Researchers study compost effects on farm soils

On Kip Wooten's south-central Idaho farm between Kimberly and Hansen, University of Idaho scientists have begun a five-year research study "to put science into the art of adding compost to agricultural soils," writes Marlene Fritz of the University. With 160,000 dairy cows in the Magic Valley region, the raw materials to make compost and apply it at rates up to 20 tons per acre on typical crop rotations are available. (As reported in July BioCycle, a regional company called Compost West, Inc. is processing and marketing cow manure.)

According to Bob …