Farm Compost Marketing in Rhode Island and New Hampshire

March 12, 2013

To help expand and support compost markets in the Northeast, NERC was awarded a grant from the Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) program. Resources developed by NERC for the project, as well as presentations from seven compost marketing workshops, are posted on NERC's Compost Marketing web page.

Recent site visits were made to a farm compost operation in Rhode Island and one in New Hampshire.

Aquidneck Farms

Aquidneck Farms raises grass-fed beef and pastured poultry on conservation land overlooking the scenic Sakonnet River in Portsmouth, Rhode Island. Aquidneck Farms manages close to 400 acres of prime agricultural land. The Farm's 125 head herd is a mix of pure Angus and an Angus/Hereford cross. The Farm also produces its own hay and grass silage to feed its animals. Aquidneck Farms grass-fed beef products are available at local farmer's markets, in specialty stores and restaurants, as well as directly off the farm.

Happy Cows - doing their part to generate manure for composting.

Aquidneck Farms compost is local and farm made from a combination of horse manure bedding and bedded pack cattle manure. Purchased wood chips are mixed with the bedded pack. The materials are mixed into windrows. Much of the finished compost is spread on the farm's 160 acres of pasture. The farm's "premium select compost" is, however, in high demand by area landscapers and estate gardeners. The farm's compost operation allows the operators to manage their manure and bedding wastes in an environmentally-sound manner, while also providing nutrients for their pasture land and bringing in additional revenues for the farm business.

Aquidneck Farms Compost

On the Aquidneck Island portion of Portsmouth, farms provide the majority of remaining open space for the area. Farmland preservation remains one of the top priorities for Portsmouth. The region promotes financial incentives and programs that assist in the economic viability of active farms. These measures and active community support is vital for farms such as Aquidneck Farms.

Always Something Farm

Always Something Farm recently expanded its business to include compost, garden mix, loam, super loam, and bark mulch. The farm is operated by Gary, Julie and Alexis Quimby; Gary has attended the Maine Compost School and earned a certificate in Technical Ability in Composting.

Quimby Construction has been a construction business in the area for a number of years, providing excavation services, septic systems (certified by state of New Hampshire and Presby Environmental), and miscellaneous carpentry. The Company's expansion into the composting business is a natural way to complement the family's farm operation.

Gary Quimby poses with his compost.

The farm accepts a variety of materials, including yard waste and other organic materials for composting. A windrow process is used that slowly breaks down the material to make a nutrient rich compost. Once the curing process is complete, the compost is screened and ready for sale. Always Something Farm has a permit by notification for potentially accepting food waste. Accepting food waste from supermarkets and other large generators would allow for increased revenue opportunity for the business through charging "tip fees" for accepting the food waste.

The farm offers two compost products—a pure compost which is promoted as a soil amendment for gardens and lawns; a compost/loam mix (a garden mix or super loam), promoted for use in raised gardens and lawn repairs or new lawns. They also carry three kinds of bark mulch. Bulk product sales are offered for onsite loading or delivery.

Always Something Farm is in a good location for marketing its compost. The farm sales yard has frontage on a main road (Route 10) with close proximity to cities and towns throughout central New Hampshire and Vermont. The business offers a wide diversity of services, including manure pickup, excavation, lot clean-up, hay sales, and more. These services add strength to its product sales business component.

For more information about NERC's Compost Marketing Project contact Athena Lee Bradley.