On-Farm Composting Business

On-Farm Composting Business MANURE HANDLING Custom Service As housing developments and population growth encroached on his Ohio farm Tom Price shifted from raising livestock to offering a service and new products—compost topsoil blends and mulches Price Farms Organics Ltd provides a great option for local businesses that want to avoid sending byproducts to the landfill And it’s a unique opportunity to turn manure and bedding from the Columbus Zoo into Zoo Brew compost Price first got into composting in the late 90s when he started intensive grazing with his cattle To fertilize the pastures that were on a 20 to 30-day rotation he composted the manure from hogs bedded with newspaper and cardboard That led to winning a bid when Delaware County Commissioners sought a property to compost yard trimmings after Ohio’s 1994 yard waste ban “When a large food company found out what we were doing they invited us to talk to them about composting ” Price says This turned into a trip to the UK to observe how composting was done there “It took us about 3 years to go through a great deal of learning and permits ” After a very simple beginning with customers bringing 5-gal buckets to pick up compost Price Farms got a couple of grants to help purchase a scale and loader They went through the regulations to become an Ohio EPA-certified Class II commercial composting facility for their local solid waste district In addition to byproducts from businesses and the zoo yard trimmings are part of the compost mix Because they have enough volume they can even take black walnuts Price says which are common in the area “We have to weigh everything coming in for the EPA including shipments every day from the zoo ” Price says The 26-acre composting yard in the center of the 330-acre farm hay and sod allows the operation to handle about 200 tons of material a day and let the compost mature for 1 to 2 years The location is also helpful in reducing noise and smell “We manage odors aggressively and use lots of carbon as a bulking agent to calm the nitrogen in the manure We have dropped odorous product lines ” Price says Since the beginning he has been mindful of his neighbors To accommodate gatherings at million-dollar homes often upwind of his farm he slows down the operation a couple of days ahead of time When he first started Price says he did his homework to learn about regulations talk to township trustees and visit his neighbors—often with gifts of meat “You have to build goodwill ” Price emphasizes to anyone considering starting a similar business “Let the neighbors know what you are doing hire their kids build relationships ” Following the tenants of “faith family and friends ” the composting business has helped keep his seventh-generation farm a viable operation despite the increasing metro population around the farm Many of his Zoo Brew compost customers are members of a garden club in a wealthy neighborhood nearby and zoo landscapers incorporate the compost back into the zoo grounds Price Farms provides an important service and completes the circle Price says by keeping byproducts out of the landfill and creating nutrient-filled compost topsoil and mulch Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Price Farms Organics Ltd 4838 Warrensburg Rd Delaware Ohio 43015 ph 740-369-1000; pfo@pricefarms org; www pricefarms org

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