Highfields' Fall Workshops Roundup

More than seventy farmers, compost facility operators, aspiring farmers, students, and a few representatives from the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources and Department of Agriculture Food and Markets attended one of Highfields' 2011 composting workshops this fall, and over sixty of those individuals were awarded certificates approved by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources (ANR), permitting them to operate compost facilities under pending State regulations.

The three courses offered this fall were Highfields' traditional On-Farm Composting 101 Workshop on Sept. 14th, and the VT ANR Compost Operator and Aspiring Farmer Compost Operator Workshops, which took place on Oct. 12th and 15th respectively.

Scenes From The Sept. 12th 2011 VT ANR Compost Operator Workshop Dave DiDomenico sniffs a handful of compost to detect possible malodors. Monica Foley gives the ol’ squeeze test to a pile of compost to determine its approximate moisture content.

These latter two courses were virtually identical in content, but the first session was oriented primarily towards experienced farmer-composters and compost facility operators, while the second session was offered to “aspiring farmers.”

Participants in the courses ranged from Intervale Compost Products and Vermont Compost Company personnel to students from UVM and Sterling College sustainable agriculture programs. Through the workshops, Highfields Executive Director Tom Gilbert and Compost Specialist James McSweeney, with the help of Carey Hengstenberg of ANR who explained the new VT solid waste regulations, presented piles of valuable information about the composting process and how to deal with a range of materials and situations, and led participants through various exercises that ranged from examining sample compost piles and evaluating their composition, to learning about how to biologically control and filter stormwater leaving a compost site.

Scenes From The Sept. 12th 2011 VT ANR Compost Operator Workshop Tate Bushell takes note of some compost pile characteristics during an exercise. Wise Worm Compost’s Terrance LaPointe takes a poke at a mystery pile of compost during an exercise

We would like to extend a thank you to the course participants for their work and aspirations in composting. Needless to say, its been a great fall for composting, and we're excited to help usher in a new wave composters to the ranks. 

Carey Hengstenberg of VT Agency of Natural Resources takes a temperature reading of a mystery compost pile to gain some insight into the microbial activity in the compost at the Sept. 12th 2011 VT ANR Compost Operator workshop.

Our 2011 fall workshop series was funded by the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources, a supplemental Environmental Program by the Chittenden Solid Waste District in agreement with the Vermont Agency of Natural Resources., and by the Vermont Agriculture Innovation Center of the Vermont Agency of Agriculture. All workshops were held at Highfield's new compost Research, Education, and Production Facility at the Fisher Bridge Industrial Park in Wolcott, VT.

If you would like to find out more about Highfield's annual workshops, please visit our workshops page, e-mail info@highfieldscomposting.org or sign up to our mailing list.

Highfields’ Jim Rapp walks through the delivery and blending of food scraps at Highfields’ receiving bay at Highfields’ Research and Education Site. at our Sept. 12th 2011 VT ANR Compost Operator workshop.