroom teaching, hands-on activities and compost site visits. Seventy-five people successfully completed the program, gaining the necessary skills to advise farmers about composting and help establish on-farm composting operations. A recent survey of Compost School graduates showed that they have contacted 385 farmers in New England regarding composting. They have also worked closely with 95 farmers with existing composting operations, and have assisted 96 farmers in starting new compost operations.

Objectives
1. USDA, Extension and State Department of Agriculture personnel in New England will effectively address compost-related issues by acquiring the knowledge and skills for medium and large-scale enterprises.

2. Eighty trained USDA, Extension and State Department of Agriculture personnel will assist farmers in New England in assessing the drawbacks and benefits of composting as a component of a whole farm system.

Results
Seventy-five people from the designated agencies in New England have successfully completed the UMCE Compost School. All of the compost school participants funded from this project were able to pass the certification test administered at the completion of the compost school session each attended. The certification test measures competency in dealing with composting and compost facilities. Each participant was awarded a certificate documenting his/her achievement.
The participant evaluations completed for each compost school session were extremely positive with very high marks given to the teaching faculty and the course content. Many good ideas were generated in the comments received from these participants. Improvements to the compost school program and curriculum resulted from their comments. An example of this positive feedback resulting in a program addition was the suggestion that the UMCE compost school provide a laminated pocket size card with the formulas for recipe development calculations.
The participants were also vocal in expressing needs for additional training in composting beyond the basic course offered in the compost school. In the evaluation forms, they identified three topics for advanced training. The identified topics were Recipe Development, Troubleshooting Compost Piles and Marketing. The first advanced training session of the UMCE compost school was held on September 22-24, 1998, using the topics identified above as the course material. This session was well attended by the people funded under this project.
The compost school participants were surveyed in December of 1999 to determine the impact each had made on agriculture related composting in New England. The response rate for this mail survey was 75.4 percent. All of the surveyed participants reported receiving sufficient information during the compost school to be effective in working with clients on agriculture related composting issues. Most of the participants reported that they were currently advising agricultural clients with composting operations.
According to the survey, the UMCE compost school participants have contacted 385 farmers in New England regarding agriculture related composting operations. The participants have worked closely with 95 farmers that had existing composting operations and have assisted 96 farmers in starting new composting operations.

Impact
Evaluations conducted at the conclusion of the training showed that all of the SARE participants reported that they felt more confident in working with and advising others on composting and that they had gained the knowledge to do this from attending the UMCE compost school. All of the participants were very appreciative of the opportunity to attend the compost school to obtain this level of professional development training.
All of the participants were surveyed in December of 1999 to determine the impact each had made on agriculture related composting in New England. All of the participants indicated that they felt more comfortable and confident in working with farmers on compost related issues. They reported having developed a better understanding of the compost principals and how they applied to agriculture. Their level of confidence has increased significantly and they felt better prepared to work with the agricultural community on composting issues.
The UMCE compost school participants reported many accomplishments and impacts in the December 1999 survey. Some of the more significant accomplishments and impacts reported by the participants are as follows:

· assisted with the design and installation of compost pads on farms

· assisted hog farmer with 500 pigs and no crop land to change from totally open waste handling with runoff to a completely covered operation involving composting with waste paper products

· assisted farmers with developing and writing compost plans that were approved by Department of Environmental Protection

· assisted farmers in generating income from animal manure through composting, instead of it being an expense

· assisted farmers with recipe formulation to develop successful composting operations

· assisted farmers with the permitting process to allow food waste to be composted in farm composting operations

· assisted farmers with reducing fertilizer costs and increasing productivity by applying compost to cropland

· conducted small scale research project on compost tea and disease suppression with cranberries

Recommendations & Areas Needing Additional Professional Development Efforts
The participants receiving professional development training under this project by attending the UMCE compost school were from the New England states. There are many others in the same agencies in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland and West Virginia, who could also benefit from the opportunity to attend this kind of training program. In addition, the current focus on nutrient management plans for agriculture, particularly in Maine, will create a greater need for composting on farms and a greater demand for trained advisors to assist with these composting operations. New employees being hired by the various agencies involved in this grant project will need to receive this training through the UMCE compost school to be effective in working with farmers on composting issues.

Reported January 2000