NOVEMBER 2016 • COUNTRY LIFE IN BC There’s money for farmers who compost by TOM WALKER


KELOWNA – Consider composting to improve the long-term viability of your farm. That was the message delivered at a Compost Matters forum at the Pacific Agri-Food Research Centre (PARC) in Summerland earlier this year.


“I see composting in BC has been on the upswing in the last few years,” says Environmental Farm Plan advisor Pete Spencer. “But we stopped funding manure storage; maybe that’s why we are getting questions on compost,” he quipped.


“It’s all about the nitrogen, but it’s not about the nitrogen,” says Tom Forge, a PARC research scientist. “We know that it’s way more than fertilizer but inevitably, it’s compared to fertilizer.” While compost comes up short on nitrogen (composted manure may contain only half the nitrogen of fresh manure), the composting process converts the nitrogen to a stable form that is less susceptible to leaching. Additionally, when you compost manures with high carbon to nitrogen ratios, composting reduces the ratio, making nitrogen immediately available to the plants.


Soil health management


“Think of it as soil health management rather than just nutrient management,” says Forge. Whether mixed into the soil or simply used as a mulch, compost adds organic matter and reduces fertilizer requirements. In sandy soil, that increased organic matter helps hold onto moisture, something farmers should be considering more in times of climate adaptation. In clay soil, compost can improve drainage.


There are other benefits, Spencer points out. Composting manure greatly reduces the volume of


the manure, makes it easier to store and easier to move in instances where you are not applying it immediately.


“And it sure improves your social license,” he adds. “Odour and flies are not an issue with compost.” There are some costs involved. “It takes time to make and time to understand how to use it,” agrees Spencer. “A lot of people are used to having the fertilizer company come out and do a soil test and tell them how much to apply. And you have to have the space to store it.” If you are looking at using a windrow turner, for example, they are expensive but it could be partially funded under your Environmental Farm Plan, Spencer adds.


You have to follow the rules


There are some regulations to follow. If you compost your own materials and use the compost on your own property, the regulatory requirements from the Agriculture Waste Control Regulation (AWRC) currently apply. The same is true if you bring in materials from another location to compost and use only on your own property. Again, you follow the AWCR.


However, if you bring in materials to compost from another location and then distribute the compost elsewhere, you are now a composting facility and the rules are much more complex. The Organic Matter Recycling Regulations and the Agriculture Land Commission have regulations you must follow.


Or you could buy it. Many municipal landfill sites


operate a composting program to utilize urban and farm wastes. Indeed, the Kelowna “GlenGrow” program is overwhelmed with cherry culls in July that can jam up their windrow machine.


“There is this negative perception that municipal compost must be bad,” says Forge. In fact, a Class A compost license requires a rigorous set of tests be conducted on the product “compared to, say, raw manure which has minimal regulation.”


TOM FORGE


Composting can be an important part of your Environmental Farm Plan, says Spencer.


“It comes under the nutrient management plan.” The nutrient management plan itself can be funded at 100% up to $2,000. Once you have a nutrient management plan and have identified areas of risk and set out an action plan, you can apply for funds to support an on-farm composting program.


Participants are eligible for 30% funding up to $25,000 for composting technologies that are appropriate for their generated waste. That may be the windrow turner or an industrial composting bin. Funding of 30% up to $5,000 is also available for engineering and technical design work if you are planning a cement bin to store your finished product, for example.


Spencer has a couple of words to would-be applicants.


“Be organized with your paper work. Work with your EF planner and be ready to go in April when they open to receive applications.”


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Don is using


less electricity. 71 000 Canadian Farms have an


ENVIRONMENTAL FARM PLAN Don Hladych Vale Farms, Lumby B.C.


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