2005 Annual Report for FNC04-542
LaCreek Growing Solutions
Summary
PROJECT PROGRESS AND RESULTS
During the months of January and February we researched, purchased and put together a tea brewer. The brewer that we chose is from Sustainable Ag Tech, and it is called the Earth Tea Brewer. This is a 500 gallon brewer. In April, we started composting and in June, we made a trip to Fort Collins, Colorado to visit a farm that grows worms for composting.
Note: Lawrence was diagnosed with liver cancer in the summer of 2005 and some of the project plans were not accomplished. He passed away on November 1, 2005. The group decided to continue the research project and asked for a one year extension so that it could be done properly. Gayle Kocer will be the project leader.
The most important thing that was learned during the past year was how to balance the microbes needed for the different crops on which the compost tea will be applied.
During the year of 2006 the plan is to:
• Do the soil sampling
• Start spraying the fields in the fall with the proper tea brew.
• Take a second set of soil samples approximately one month after the first application of the compost tea.
OUTREACH
We have shared some of the information about tea brewers through Badlands RC&D newsletter that goes into approximately 6,000 homes in the four county area of Bennett, Haakon, Jackson, and Shannon.
We will continue to share through the Badlands RC&D newsletter, and then in the fall of 2007 we will have a farm tour of the projects fields.