August 2019 - 9

to its Sears location. From its flagship
product, Dairy Doo, it has developed a
full line of more than 15 retail products.
" Not all compost is the same, " said Brad
Morgan. " Everything that you're doing
basically has a recipe. "
Cooking up compost
Every recipe has ingredients. Some
of the raw materials that the company
composts include regional cow manure,
chicken manure from southwest
Michigan and yard waste from the city
of Kalamazoo.
The company buys other substances
from farther afield: rail car tanks of fish
product, meat and bone meal, feather
meal, kelp, Leonardite ore, greensand and
many other materials..
" We carry a wide variety of hard-tofind
organic products, " Justin Morgan
said while giving a tour of a warehouse.
" Each individual ingredient carries its
own power, so to speak. "
The company also manufactures its
own humic acid - valued for helping
plant roots absorb nutrients - and worm
castings from European crawlers and
smaller " red wigglers. "
Pre-mixed products, and custom
mixes ordered by large growers, are laid
out in rows for further decomposition.
" Once it's right, we turn it every three
days, and the temperature is constantly
monitored, " Brad said. As beneficial
bacteria break down organic material,
the thermophilic compost's temperature
soars to 140˚ F, killing off weed seeds
and pathogens.
Specialty crops' special interest
The business continues to grow as
there is increased interest in soil health
in general, and composting in particular,
among specialty crop growers.
The composting program at
Washington state's Stemilt Growers was
featured at Tilth Alliance Conference
last fall. The growers, whose operations
focus mainly on apples and cherries, use
the process to convert culls and waste
apple and cherries into compost with
manure, according to a blog post by the
Washington State University College
of Agricultural, Human, and Natural
Resource Sciences.
Research trials by Michigan State
University's (MSU) Marisol Quintanilla
found that some composted manures
such as the Layer Ash Blend from
Morgan Composting reduce the
numbers of unwanted nematodes that
can hurt fruit trees and are thought to
cause orchard replant issues.
At the same time, composting is
subject to additional scrutiny from a
food safety perspective. The Food Safety
Modernization Act's Produce Safety
Rule includes detailed guidelines for
how manure, food residue and other
composting materials should be stored
and properly applied.
" In general, if compost is applied in
a manner that minimizes the potential
for contact with the harvestable portion
of the crop, it would be considered a
lower risk than a broadcast application
over the top of a crop, " according to
Phil Tocco of MSU Extension. " Aim
to minimize direct contact of compost
with the crop as much as practical. "
A win-win
Morgan Composting has also seen an
increased interest in compost.
" I figure we're touching 200,000
acres in Michigan right now, " Brad
Morgan said. Customers range from
home gardens to serious growers with
15,000 acres.
Specialty crop growers, including
vegetable growers, use it to strengthen
soils drained by demanding crops.
" Farmers need to improve their soils
to put back what their crops take out of
the soil, " Justin Morgan said.
The benefits of compost are a healthy
diversity of microbes. Justin Morgan
said tests by Ohio State University's Bug
in a Jug program have found between
12,000-52,000 microorganisms in one
gram of its soil.
" There's been a big push on soil
health, " Brad Morgan said. Organic
growing has surged in reaction to
consumer perceptions of traditional
chemical sprays and fertilizers. Strong
composts, biocontrols and biostimulants
are part of the organic growers' toolbox.
Justin Morgan said he's optimistic
about the future. Livestock farmers
need to dispose of manures. Fruit and
vegetable growers need healthy soil.
Composting can help them both.
" It's a win-win for everybody, " he said.
" Farmers can do more cash crops. " FGN
Seventy-Five Years: Three Generations: World-Wide Distribution
Propagating Trusted Nursery Stock of Superior Quality
Employing laboratory-controlled TISSUE CULTURE TECHNIQUES
Assuring our customers that our plants are free of viruses and other diseases
Blueberry, Raspberry, Kiwi, Lingonberry and other small fruits.
SPECIAL EXPERTISE:
FEATURED for 2018: THREE NEW HASKAP (hybrid honeyberry) CULTIVARS
CONTACT DANNY, TERI OR BOB FOR ORDERING, CULTURAL ADVICE, AND
PLANNING YOUR INVESTMENT
P.O. Box 100 LACOTA, MI 49063 * ph. 269-253-4281 * fax: 269-253-4457
email: info@hartmannsplantcompany.com * web: www.hartmannsplantcompany.com
FGN | AUGUST 2019 | 9
http://www.hartmannsplantcompany.com
August 2019

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