NERC in the News
Three-Year Grant for Marketing On-Farm Compost
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BioCycle, June 2009
Northeast Recycling Council (NERC), based in Brattleboro, was awarded a three-year grant from Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE), a USDA competitive grants program. The project, “Marketing On-Farm Compost for Sustainability & Economic Viability,” will work with on-farm compost operations in Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey and New Hampshire. Twenty farms and state agencies have signed on as project team members to work with NERC to develop and implement the project. Through the project, NERC will provide free field day/workshops for farmers and agricultural specialists, a Compost Marketing Toolkit, and technical assistance with developing and implementing compost marketing plans.
NERC, along with its project team members, will provide tools to help farmers: explore compost as a value-added product to support their current business operation; understand the importance of quality control and compost recipe development; learn how to acquire the necessary permits to operate and market compost in their state; explore potential feedstocks and pricing structures; develop marketing and sales strategies to effectively meet local and regional demand; and develop and implement a compost marketing plan. For more information, contact Athena Lee Bradley, NERC Projects Manager: athena@nerc.org.
