April 24, 1995 Contact: Francine Tyler (408/459-2495)

UC SANTA CRUZ WORKSHOP TO DEMONSTRATE LATEST COMPOSTING TECHNIQUES

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SANTA CRUZ, CA--A free demonstration of on-farm composting techniques will take place at the Herbert Ranch in Hollister on Wednesday, May 3, from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.

The demonstration is tied to a two-year effort to reduce the volume of organic materials going into increasingly overloaded landfills. Cities and counties are working with farmers to turn these materials into a valuable soil additive through on-farm or municipal composting. The project is coordinated by Marc Buchanan, assistant professor of environmental studies at the University of California, Santa Cruz, and funded by the California Integrated Waste Management Board (CIWMB).

At the May 3 demonstration, Buchanan will team up with Pat Herbert, a collaborator on the project and an organic vegetable grower; grower Phil Foster; and Paul Rellis of the CIWMB to discuss access farmers have to raw materials needed for compost, including materials from municipal sources.

Other topics will include tips on building and monitoring the compost pile, a presentation on the latest equipment for compost production, and a discussion of growers' experiences making and using compost. Discussion leaders include UC Cooperative Extension farm adviser Richard Smith and George Leidig of Autrusa Compost Consulting.

The Monterey Bay region, with its abundance of farms and urban areas, offers an ideal setting for municipal and on-farm composting efforts, said Buchanan. Fifteen to 25 percent of municipal waste streams in California are made up of materials that could be converted to compost.

To reach the Herbert ranch, follow Highway 156 north from Hollister to Highway 25. Take Highway 25 two miles to McConnel Road. Make a left onto McConnel Road, and follow signs to the Field Day site. The event is sponsored by UCSC, the CIWMB Compost Demonstration Project, and the Community Alliance with Family Farmers Foundation's Lighthouse Farm Campaign.

For more information, call Martha Brown at the Center for Agroecology and Sustainable Food Systems, (408) 459-3376.

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