why compost
Composting plays a key role in original farming practices, and will be a critical part of the new society. We all know that using ample amounts of mature compost when growing food both strengthens the soil microbiome and reduces the need for fertilizer. However, composting serves another critical purpose that often gets overlooked in a consumption based society…closing the massive waste loop we all contribute to on a daily basis.
1 ) Food waste does not break down in a landfill the way you think — there is often very little oxygen, which is required for proper decomposition2) In a landfill, food waste (among many other things) can create a liquid leachate, which contaminates ground-water and runs into nearby watersheds3) Improper decomposition in a landfill can release methane, which contributes to the greenhouse effect that is artificially warming our planet
divert.
RRFS will be using different experimental methods to process and “supercharge” our end product compost with as much beneficial biological life as possible. Pre-composting, use of multiple species of composting worms, the Johnson-Su bioreactor method, and a no-turn “slow-cook” method of processing are all strategies that will be implemented to achieve a high quality, fungally dominated compost. It’s also a mini-mission of ours to prove that a very high quality of compost can be achieved without the use of animal manure. We can’t claim that our final product is 100% veganic (mainly because we accept eggshells!) but it is produced with some of those guidelines and values in mind. We are on a mission (along with many others) to prove that with the correct, robust biological profile in your compost, the organisms will be there to mine all of the chemical elements and nutrients you will ever need — from not only your soil but from the sun, the water, and the air. There’s much more to our process we can share with you if you’d like to know more details — reach out using the contact info below with any questions!
rebuild.
Much of the life in soil is not visible to us. There more lifeforms in a teaspoon of healthy soil than there are human beings on the planet. One of these great kingdoms of life is the bacterial kingdom, which is the dominant kingdom in most soils, and the one that has been given the most credence in the composting and fertilizing world.
More and more research is coming out about how critical another kingdom is in a healthy and productive soil — the fungal kingdom. It’s function is much lesser known, but in our opinion at RRFS it is just as critical as any other in the soil microbiome. The fungi are the network…the highways and byways of water and nutrients…without them the plant roots and organisms can’t interact and exchange the way nature properly intended. With them present, plants can expand their root systems, soils can naturally resist “weed” pressure and retain high amounts of moisture, and a host of soil organisms can feed and co-exist to strengthen the localized ecosystem of your growing operation.
