Emily E. from Helena came out today to volunteer at the ranch; she worked here for all of August last summer, so she knows the ropes. She just graduated from Boston College and is heading back East in a few weeks to start work, but in the meantime, she kindly offered to come by for a couple of days and help out.
And did I have the project for her: turning our compost piles! We compost all the horse manure from the corrals and the stalls, using wood shavings and straw as feedstocks to get the right carbon:nitrogen ratio. Once the material "cooks" and then cures, we spread it on the fields in the fall as a soil amendment. Every few weeks we turn the piles to aerate them and keep the composting process going.
At any one time we are working three windrows, which are elongated piles each about 40 feet long. One windrow is in the curing phase, one is just finishing the cooking stage, and the other is still actively cooking. So Emily turned the last two windrows this afternoon, using our Kubota tractor.
I am one of the few people I know who gets really excited about composting, but then there's a reason I'm the Chief Manure Officer. (That's "CMO" for those in the know.)
(Click on photo for larger image.)
Steve, love the CMO title!!!! I compost here in my city backyard but nowhere near the scale you do! Does Emily give lessons on how to operate heavy equipment!!!! Great job!
Posted by: Nina | July 27, 2006 at 08:55 PM
CMO, too funny Steve! I'm a composter too but on a much smaller level. It was so nice that Emily could find time to help out before she left the area. You've made strong relationships with people and should be proud of that.
Posted by: Leilani | July 26, 2006 at 07:37 AM
Great job, Emily! We like to know what keeps you excited & happy, Steve.
Hugs to all,
ginger & Tobias
Posted by: ginger & Tobias (the greythound) | July 26, 2006 at 01:48 AM
This is a good use of your resources and talents!
Posted by: Karen SA/TX | July 25, 2006 at 10:00 PM