Composting:
Meeting challenges in agriculture
and creating opportunities
Dr. Harold Keener
Ohio State University
Agricultural enterprises in the 21st century have been challenged to produce high quality food at low cost without impacting the environment or the community. This is apparent by the new rules and regulations promulgated in recent years, such as free trade agreements, clean water and clear air acts, and the expanding number of lawsuits against farm businesses. These challenges are leading to innovative concepts in agriculture, many of which center on composting as a way to create value-added “by-product” with multiple marketing opportunities. Their approaches are addressing the odors, flies and pathogens associated with livestock manures, while closing the loop on nutrient cycling by enabling manure nutrients to be cycled back into the crop production system.