Establish a system of composting to produce local sustainable agricultural inputs

View the project final report

Commodities

• Agronomic: corn, soybeans

Practices

• Pest Management: compost extracts
• Soil Management: composting, soil microbiology, soil quality/health

Soil health is one of the largest problems in the world today.  Our soil is depleted and poisoned and this is largely due to our agricultural practices.  Being a farmer in southern Minnesota I have experienced the very limited options for fertilizer and soil amendments.  Most of these options are synthetic and shipped in from far away places.  Synthetic fertilizers are destroying the microorganisms in the soil which are essential for growing healthy crops.  Not to mention the environmental destruction factors from the production processes of the synthetic fertilizers.   In order to address this huge problem we need to create local systems that produce the inputs needed for large scale agriculture.  The process of making our own organic inputs will strengthen the community all while rebuilding the health and diversity of our soils.  This project will be a template for communities all over to take a huge step towards environmental regeneration and self sufficiency.

1.  Establish a systematic way to produce local sustainable agricultural inputs.
2. Share findings and bring awareness through field days and educational gatherings.
3. Create community around soil health and environmental stewardship.