Waste Management

Compost Teas for Enhanced Nutrient Cycling

With increasing fertilizer and fuel costs, producers are increasingly keen to improve on-farm nutrient cycling through biologically intensive methods. Currently, poor plant-soil-microbe interactions do not support healthy nutrient flow, which limits crop yield and favors fertilizer-dependent farming. Slow residue breakdown also inhibits direct seeding adoption and adherence since heavy residue at seeding time impedes direct […]

Building Soil Health Resiliency Through Vermicompost Tea Application

Agricultural intensification to meet the food needs of an increasing global population has placed tremendous pressure on our ability to maintain the health and quality of our soils. More holistic agricultural systems that encourage sustainable waste management and reuse are urgently needed to protect soil health and its roles in food production and security. Vermicompost […]

Impact of Process Emissions on Climate Offsets by Different Biochar Production Methods

Agricultural use of biochar is generally considered a sustainable and climate-friendly way to increase farm productivity. These benefits, however, depend on how biochar is produced. I have performed some preliminary calculations for a range of biochar production technologies using published data for methane emission and biochar carbon efficiency that suggest that most biochar production approaches […]

Impact of Biochar, Black Liquor, and Fly Ash Application to Soil on Productivity of Wheat in Eastern Washington

Soil acidification is a significant issue faced by agriculture in Eastern Washington. Acidification increases concentration of exchangeable aluminum (Al) in soil and reduces nutrient availability leading to reduced plant vigor, greater disease incidence, and reduced yield. Liming is the recommended remedy, but economic feasibility is questionable due to its high cost and limited supply of […]

Improving anaerobically digested dairy manure solids by economical post treatment to create value-added and sustainable greenhouse potting mix fiber products

We propose to research an economical anaerobic digestion (AD) post-treatment process for improving anaerobically digested dairy manure fiber. Digested dairy manure fibers are value-added solids used in potting mixtures (e.g., Magic Dirt, www.magic-dirt.com). However, there are some undesirable characteristics that limit the peat-like digested fiber from being a peat substitute. These include a relatively high […]