FAYETTEVILLE — Compost is part of what Matthew Bertucci calls “the perfect circle for sustainability.”
Bertucci, an assistant professor of sustainable fruit and vegetable production for the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture, is always looking to find ways that growers can reduce their inputs or environmental footprint while still producing high-quality produce that makes economic sense.
“As part of the NWA Specialty Crops Soil Health Program, I learned that many of our specialty crop growers are using compost as a soil amendment,” he said. “I figured that is a perfect circle for sustainability: compost is produced from yard waste, food waste, and other organic refuse.
“If that refuse can be diverted from landfills and turned into a beneficial soil amendment? You can’t get more sustainable than that!” he said.
During Arkansas Compost Awareness Week May 5-9, Bertucci, along with Division of Agriculture colleague Amanda Philyaw Perez, as well as Regional Food System Partnerships stakeholders and others will be hosting webinars to help gardeners, farmers or anyone with an interest reducing waste or improving soils, understand the utility of composting. Philyaw Perez is an associate professor, food systems and food safety specialist for the Division of Agriculture.
“What really struck me about composting — and why I’d like talk more about it is that compost is regulated by the Environmental Protection Agency and by the state of Arkansas as a waste product,” Bertucci said.
Why?
“Their regulations are intended mitigate the harm to the environment or to the public,” he said. “Testing requirements ensure that permitted compost facilities do not release any material contaminated with trace metals nor with harmful pathogens like E. coli or Salmonella.
“However, horticulture is the No. 1 consumer of compost, and horticulturists don’t see compost as a waste product,” Bertucci said. “We see it as ‘black gold,’ a soil amendment that can increase soil organic matter, improve soil structure, enhance soil microbial activity, and provide plant nutrients.”
Bertucci said there’s much to learn about the composting process “from the biology to chemistry to the environmental impacts. Composting is actually a lot of fun, and it can be a great educational opportunity.
“We hope that our programming provides a starting point for beginners and offers tips and tricks for experienced composters to improve their composting,” he said.
The effort also aims to better understand the needs of stakeholders and design outreach materials for sustainable agriculture, including videos such as “What is Compost?”
The webinars will be recorded and made available online.
Event schedule
May 5, noon to 1 p.m. — Compost 101 webinar.
