The Bovine Bugle

Turning over some old leaves, and lots of other stuff

While Ben was clipping some more paddocks this morning, I used the loader tractor to shape the compost windrows to get them ready to turn. During the past few weeks conditions had been dry enough to run the Sitler windrow turner over the compost, but I just hadn't found the time to get the windrows ready and turn them. Today was the day we were going to get things started!

It took me about 1 1/2 hours to shape the 700+ feet of windrows so that the seven-foot wide turner would travel easily over them. By the time I was done with this, Ben had come back to the barn with the other tractor which we use to run the windrow turner. This tractor, a Case-IH CX60, has a set of "creeper" gears that allows the tractor to travel very slowly while pulling the turner and allowing it to work the compost, add oxygen, and reshape the windrow. I thought I might get a chance to run the turner, for a change, but before I knew it Ben had the tractor hitched up to the turner and was off and running.

It took Ben a little longer to turn the windrows since it was the first time they were done. In about an hour and a half the rough, lumpy looking piles were turned into smooth, well-shaped, well-mixed rows of compost material. Soon the windrows would be heating up to 130-140 degrees, and as we turn them over the next several weeks the raw material will change magically into rich, dark compost.

P.S. I always like to mention that the Sitler windrow turner was paid for almost in full by a grant from Stonyfield Farm and I thank them for their support of all family farms, especially the CROPP/Organic Valley families that supply the milk for Stonyfield's yogurt production.

Got a question about composting, or anything else on an organic dairy farm? Use the comment box below and I'll try to get you an answer here in the blog very soon.

--Jonathan, Howmars Farm
Franklin, Vermont

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A note from the editors: Interesting article today by Ellen Simon of the Associated Press, about why organic food costs more. Check it out!

Posted by Blogger Chris at July 12, 2005 09:41 AM