This document provides information on composting on a farm scale, including what compost is, quality inputs, the compost making process, standards for quality compost, applications, and additives. It discusses using local, inexpensive materials like hay, chicken litter, and saw dust to make compost. The process involves building windrows, maintaining proper moisture and temperature levels over 56 days to produce mature compost. Quality compost adds organic matter and nutrients to soil in an available biological form and bad compost can negatively impact soils.

1. STUART LARSSON
MALLANGANEE NSW
THE NUT RUSH
composting
on a farm scale

2.  What is Compost
 Quality Inputs
 How do we make Compost
 Standards for Quality Compost
 How do we Use Compost
 Additives to Compost
 Identifying Soil Requirements
 Reference Material

3.  Compost is a great way to add organic matter and
nutrients in an available form of biology to your
soils
 Quality inputs are the key to success
 A great way of turning farm waste into value
 Many products that may claim to be are not
effective
 Bad compost can have harmful side effects e.g.
poorly composted organic material will take
nitrogen from your plants and may encourage
pathogenic organisms

4. • Hay as a carbon source from pastures
• Chicken Litter, feedlot manure, Pig Manure
• Ground Timber, Tea tree Mulch (Aged)
• Various saw dusts (Aged)
• Crops grown for green material
• Nut Husk
• Clays 5%
• Water – dam / lagoon
• Biology manufactured as compost is
reapplied as inoculants

6.  Use materials close by and cheap (bare in mind the quality
because “rubbish in results in rubbish out”)
 Assess the weight or Cubic Meter.
 Carbon 25:1(30:1)Nitrogen Ratio
 High N38%,Woody31%,Green31%
 Build windrow or Pile 1.5metres high at minimum
 Build Compost windrows directly down the slope of
2%>5%
 Mix ingredients dry and thoroughly
 Add water (good quality)to 50%(hand squeeze)
 Turn pile to get even moisture - most inputs are
hydrophobic.

11.  Temperature must reach 70degrees C for 6 Days
 Turn and water as needed to control temperature
 CO2 levels kept below 10%
 Turning replaces the CO2 to keep the process
aerobic
 After this period it will stabilize to around
52degrees C , Final temp will be late 40 degrees C
 It takes 56 days to make mature compost but have a
product stable 100 Days
 Moisture content on completion should 30% to 40%

12. Compost Pad

14. ROW
NUMBER 21A09
BIOPHO
BROILER S/APATI GROUND TEA TREE
Product CHICKEN LIME TE SAWDUST TIMBER MULCH OTHER HAY
CUBIC Tonne / Tn / Tonne / Tonne /
CM3 Tn / Mtr Tonnes Tonnes CM3 Tn / Mtr MTR MTR CM3 MTR Bales Bale Bales Bales
Water
Volume 0.00 0.50 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.35 0.00 0.50 0.00 0.20 0.00 0.20 78.00 0.15 Tonnes Tonnes
Wet Weight Basis 44.50 0.00 0.00 31.75 0.00 20.20 0.00 11.70 108.15 8.80
% Water Weight % Water Weight % Water Weight % Water Weight % Water Weight % Water Weight
Dry
Water % Basis 10.00 44.50 10.00 31.75 10.00 0.00 10.00 20.20 10.00 0.00 10.00 11.70 Weight
40.05 0.00 28.58 0.00 18.18 0.00 10.53 97.34
%C Weight %C Weight %C Weight %C Weight %C Weight %C Weight %c Weight
% Carbon 38.00 40.05 0.00 39.00 28.58 32.17 0.00 39.00 18.18 65.00 0.00 40.00 10.53 Total C
Weight Carbon 15.22 0.00 0.00 11.14 0.00 7.09 0.00 4.21 37.67
%N Weight %N Weight %N Weight %N Weight %N Weight %N Weight %N Weight
% Nitrogen 2.00 40.05 0.00 0.14 28.58 0.34 0.00 0.14 18.18 0.89 0.00 1.20 10.53 Total N
Weight Nitrogen 0.80 0.00 0.04 0.00 0.03 0.00 0.13 0.99
C/N 37.94
Tonne of Water to add for 50% of total 88.54
Total weight of compost at start. (50% water) 194.67
loss 33.22% 130.00
25% 40% 35%
Ratio Mixes
Hi N Woody Green Total
41% 29% 29% 100%

15. 1. Consolidation : When raw materials
(feedstock) are mixed with water (field
capacity)and formed into a windrow
2. Active stage: When core temperature is
maintained between 50 and 70 degrees C
3. Curing Stage : When the core temperature
drops and nutrients are released in the
inorganic form

17.  Belt or chain spreaders
 Rates depend on soil condition and the need
of repair. (See SOFT Soil Report Document)
 You cannot overdo the application - I would
as a general rule advise 2.5mt/ha. Broad acre
or 20kg/tree/year

18.  If major elements are lacking this may need
some adjustment.
 Phosphorous can be added into the process a,
SOFTphos (13%Phosphorous Calcium Ore)
 Biochar at 10% inclusion.
 Calcium as lime can be added not at high
rates eg 150kg/Ha.
 Potassium and trace elements added at the
curing stage.

19. There is an Australian standard AS445-1999
Microscope inspection for biological levels is recommended
Soil Food web in Lismore do proper analytical work
Quality compost on completion will have an earthy smell similar to the
forest floor.
Any pungent odor will indicate not composted completely or maybe
something in the raw materials that kills biology.
A quality compost will be broken do to be friable but may still resemble
some ingredients such as wood particles
In a mature compost microbes have converted readily available organic
matter into humic acids and microbial cells.
 In contrast immature compost may contain partially broken down
chemicals which may be toxic (including ammonia N) and high
microbial activity inducing nutrient draw down(eg Raw Manure)

20.  Australian Standard Website
www.standards.com.au (see standard AS445-1999)
 Composting by K Handreck.CSIRO 1978
 No Garbage by A.Gilbert,Lothian publishers
1992
 www.soilfoodweb.com/systems/compost,orw
ww.oldgrowth.org/compost

21. ™

22. www.maraseeds.com.au