Enhancing Sustainability Workshop:

Compost Teas, Compost, and On-farm Beneficial Microbe Extracts



October 20, 2003

Pittsboro, NC



The Chatham County Center of North Carolina Cooperative Extension will
present a crop production workshop as part of its Enhancing
Sustainability Workshop Series on Monday, October 20, from 9:00 a.m.
to 4:00 p.m. in the auditorium of the Agricultural Building in
Pittsboro, North Carolina. Compost Teas, Compost, and On-farm
Beneficial Microbe Extracts will be presented by Steve Diver, a
Program Specialist from ATTRA (Appropriate Technology Transfer for
Rural Areas), the USDA-funded national sustainable agriculture
information service of the National Center for Appropriate Technology
(NCAT) based in Arkansas; Dr. Frank Louws, North Carolina State
University Researcher and Extension Plant Pathologist specializing in
sustainable disease management for NC growers; and Debbie Roos,
Agricultural Extension Agent with North Carolina Cooperative Extension
in Chatham County. The program is outlined below.



Compost Teas



* History of Compost Teas

* Types of Compost Teas and Extracts

* Components of Compost Teas

* Use and Benefits of Compost Teas

* Rhizosphere and Phyllosphere Target Sites

* Rhizosphere Benefits for Microorganisms

* Soil Foodweb Concepts

* Compost Teas for Disease Suppression

* Mechanisms and Target Pathogens

* Compost Tea Production Methods

* Brewing Compost Teas

* Compost Tea Recipes

* Compost Tea Brewing Equipment: Commercial-scale and Home-made

* Minimum Standards for Compost

* Pathogen Risk Reduction

* Compost Tea Use in North Carolina - What Are Farmers Doing?



Compost, Humus, and the Living Soil



* Soil Foodweb Concepts

* Compost Methods

* Farm-scale Compost Turners

* Compost Quality and Standards

* Humified Compost

* Mineralization Rate

* Using Compost as an Inoculant to Improve Crop Vigor - NC Research



Parallel On-farm Extracts and Beneficial Microbe Inoculation Systems



* Effective Microorganisms

* Indigenous Microorganisms

* Biodynamic Preparations

* Cow Patty Pit

* Fermented Plant Extracts

* Purchased Inputs and On-farm Inputs

* Alternative Farming Systems Tools: Nature Farming, Biodynamics,

BioOrganics

* Substrate and Microbial Culture

* Benefits of Plant and Compost Extracts



The cost of the workshop will be $20 and includes lunch and a
comprehensive resource notebook. Pre-registration is required by
October 10. Contact Debbie Roos at 919-542-8202 for more information.
To register, download a registration form from the Workshop section of
the Growing Small Farms website at
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/index.html and mail it with
your check to Debbie Roos, PO Box 279, Pittsboro, NC 27312. Hotel
information is available upon request.



--

Debbie Roos

Agricultural Extension Agent, Organic and Sustainable Agriculture
North Carolina State University College of Agriculture and Life
Sciences North Carolina Cooperative Extension, Chatham County Center
Growing Small Farms Website:
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/chatham/ag/SustAg/index.html

Post Office Box 279 Pittsboro, NC 27312

E-mail:

Phone: 919.542.8202 FAX: 919.542.8246






"Acts of creation are ordinarily reserved for gods and poets,
but humbler folk may circumvent this restriction if they know how.
To plant a pine, for example, one need be neither god nor poet;
one need only own a good shovel. By virtue of this curious loophole in the rules,
any clodhopper may say: Let there be a tree--and there will be one"

Aldo Leopold