As the compost turns

as the compost turns…

July 11, 2008

greetings friends of soil life, friends of life.

the natural resources board of the state of vermont has achieved what no other power on earth had; i am blogging!

on monday, july 7th, a sheriff delivered an order from the NRB to " immediately cease any and all commercial composting operations, remove all compost materials and remove all improvements constructed for composting…"

this order is appealable to the environmental court and we will appeal it.

as i try to write a short story about the regulatory events of the last two years i find myself mired in all the quirky details of dealing with the many state and local officials who might have jurisdiction over composting and/or farming activities.

world events demand that we increase our local food production. this is both a true homeland security issue and an ethical imperative.
this order is not about any environmental hazard, it is about the definition of farming. this order is an opportunity to talk about whether we want to let inadequate definitions of farming override achieving the food security goals of our community. vermont compost company hens produce thousands of dozens of eggs each year without buying grain in a grain short world. we produce the potting soil that many organic farms use to start their seedlings. we provide the compost for many food growing efforts in the community

it has been important for us to realize that this is not primarily a legal issue, it is a pivotal part of the vital political question of how we will address the linked issues of energy, transport, food, carbon sequestration and regeneration of productive community that can sustain itself.

-Karl
 
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What else do we know about as the compost turns…?
Try these pages:
- suicidal obsession?
- listen to your farmers
- allegations of brook pollution

Discuss:

So far there are 12 responses:
  1. 180 Days Ago Rob said:

    May my garlic never suffer. Best of luck.

  2. 180 Days Ago Ann said:

    oh my goodness!! I’d no idea it would come to this. I am rooting (pun intended) for you! as you articulate so well, this affects growing food. and more than that, it addresses growing healthy food and effectively recycling waste(vegetable) into an essential product while producing eggs which have not been produced with grain. the eggs are more healthy. the plusses of your actions have been so great. if there is anything I can do to help, please let me know.

  3. 180 Days Ago Tom Stearns, Pres. High Mowing Organic Seeds said:

    I am hoping that sanity will over rule what has been a confusing and unfortunate process. All of Karl’s and everyone else’s attention would better serve us if they were busy working on food system re-building efforts. It may just be that these kind of fights are part of our food system re-building efforts after all. There is a lot of work to do out there and there will be many who don’t understand or who feel threatened by it. But, none the less, it must be done and I hope that one of the outcomes of all of this is a greater awareness on all sides of the challenges and possible solutions that lie ahead of us. I not only rely on Karl’s potting mix for my hundreds of thousands of seedlings, but those seedlings are grown into seed bearing plants that literally feed ten’s of thousands of people across VT and the U.S. It is the best there is and should not be undermined but rather supported by all who eat.

  4. 180 Days Ago Douglas M. Miller said:

    Karl, my heart goes out to you. As an fellow organic practitioner and prote’ge’ of Rudolph Steiner, I have been practicing this holistic and sustainable philosophy and it’s advancement, since 1975. Like you we were met with ignorance and great resistance instead of support. I have come to find out that the State of Vermont had long ago “adopted” a “Zero Growth” philosophy and policy. It is anti-growth and anti-technology; yes it is even against the microbes that work in your compost. Like the proverbial wolf in sheep’s clothing, they claim to support human life as well as the life forces of nature, but THEY DO NOT. As you can clearly see or soon will, you are dealing with an unfair opponent! I will be more than willing to help you in this cause. We are in California and have taken this issue across the country with great support. Take heart, you are not alone!

  5. 180 Days Ago Lee Blackwell/ BlackwellRootsFarm said:

    Hey - My crew and I are ready to hit the streets on this one. We need your products. Just let me know where to show up. We were discussing some interesting direct action, like mailing the natural resources board a whole lot of organic material for them to try to compost. This really pisses me off.

  6. 180 Days Ago Tom Sabo, Montpelier High School said:

    Vermont Compost Co. is the cornerstone of the sustainability efforts at Montpelier High School. Over the last 4 years more than 700 students have sent 30,000 lbs of food residuals to VCC. Fort V potting soil, the best in the nation, returns to our greenhouse where it is used to produce salad greens that feed our school community. This closed-loop nutrient cycle reduces our carbon footprint and provides an invaluable teaching model. Composting has become an integral part of the culture at MHS. Students make and sell “Compost” shirts. Students and faculty vie for “Composter of the Month”- a recognition that is displayed on the cafeteria wall, the school newspaper, and school website! The notion of my students returning to school and having to revert back to landfilling valuable organics is inconceivable to me. My letter will appear in the Times Argus. Keep me informed of any direct action ideas. I have a student environmental club that will be ready to help!

  7. 180 Days Ago buzzferver said:

    As a naturalist and compost visionary, I have spent the largest portion of my adult vocational energy promoting the acceptance, production and use (dare I say joy!) of compost in this country. Hence, I know many composters around the country and am familiar with the way compost operations look here and around the world. I have helped to develop operations that compost over 300,000 cubic yards per year ( I am going to guess thats 20 times larger then Vermont Compost) On coming to Vermont I was overjoyed to be in a larger community movement towards regenerative sufficiency, where composting, soils and food, and the linkage of the three were understood and embraced by so many folks.

    The agenda of the State to curtail composting from the farming exemption granted in Act 250 is a grand example of how disconnected some administrators are from the realities of the biophysical and natural world around us, how we are sustained and nourished , and the messy neccessities appurtenant to human existence (birth, eating , defecation, death, decay, etc….).

    Composting at the local scale needs the same protections that farming does, and for all the same reasons. It more resembles farming then any other operation, its messy, noisy and can be smelly since it processes manure and food waste, it has issues with animal visitors, etc etc… just like farming. And it is just as critical for sustainable and regenerative food production. Now, I am not contending that all composting should be classified as farming, I am saying that the definition of the scale needs to be carefully considered to allow composting to happen readily, and at the appropriate scale….Composting at the scale of Vermont Compost is exactly, almost precisely, what the model should look like for small scale, local, community integrated compost operations.

    If the State administration knew anything about the larger world of Composting, they would recognize Karls initiative, his commitment to quality (he is the only composter I know who can sell his product unscreened! Quality of inputs, And his products sell for more money then virtually any other composters’ in this country, and for good reason, its the quality).

    While we can empower a fund from public cash inputs to permit and build a new landfill for millions of dollars under the guise of Waste Management, but composters in this State have to fight over 5k grants I find the near the ultimate paradox in a world where the efforts towards sustainable design may well be the deciding factor in long term community success.

    Vermont Compost is the canary in the coal mine. Karl is a small fry in a critical niche. He needs help and support from the State, not fines and lawyer bills. Its time for the Powers that be to step up and untangle this mess , impossible as it will be to make everyone happy, its time for some wisdom in leadership.

  8. 180 Days Ago Annie Greensfelder said:

    How about a demonstration at the Farmer’s Market with some TV coverage…maybe we could get Martha Stewart (one of your many fans) to show up!

  9. 180 Days Ago Greg Noble said:

    As an employee of Arcana I am so very aware of the value of VCC services. I would not dream of trying to create the wonderful compost and potting soil Karl and crew provide us with. I am sure other organic farms in the community would agree. I can’t see how manufacturing compost is not farming. These are piles of soil ( ie from the earth) with chickens ( a naturally occurring feathered creature) helping the process. How is that not farming. If the law says it isn’t then the law needs to be changed. Vermont compost is a Good thing for the community. I have never noticed any unpleasant smell any of the many times I have been at VCC. Drive by a large dairy farm during spreading season.

    I think we need to educate the lawmakers here to the values of this process. The more of the pubic they hear from the less they can justify this clear injustice.

    Greg
    (these opinions are mine and not necessarily that of Arcana)

  10. 180 Days Ago Anne said:

    Dear Karl,
    Keep us informed about any support we and our crew here at Valley Dream Farm can offer. We are organic produce farmers. We grow certified organic produce and rely of Vermont Compost and have for the past six years. It is a natural, local, and organic farm product. A resource that we rely on to start ALL our seedlings.
    All farmers are trying to survive approaching land development and inappropriate government influences. Please know you have our support to fight for the right to continue and educate those who do not understand how food was grown before the invention of herbicides, pesticides and chemicals. We hope to continue to provide healthy food for everyone, including those in Vermont that are less fortunate, last year our farm donated over 12,00lbs to area food shelves, community needs and salvation farms. Because of Vermont Compost, making a wonderful compost, we can then have healthy plants and healthy vegetables that we can then share with the community.

  11. 180 Days Ago patti said:

    Go,Karl,go. I’m sending this to friends who should know about this. As ever,Rosana forgot to bring me some of your compost. This is the last time she will be allowed to come to Cape Cod without it.

  12. 180 Days Ago Amy said:

    I just got a call from a friend in San Francisco (who can’t believe what is happening) saying “We have to do something, we have to start a rally or something to stop this!” . As community members, what can we do outside of letters to the Editor? Some ideas mentioned above, the solidarity at the farmer’s market, media attention, high-profile names, actual compost. Is there a group of people brainstorming possibilities o an event of some sort to let the voices of our community (locally and beyond) be heard?

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