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For Allan Balliett---according to this post by Will Brinton,
not only is compost tea Ingham-style to be no longer allowed for organic
production of foodstuffs, all other types of compost tea are also not allowed.
Whether this includes, for example, BD 500, is not clearly stated.
Allan Balliett wrote: <snip> Could we get
an update on how compost tea Ingham-style played out in
the final
rules?
----- Original Message -----
Sent: Saturday, October 12, 2002 2:47 PM
Subject: [Compostteas] Re: Organic Farming and Compost
Teas
Under the new USDA guidelines for compost practices, fully in
effect by Oct 21, 2002, compost teas are no longer allowed or recognized as
organic for foodstuffs production. Our Compost Task Forced tried to save compost
teas based on a special exclusion that would hold that unadulterated
extracts from compost that previously fulfilled the NOP compost guidelines would
be acceptable. However, intense debate ensued and the end effect was USDA
provisionally withdrew acceptance of all compost teas for food-stuff production
(teas could be used on field forage and non edible crops) until further research
is performed. Now it is up to practitioners and scientific workers to
assemble evidence and data that shows the proper and safe use of compost teas!
Submitted by William Brinton
PS Our new book (Brinton, Droffner and Traenkner) on compost for disease
control and compost teas will be out early next year!
USDA links:
current rule : http://www.ams.usda.gov/nop/noppolicies.htm
GO TO COMPOST TASK FORCE REPORT
>> Original Task Force recommendation approved by
National Organic
Standards Board
Compost Task Force Recommendation
April 18, 2002
INTRODUCTION
Section 205.203(c) of the soil fertility and crop nutrient management
practice standard in the USDA standard sets forth the fundamental
requirement for processing and applying plant and animal materials.
The
section states, ?The producer must manage plant and animal
materials to
maintain or improve soil organic matter content in a
manner that does not
contribute to contamination of crops, soil, or
water by plant nutrients,
pathogenic organisms, heavy metals, or
residues of prohibited
substances?. Subsequently, Section
205.203(c) states that plant and
animal materials include raw animal
manure (205.203(c)(1)), compost
(205.203(c)(2)), and uncomposted plant
materials (205.203(c)(3)). The
USDA standard establishes that raw
animal manure and uncomposted plant
materials are distinct materials
that, when combined and processed, yield
compost. The standard also
contains management restrictions for crops
on which raw manure has
been applied and specifies the conditions that must
be maintained to
process compost. Other than the common requirement
that all
production practices used in organic production must maintain or
improve the natural resources of the operation, including soil and
water
quality, there are no processing or application restrictions or
conditions
for using composted or uncomposted plant materials that are
not mixed with
animal materials.
At its Washington, DC meeting in October 2001, the National Organic
Standards Board (NOSB) reviewed the provisions in the USDA standard
for
processing and applying plant and animal materials. While
supportive
of the fundamental requirement established in Section
205.203(c), the NOSB
expressed concern that the provisions in Section
205.203(c)(1)-(3) could
excessively restrict the processing and
application of beneficial plant and
animal materials. The NOSB
identified specific weaknesses in this part
of the practice standard,
including:
*The C:N ratio range for compost is too narrow. Quality compost can be
made with C:N ratios from as low as 15:1 and up to 60:1.
*The requirement for turning compost in a windrow system five times is too
prescriptive.
*The terms in-vessel, static aerated, windrow, and raw
manure are not
defined.
*Compost tea is not addressed
*Vermicompost products are not addressed
*Manures that have been heat treated to eliminate pathogenic organisms
without composting are not addressed.
The NOSB concluded that the USDA standard should be clarified to
accommodate a broader range of plant and animal materials and related
processing practices than specified in Section 205.203(c)(1)-(3). The
intent of the crop nutrient and soil fertility management practice
standard should be to identify fundamental management parameters and
to
establish threshold requirements for complying with those
parameters.
Site-specific variation in feedstock materials,
management practices, and
production requirements dictate that organic
producers exercise flexibility
in managing plant and animal materials
on their operations. The NOSB
established the Compost Task Force to
clarify the parameters and
requirements in the USDA standard for
processing and applying plant and
animal materials in organic crop
production.
The Task Force concurs with the NOSB that many certified organic
farmers
use plant and animal materials that are not adequately defined
or described
in Section 205.203(c)(1) - (3). Examples of materials
that are incompletely
addressed in the USDA standard are compost and
its liquid extract compost
tea, vermiculture products, and processed
manure products. The Task
Force is especially concerned that many
producers process compost by
selecting and managing plant and animal
materials differently than the
specifications established in Section
205.203(c)(2)(i)-(iii). This
recommendation provides producers and
certifying agents with a more
comprehensive description of the plant
and animal materials allowed in
organic crop production and the
conditions under which they must be
processed. Since it is
impractical to describe every combination of
plant and animal material
and establish how it must be processed, this
recommendation should
serve as guidance for producers and certifying
agents. Full
compliance with the provisions of Section 205.203(c) must
be
documented in the producer?s organic system plan.
The Task
Force endorses the fundamental requirement in Section
205.203(c) that all
plant and animal materials used in organic crop
production must be managed
to ?maintain or improve soil organic
matter content in a manner that does
not contribute to contamination
of crops, soil, or water by plant nutrients,
pathogenic organisms,
heavy metals, or residues of prohibited
substances?. The Task
Force interprets the subsequent provision that
?Animal and plant
materials include? not to be restrictive but rather as
allowing
examples of such materials other than those specifically provided
for
in Section 205.203(c)(i)-(iii). This recommendation includes
descriptions and conditions for four such allowed plant and animal
materials: compost, compost tea, vermicompost products, and processed
manures. The Task Force recommends that producers and certifying
agents
use the parameters established in Section 205.203(c) and the
management
practices outlined in this recommendation for specific
plant and animal
materials to evaluate compliance on a site-specific
basis. The Task
Force is not recommending changes to the practice
standard provisions for
processing or applying raw manure or
uncomposted plant materials.
1. Compost
Definition:
Compost: Organic matter of plant and/or animal origin managed to
promote
aerobic decomposition and an increase in temperature to
enhance its physical
and nutritive properties as a soil amendment
while minimizing pathogenic
organisms. Compost must achieve a minimum
temperature of at least
131ºF (55 C)and remain there for a minimum of
3 days.
Producing compost that improves soil organic matter while not
contributing to contamination of crops, soil, or water by plant
nutrients, pathogenic and parasitic organisms, heavy metals or
residues
of prohibited substances requires careful management. The
fundamental
conditions for composting are: 1) Compost shall
incorporate only allowed
feedstock materials, except for incidental
residues that will not lead to
contamination; 2) Compost shall undergo
an increase in temperature for a
period of time to a level that
minimizes pathogenic organisms; 3) Compost
shall release H20 and CO2
with a resultant loss of volume and weight; 4)
Compost shall undergo a
decrease in carbon to nitrogen ratio and an increase
in nutrient
stability.
The primary feedstock materials for making compost are organic matter
of
plant and animal origin. The USDA standard defines organic matter
as
?the remains, residues, or waste products of any organism.?
Organic matter
of plant and animal origin includes crop residues,
non-crop plant material
such as leaves and food waste, and manure and
other residues from animal
bodies including soil invertebrates.
Compost may be produced from a single
material of plant or animal
origin or from the combination of multiple
materials. The producer
may add a natural nonagricultural material or
a synthetic material
allowed in organic crop production to compost for a
specific
management purpose such as improved porosity. When sourcing
feedstock
materials, the producer must consider their origin and comply with
the
requirement to prevent contact between organically managed crops and
prohibited substances.
Composting requires that the producer combine and manage feedstock
materials to achieve a documented increase in temperature. Composting
begins in the mesophilic range (50ºF - 105ºF) and moves into the
thermophilic range (in excess of 105ºF) as decomposing organic matter
of
plant and animal origin releases energy as heat. Compost must
achieve
a recognized minimum temperature of at least 131ºF (55 C) and
remain there
for a minimum interval of 3 days to minimize pathogens
and parasites.
Compost piles must be turned or be managed in some
other acceptable way to
ensure that all of the feedstock heats to the
minimum temperature.
Composting materials must be passively or
actively aerated by the design of
the pile or through turning.
Physical maturation of compost transforms the
feedstock materials and
little or no trace of their original nature is
distinguishable upon
completion. Particles in finished compost have
been reduced in size
and become consistent and soil like in their
texture. After achieving
a minimum temperature of 131ºF for a minimum
of 3 days, compost should
cure in the mesophilic range for at least 45 days
or until the
producer can document that it is suitable for soil application.
Compost maturity involves physical and chemical components and must
include an appraisal of potential antagonisms between the compost and
plant or soil health such as excessive nutrients or salts.
A producer must document in their organic system plan all management
provisions or practices related to the fundamental conditions for
making
compost: use of allowed feedstock materials, temperature
elevation and
maintenance, decreases in weight, volume, and carbon to
nitrogen ratio, and
increase in nutrient stability. The certifying
agent must concur that
the provisions in the organic system plan for
making compost will fulfill
the parameters for these conditions.
Procedures for documenting compliance
include measuring temperature,
time, moisture content, chemical composition,
biological activity, and
particle size. These measurements may include
testing feedstock
materials and compost for one or more characteristics
including
initial and final carbon to nitrogen ratios, stability (using
ammonia/nitrate ratio, O2 demand, CO2 rate or other standard tests),
or
pathogenic organisms.
2. Compost and Vermicompost teas
The use of a liquid compost extract, or ?compost tea?, raises
special
issues. The preparation and use of compost tea and compost
extract has
been increasing in the U.S. during recent years. Organic
producers
especially are interested in compost teas and extracts
because the
preparations reportedly provide some degree of control of
foliar and root
pathogenic organisms. Various methods and practices
have developed for
production of the teas or extracts since the
practice originated some years
ago in Europe. However, recent
research at the USDA Agricultural
Research Service?s labs in
Beltsville, MD and Corvallis, OR shows that
certain approaches to
compost tea or extract preparation are conducive to
growth of enteric
bacterial pathogenic organisms, such as enterotoxigenic E.
coli and
Salmonella. The practices and procedures that lead to
pathogen growth
in the prepared teas and extracts involve the addition of
supplemental
nutrients such as sugars, molasses or other readily available
(soluble) carbon sources during batch production.
The researchers did not observed growth of enteric pathogenic
organisms
when compost tea or extract was prepared only with water and
high quality
compost. By high quality compost, they mean compost that
has met
criteria for destroying pathogenic organisms, i.e., 131ºF for
3 days, or
compost that has less than 3 MPN salmonella per 4 grams
compost (dry weight)
and less than 1000 MPN fecal coliforms. The
critical determinant
regarding pathogen growth in compost teas and
extracts is the addition of
the carbon sources like sugars, molasses,
or yeast or malt extracts during
the ?brewing? phase.
Recommendation: Compost teas if used in contact with crops less than
120
days before harvest must be made from high quality compost
described above
and not prepared with addition of supplemental
nutrients such as sugars,
molasses or other readily available
(soluble) carbon sources.
3. Vermicompost materials
Definition:
Vermicomposts are organic matter of plant and/or animal origin,
consisting mainly of finely-divided earthworm castings, produced
non-thermophilically with bioxidation and stabilization of the organic
material, due to interactions between aerobic microorganisms and
earthworms, as the material passes through the earthworm gut.
Vermicomposting, while not contributing to contamination of the
environment by heavy metals, needs careful preparation and management
of
the organic wastes. Feed stocks for vermicompost materials include
organic
matter of plant or animal origin; either a single material or
mixture,
preferably thoroughly macerated and mixed before
processing. Pathogenic
organisms are eliminated in 7-60 days,
depending on the technology used. All
vermicomposting systems depend
upon regular additions of thin layers of
organic matter at 1-3 day
intervals to maintain aerobicity and avoid
temperature increases above
35 degrees C (95 degrees F) which will kill the
earthworms. Permitted
methods and required duration of vermicomposting
include outdoor
windrows (6-12 months), angled wedge systems (2-4 months),
indoor
container systems (2-4 months) and continuous flow reactors (30-60
days).
Earthworms fragment the organic wastes into finely-divided materials
with
a low C:N ratio, high microbial activity, nitrogen mostly in the
nitrate
form, and potassium and phosphorus in soluble forms. For most
organic
wastes, no traces of the raw materials are seen. Odors
disappear within
48-72 hours of vermicomposting and the finished
product should have an odor
similar to soil. Processing must be
maintained at 70-90% moisture content
with temperatures maintained in
the range of 18-30 degrees C (65-86 degrees
F) for good
productivity. This should be achieved by monitoring temperatures
regularly to regulate timing of additions of wastes and adding
moisture
through fine sprays as required.
4. Processed manure materials
Manures that have been treated to reduce pathogenic organisms are
considered to be ?processed manure? materials. Processed manure
materials must be made from manure that has been heated to a
temperature
in excess of 150°F for one hour or more, dried to a
moisture level of 12% or
less. Processed manure products should be
negative for salmonella and
less than 1000 MPN fecal coliform per 4
grams (dry wt.) material.
Since processed manure materials will not
contribute to contamination of the
soil by pathogenic organisms, they
may be managed with many of the same
requirements as compost. Like
compost, processed manure materials do
not have to be incorporated
into the soil and therefore can be applied as a
top-dress or
side-dress. Similarly, there is no waiting period between
application
of processed manure materials and harvest of the crop. Unlike
compost,
however, these materials are highly soluble and have reduced
biological activity. Therefore, they should not be used as a primary
source of nutrients.
CONCLUSION
The Compost Task Force concurs with the NOSB that Sections
205.203(c)(1)
- (3) of the USDA standard do not sufficiently define
or describe a variety
of beneficial soil amendments and fertilizers
that have long been used in
organic crop production. The Task Force
endorses the fundamental
requirement in Section 205.203(c) that all
plant and animal materials used
in organic crop production must be
managed to ?maintain or improve soil
organic matter content in a
manner that does not contribute to contamination
of crops, soil, or
water by plant nutrients, pathogenic organisms, heavy
metals, or
residues of prohibited substances?. The Task Force supports
amending the soil fertility and crop nutrient management practice
standard by incorporating a comprehensive understanding of allowed
materials and practices. Site-specific variation in feedstock
materials, management practices, and production requirements dictate
that organic producers exercise flexibility in managing plant and
animal
materials on their operations. Pending amendment of the USDA
standard,
the Task Force recommends that producers and certifying
agents adhere to the
management practices contained in this report
when using compost, compost
tea, vermicompost materials, and processed +++++++++++++++++++++++++++
William F. Brinton, Jr.
Woods End Research
PO Box 297
20 Old Rome Road
Mt Vernon ME 04352
207.293.2457 207.293.2488 fx
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
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