Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["TradingPostPaul" <tradingpost@riseup.net>]

I can't imagine why you'd pay $40 per yard for compost on a large scale,
unless you're trying to fail financially.  You don't know more economical
practices on that scale for soil improvement? 

paul, tradingpost@riseup.net
---------------

The outstanding scientific discovery of the twentieth century is not
television, or radio, but rather the complexity of the land organism. Only
those who know the most about it can appreciate how little we know about
it. 
   - Aldo Leopold in  Round River, 1933
*********** REPLY SEPARATOR  ***********

On 6/15/2006 at 6:38 PM Ryan Albinger wrote:

>I forgot to add this.  I did some calculations.  I seem to hear that 1
>inch
>of compost applied per year to food growing areas as being a norm, so that
>is a number I used.
>If 1 inch of compost were added to 1 acre of land it would take 3630 cu ft
>of compost (43560 sq feet, 1/12 of foot of compost) or 134 cubic yards
>(3630cu ft / 27 cuft/cu yd).  At a price of $40 per cubic yard of compost,
>that would cost $5360 per acre.  Does this seem correct?
>Ryan
>
>
>> [Original Message]
>> From: Ryan Albinger <ryalbinger@earthlink.net>
>> Quality compost contains humus.  There are techniques and material
>> formulation that increase the amount of humus compost contains. 
>> Inncoulation with key microbes also has been shown to increase the use
>> value of "humified" compost.
>> Compost is not cheap judging by nutrient value or biological content. 
>But
>> together it offers value.  You need different equipment to handle it
>> compared to rock powders and fertilizers.  It takes time, equipment,
fuel
>> to handle the quanity of material to apply.  It takes time building
>> windrows, turning windrows, evaluating when to turn windrows, and
>managing
>> the pile.  It takes money and time to source and buy materials to
balance
>> the pile and complete the desired nutrient profile of finished product. 
>> Compost is lower cost than the value it provides, but it is expensive. 
>My
>> estimate for myself is around $105 per ton applied of a nutrient
enhanced
>> compost material.  That will provide value to replace other inputs of
>maybe
>> $200.  That may sound expensive to some.
>> Ryan
>