In this video, Natasha Duarte (Composting Association of Vermont), Andrew Carpenter (Northern Tilth) and Jordyn Fitch (Junction Arts & Media) talk about on-farm composting.

The learning topics covered include:

• 0:00-2:38 Rebalancing C:N and moisture in active piles

• 2:38-4:09 Avoiding a common windrow mistake

• 4:09-5:34 Timing pile turns based on temperature

• 5:34-7:27 Preventing soil phosphorus overload

• 7:27-11:16 The power of iterative improvements

Special thanks to Ali Baker of Fruit to Root for project and script development.

Tips for identifying feedstock providers and other collaborators in your community.

When you get your soil tests back, they often include information about fertilizer use. But how does this translate to compost use? In this video, the CAV technical service team looks at what soil tests tell you (and what they don't), what the numbers mean, and how to "translate" the information for getting the most out of your compost. Special guest Wendy Sue Harper teaches the soils and composting session for the Vermont Master Gardeners training and the compost biology session for Master Composters and is an expert in the fields of ecological agriculture, soil science, and composting. Her business, WSH Consulting in Monkton, VT, provides educational and technical services to the farming and gardening community.

Aeration can be ramped up or down, but either way it is crucial to a successful pile. Compost experts and CAV technical service providers Cat Buxton and Athena Lee Bradley, and CAV Director Natasha Duarte talk through the value and importance of compost aeration.

The growing season may be coming to a close for many - but food scraps keep coming! What are your plans for the winter? In this video, the CAV technical service team discusses challenges and solutions for collecting food scraps and composting through the winter. This excerpt is from a longer video series of Compost “Tea Talks" (a play on "coffee talks") - online trainings and discussions to support community-oriented on-farm food scrap composting.

The growing season may be coming to a close for many - but food scraps keep coming! What are your plans for the winter? In this video, the CAV technical service team discusses challenges and solutions for collecting food scraps and composting through the winter. This excerpt is from a longer video series of Compost “Tea Talks" (a play on "coffee talks") - online trainings and discussions to support community-oriented on-farm food scrap composting.

The growing season may be coming to a close for many - but food scraps keep coming! What are your plans for the winter? In this video, the CAV technical service team discusses challenges and solutions for collecting food scraps and composting through the winter. This excerpt is from a longer video series of Compost “Tea Talks" (a play on "coffee talks") - online trainings and discussions to support community-oriented on-farm food scrap composting.

The CAV technical service team dives into the wonderful world of what we can’t see when we look at a compost pile…

A review of soil microscopy keys from the longer microscopy talk with Lynn Fang. A short accompanying pdf can be found here.

Curious about the invisible world of soil microorganisms? In this recording of the August 2023 Compost "Tea Talk" - titled “As Above, So Below: A Whole Systems Perspective on Soil Ecology” - special guest Lynn Fang, a soil scientist who runs the Soil Sessions Community Microscopy program at LA Compost (https://www.lacompost.org/soil-sessions), shares a whole systems perspective of how aboveground design and management practices influence soil health, structure, and microbial ecology, and vice versa.

• 0:00 Introduction to the session

• 2:30 Lynn Fang presents “As Above, So Below: A Whole Systems Perspective on Soil Ecology”

• 25:06 Q&A and discussion

• 35:00 More microscopy photos and videos discussed

• 39:58 Review of microscopy keys

• 44:12 Q&A and discussion.

A short accompanying pdf can be found here.

Vermont Organics Recycling Summit (VORS) session on Composting & Heat Recovery

You're finally reaching those hot composting temps and realize that you could do a lot with all that heat if you could capture and redirect it... Have you been wondering how to do this? In this video, special guest Brian Jerose of Agrilab Technologies explores the opportunities and challenges that come with different scales of compost heat recovery systems, from do-it-yourself to state-of-the-art.

Understand and work with variations in temperature in your active pile, from the CAV technical service team. This excerpt is from a longer video series of Compost “Tea Talks" (a play on "coffee talks") - online trainings and discussions to support community-oriented on-farm food scrap composting.

Hot composting is like a sprint—quick and intense—while cold composting is more of a leisurely stroll. Choose the method that aligns with your time, effort, and goals! In this video, the CAV technical service team talks breaking down materials to speed up compost activity, and what materials can help or hinder this process. This excerpt is from a longer video series of Compost “Tea Talks" (a play on "coffee talks") - online trainings and discussions to support community-oriented on-farm food scrap composting.

Is there ever enough time to compost when you're also trying to farm? In this video, the CAV technical service team talks strategies for time management using system design, equipment, labor, and a patient partnership with nature. This excerpt is from a longer video series of Compost “Tea Talks" (a play on "coffee talks") - online trainings and discussions to support community-oriented on-farm food scrap composting.

The heat in a compost pile comes from microorganisms. In this video, you'll meet them all! Learn how to understand this invisible biological magic by reading your compost thermometer and making sure your compost microorganisms have the right balance of food, air, water, and volume. This excerpt is from a longer video series of Compost “Tea Talks" (a play on "coffee talks") - online trainings and discussions to support community-oriented on-farm food scrap composting.

How well you manage your pile and system determines whether wildlife, insects, or other unwanted visitors. In this video, the CAV technical service team guides you through what to do to limit visits to your compost pile by visitors from flies to bears. This excerpt is from a longer video series of Compost “Tea Talks" (a play on "coffee talks") - online trainings and discussions to support community-oriented on-farm food scrap composting.

There are many reasons a compost pile can smell. In this video, the CAV technical service team talks you through how to understand odors and other signs your compost process might be out of balance. This excerpt is from a longer video series of Compost “Tea Talks" (a play on "coffee talks") - online trainings and discussions to support community-oriented on-farm food scrap composting.

“Compost recipes are just like baking a cake.” In this video, the CAV technical service team unpacks the basics of compost recipes. This excerpt is from a longer video series of Compost “Tea Talks" (a play on "coffee talks") - online trainings and discussions to support community-oriented on-farm food scrap composting.

This complete Compost Tea Talk on Troubleshooting Compost System includes sections on recipe development, managing odors, keeping critters out, interpreting thermometer readings, and managing time. One in a series of Compost “Tea Talks" (a play on "coffee talks") - online trainings and discussions to support community-oriented on-farm food scrap composting.

This is the first full-group meeting with farmer-partners for the On-Farm Community-Scale Food Scrap and Agricultural Organic Waste Management in Vermont and New Hampshire project. Led by the Composting Association of Vermont and funded through the USDA Rural Rural Utility Services Solid Waste Management Grant Program. 00:00 Introduction to project and participants 16:42 Community-Oriented Food Scrap Composting Models & Science 24:27 Compost Systems 56:44 Site Plan & Layout 1:08:50 Next Steps & Q and A

A virtual tour of Black Dirt Farm, a diversified family farm in Vermont's Northeast Kingdom, with owner operator Tom Gilbert. The farm collects food scraps from a wide variety of businesses and institutions in their community/ region, and use that material as a component of the compost forage it produces for its 1,000 bird flock of laying hens. What isn't consumed by the birds is then used to make compost and worm castings. The farm also grows a small number of crops. Their farm is firmly based in regenerative agricultural practices and the creation of sustainable food systems. Black Dirt Farm is committed to a community-scale, systems-based approach to organics management. Tom has played a wide variety of roles in the agricultural and composting sectors for 25 years. Enjoy this virtual tour of one of the Northeast's most accomplished compost models!

What's the best spot on your farm for a compost system? This excerpt is from a longer video series of Compost “Tea Talks" (a play on "coffee talks") - online trainings and discussions to support community-oriented on-farm food scrap composting.

Detailed introduction to "vermicomposting" (worm composting) systems, with the CAV technical service team. This excerpt is from a longer video series of Compost “Tea Talks" (a play on "coffee talks") - online trainings and discussions to support community-oriented on-farm food scrap composting.

Detailed introduction to "in-vessel" systems. This excerpt is from a longer video series of Compost “Tea Talks" (a play on "coffee talks") - online trainings and discussions to support community-oriented on-farm food scrap composting.

Detailed introduction to "non-aerated pile" systems. This excerpt is from a longer video series of Compost “Tea Talks" (a play on "coffee talks") - online trainings and discussions to support community-oriented on-farm food scrap composting.

Detailed introduction to "bin and bay" compost systems. This excerpt is from a longer video series of Compost “Tea Talks" (a play on "coffee talks") - online trainings and discussions to support community-oriented on-farm food scrap composting.

What should you be thinking about when selecting a compost system for your farm? The CAV technical service team talks through factors to consider as you're choosing and setting up an on-farm compost system. This excerpt is from a longer video series of Compost “Tea Talks" (a play on "coffee talks") - online trainings and discussions to support community-oriented on-farm food scrap composting.

Solid Waste Management rules relevant to compost operations, with guests Ben Gauthier from VT Department of Environmental Conservation, and Mike Nork and Paige Wilson form NH Department of Environmental Services. Originally recorded Oct 4, 2022. One in a series of Compost “Tea Talks" (a play on "coffee talks") - online trainings and discussions to support community-oriented on-farm food scrap composting.

Agricultural regulations as they pertain to on-farm food scrap composting, with guest speakers Stephanie Smith and Laura DePietro from Vermont Agency of Agriculture, Food & Markets (VAAFM); and Bay Hammond from Vermont Organic Farmers (VOF). Originally recorded Feb 1, 2023. One in a series of Compost “Tea Talks" (a play on "coffee talks") - online trainings and discussions to support community-oriented on-farm food scrap composting.