Making compost - tips please!

[tr250]

Am I missing something? I know people do muck for straw, why not do muck for hay, but sell the hay and charge them to take away the muck unless it straw or straw pellets, or even get them to deep litter your bark chippings.

Charging for the hay then charging to take the muck away I’m not sure you’ll get many takers

 

[honeyend]

Charging for the hay then charging to take the muck away I’m not sure you’ll get many takers

It depends on if you have something to shift/spread the muck. I pay for my muck to be taken away, it just not worth paying someone to spread it.

 

[N.Yorks.]

I am looking at the potential of making compost as a soil improver, partly to get more benefit from the muck on the farm.
I've done a little reading, but need to do more. Malcolm Beck seems to be a man that talks in practical terms, think I'll have a read of his book.

Currently we produce about 1200t of fym per year, due to rise to 2000t within a year, all straw based
We have some grass that we currently make hay of, that potentially could become a compost ingredient
Bark peelings are available locally at sensible money
Limex a likely addition?
Adding more straw is also a possibility.

What is unclear is the C:N target - some say 1:1, some say as much as 30:1 Carbon:Nitrogen ratio.

Some say muck is a carbon source, some say its a nitrogen source.

I don't want to create a lot of work and worry for nothing, but would like to maximise what I have got.

Thank you

You might be interested in reading this about Ramial Woodchip. It's basically fresh woodchip applied to land at low application rates. Supplies soil carbon and because it's woody it will mostly be broken down by soil fungi, so if you're wanting to encourage a wide range of soil life then this may well be one tool that can be used alongside others.....
https://www.organicresearchcentre.c...ect-library/woofs-woodchip-for-fertile-soils/

If you're managing hedges on the farm then you could produce you're own ...... in house recycling of that carbon to drive soil nutrient cycling and maintain soil structure and function.

 

[Spud]

You might be interested in reading this about Ramial Woodchip. It's basically fresh woodchip applied to land at low application rates. Supplies soil carbon and because it's woody it will mostly be broken down by soil fungi, so if you're wanting to encourage a wide range of soil life then this may well be one tool that can be used alongside others.....
https://www.organicresearchcentre.c...ect-library/woofs-woodchip-for-fertile-soils/

If you're managing hedges on the farm then you could produce you're own ...... in house recycling of that carbon to drive soil nutrient cycling and maintain soil structure and function.

Thank you for that, I'll have a read

 

[Renaultman]

Moistures and air then the bugs will do the rest don’t over complex it only nature doing its job

A neighbour is doing that with pig muck to help destroy rye grass seeds.
I am too impatient for the muck and don't yet have serious resistant ryegrass issues and try to ensure none of the straw that has any doesn't go into the muck I get back.
Watching the thread with interest.

 

[d williams]

A neighbour is doing that with pig muck to help destroy rye grass seeds.
I am too impatient for the muck and don't yet have serious resistant ryegrass issues and try to ensure none of the straw that has any doesn't go into the muck I get back.
Watching the thread with interest.

70deg is pas100 compost from memory hit those temperatures then turn the outside into the center hit temperatures again then repeat see a nice white mould/fungus the jobs working moisture is very important not to wet or to dry