Issuu

Vol. X No. 5

September/October 2016

Serving Soil, Mulch, Compost & Wood Pellet Producers www.SoilandMulchProducerNews.com

NEWS

Attention Readers !

Are you looking for Products, Equipment or Services for your business? If so, please check out these leading companies advertised inside:

Bagging / Wrapping Systems Amadas Industries – pg 4 Hamer-Fischbein – pg 12 NOVA Packaging – pg 8 PremierTech Chronos – insert

Buildings & covers ClearSpan – pg 15

Compost Equipment/spreaders Ecolawn Applicator – pg 13 Farmer Automatic – pg 15 HCL Machine Works – pg 19

dust & odor control Buffalo Turbine – pg 21

erosion control JRM Chemical – pg 14

Mulch Coloring Equipment/ Colorants AgriCoatings – pg 7 BASF / Colorbiotics – pg 18 CMC – pg 10 Earthshades – pg 13 T.H. Glennon – pg 9

Shredders, Grinders, Chippers & Screening Systems Ecoverse – pg 9 HogZilla – pg 20 Komptech Americas – pg 24 Peterson – pg 11 Premier Tech Chronos – insert Rawlings Manufacturing, Inc – pg 8 Rotochopper Inc – pg 2 Vermeer Corporation – pg 23 West Salem Machinery – pg 13

Trommel Brushes

Duff Brush – pg 19 United Rotary Brush Corp – pg 19

TRUCKS & TRAILERS Trinity Trailer – pg 17

wear parts

ArmorHog – pg 10 King Kong Tools – pg 14

Soil Manufacturers Find Rock Dust Really Rocks !

By P.J. Heller

ascade Minerals message for soil manufacturers and compost producers is simple: “rock on.” And those who are following that advice — by incorporating rock dust into their products — are discovering new ways to market their goods, grow their business and attract a loyal customer following. “I do really feel like it’s a good selling point for us, for sure,” says Katie Bach of Cascade Compost, a Sumner, Wash., firm that sells potting soils, compost and bark. “There’s not a lot of other potting soils that have the rock dust in it. “We believe the addition of the Cascade Minerals is a strong selling point for our potting soil. We include it on our printed marketing material and mention it whenever discussing it with potential buyers,” she adds. Cascade Minerals, based in Madras, Ore., markets its Remineralizing Soil Booster — rock dust made entirely of all-natural volcanic basalt from the Columbia River basalt flow — primarily to soil manufacturers west of the Rockies. Other companies use basalt or other types of rock, such as granite or volcanic clays or volcanic ash, to produce remineralization products designed to restore depleted minerals

in soils. Rock dust contains minerals and trace elements, including calcium, magnesium, manganese and iron, widely used in organic growing practices. “Basalt is pretty much the king,” notes Harrison Hall, office technician at Cascade Minerals. “It has just the right ratio of silica and calcium. It’s usually going to have 5 percent or more in iron which you won’t see in other types.” Thomas Vanacore of Rock Dust Local in Bridport, Vt., agrees. “After nearly 25 years evaluating and working with rock dusts from all over North America, we feel the best rock dusts for soil remineralization are volcanic geologic materials such as the basalts and metamorphic and sedimentary types characterized by a rich diversity in minerals,” he says on his website. Vanacore describes Rock Dust Local as the first company in North America specializing in local and regional sourcing of rock dust for remineralization. Cascade Minerals started offering its Remineralizing Soil Booster about five years ago, according to Hall. Cascade Minerals is an offshoot of Central Oregon Basalt Products, whose main focus is mining a quarry for 30- to 50-ton rocks of high-quality, dense basalt for Continued on page 3

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Soil & Mulch Producer News September / October 2016

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Soil Manufacturers Find Rock Dust Really Rocks ! Continued from page 1

jetty projects on the West Coast. When it was realized that the basalt contained a high mineral content, studies were launched to see if smaller rocks could be ground up and added to soils. “We have an agronomist here and he set up some experiments in a greenhouse to make sure it was all done properly and it worked,” Hall recalls. “We pretty much went from there.” While the quarry operation for the jetty rocks is ongoing, smaller rocks are ground down into gravel for transport to the company’s plant, where it is then further refined. Rather than producing rock dust that is entirely small particles or “floury fines,” the soil booster contains a balanced blend of floury fines and coarse grit. “The smaller particles release essential minerals immediately, while the larger pieces erode more slowly thereby releasing more minerals over time,” the company explains. An analysis provided by Cascade Minerals says 28 percent of the particles are grit size 16 (which break down into smaller sizes); 45 percent are between grit size 20 and 50 (about the size of

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PUBLICATION STAFF Publisher / Editor Rick Downing Contributing Editors / Writers H. Sterling Burnett • P.J. Heller Kayleigh O’Keeffe • Sandy Woodthorpe Production & Layout Barb Fontanelle • Christine Pavelka Advertising Sales Rick Downing Subscription / Circulation Donna Downing Editorial, Circulation & Advertising Office 6075 Hopkins Road, Mentor, OH 44060 Ph: 440-257-6453 • Fax: 440-257-6459 Email: downassoc2@oh.rr.com Subscription information, call 440-257-6453. Soil & Mulch Producer News is published bimonthly by Downing & Associates. Reproductions or transmission in whole or in part, without written permission of the publisher, is prohibited. Annual subscription rate U.S. is $19.95. Outside of the U.S. add $10.00 ($29.95). Contact our main office, or mail-in the subscription form with payment. ©

potting soil. We wanted to create a premium sand); 11 percent are smaller than grit size 50 but high-end local potting soil. We put together larger than grit size 200 (smaller than sand but some samples with our mix and added Cascade larger than clay), and the remaining 16 percent Minerals and sent them into a lab. The results are considered superfine and will pass through were favorable and the costs were reasonable,” 150 and 200 mesh screens. Bach says. Despite the benefits of rock dust being “I would say it will generally improve the touted for more than a century, Hall and others product at hand,” agrees Michael Beck, national say it is still an up-and-coming soil amendment. sales manager for Royal Gold in Arcata, “Definitely,” he says of its growing Calif., a “craft soil producer” of popularity. “We’re seeing lots more coco fiber and coco fiber-based people get interested in it. A potting mediums. while back we gathered some “We’re seeing “I find it a great product data on what comprised a lots more people get . . . “ Beck says. “When we healthy soil and found 40 have conversations with percent of it coming from interested in it. A while people who know the rock or volcanic activity.” back we gathered some data industry and know rock Cascade Minerals on what comprised a healthy dust products, they’re sells its products in 10all very pleased to hear and 44-pound bags as soil and found 40 percent of we’re using the Cascade well as 1 ton totes. It ships it coming from rock or product. It’s got a great about 100 tons of rock reputation among those dust a year, Hall estimates. volcanic activity.” who know the industry.” The benefits of rock dust Royal Gold incorporates for agriculture production were rock dust into all its products, first reported in Julius Hensel’s 1892 except for its pure loose coco. It has been book Bread from Stones. manufacturing coco fiber potting mediums for His findings showed that using rock dust a decade. improved agriculture yield, improved nutritional “Our goal is to create a sustainable content, made crops more resistant to disease alternative to traditional bagged soils with and pests and improved the health of people specific attention to quality and consistency,” and animals who consumed materials grown Beck notes. with it. He also found that rock dust improved Rock dust was a good fit for its products, the condition of the soil by restoring depleted particularly with its balance of minerals and its minerals. extra iron content. Other studies throughout the world over the “When you’re starting off building a soil last century have proven the value of rock dust, from inert organic matter like coco fiber, you’re according to its proponents. looking to create something that mirrors what Convincing people of the benefits of rock would naturally be in a soil,” he explains. “When dust usually just entails “showing them the you look at soils, it varies a lot from place to difference in yields,” Hall says. place and environment to environment. The Even so, getting the word out about rock general concept is you have some mix of organic dust can be a challenge. A post about rock dust matter and mineral content. We’re trying to build on the website for public television’s Growing a comprehensive manufactured medium that a Greener World was headlined “The Most mirrors the functionality of traditional soil, so Important Soil Amendment No One Ever Talks we wanted to incorporate that mineral aspect in About.” a way that’s as similar and functional.” “We’ve taken some great potting soils and Royal Gold distributes its products added minerals to them and shown that you can nationwide. get a much better yield using this already great Beck says that while people do not call and potting soil by just adding some minerals to it,” specifically ask for rock dust, he attributes the Hall says. “They’re already great potting soils success of Royal Gold to the overall performance but they could perform better.” of its product. That was the case with Cascade Compost, “Our product has emerged as a premium which discovered rock dust at a trade show about product because of the way it functions,” he 18 months ago. Cascade Compost is owned by says. “Part of that is our attention to detail Corliss Resources, Inc., which has been doing in the entire process. It (rock dust) is just the business in Pierce, King and Kitsap counties in chocolate chips in the chocolate chip cookie; Washington for nearly a century. “We were in the process of formulating a Continued on page 5 September / October 2016 Soil & Mulch Producer News

Soil

Mulch Producer NEWS

Federal Government Imposes New Efficiency Regulations on Heavy Duty Trucks The Obama administration has imposed expensive new regulations on heavy duty trucks to fight “climate change”

By H. Sterling Burnett

n August 16, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation’s National Highway Traffic Safety Administration finalized new fuel efficiency standards for medium- and heavy-duty vehicles as called for by President Obama’s Climate Action Plan. The standards are expected to lower carbon dioxide emissions by approximately 1.1 billion metric tons over the lifetime of the vehicles sold under the program, an amount the Obama administration has admitted is an amount too small to have a measurable effect on temperature or “climate change”. The new standards will affect engine performance standards for truck model years 2018-2027, including for semi-trucks, large pickup trucks, vans, and all types and sizes of buses and work trucks. The costs will vary based on the size of the vehicle but it could add as much as $15,100 to the price of a large truck within the next decade.

Soil & Mulch Producer News

September / October 2016

Can’t Meet Standards, Pay a Fine

ongress recognized trucking companies may be unable to meet EPA’s increasingly stringent standards, and enacted changes to protect so- called ‘laggards,” allowing truck manufacturers unable to meet the new standards to pay fines rather than have their vehicles disallowed forcing the companies out of business. Daniel Simmons, vice president for policy at the Institute Energy Research, told the Daily Caller, EPA’s decision is not surprising. “The Ford F-150 is the most popular vehicle on the market to date,” Simmons said. “Ford has spent more than $1 billion to get the truck into compliance, yet it is still not in full compliance. So it’s ridiculous to believe that car companies not named Ford will be able to meet new, more Continued on next page stringent standards.”

Soil Continued from previous page

While EPA, when announcing the new standards, said new long-haul truck purchasers in 2027 would recoup the investment in fuel-efficient technology in less than two years through fuel savings,” economist Nicolas Loris, the Herbert and Joyce Morgan fellow at The Heritage Foundation, says that is extremely unlikely, since if such significant savings were to be had the federal government would not have to force the technological change on the industry, it would have built the more efficient engines on its own to increase profits. In a CNS news article Loris writes, “It is so considerate that the federal government would devote taxpayer-funded resources to create and enforce a regulation that will help trucking business’ bottom line. It’s a bunch of hogwash. “Here’s an industry that has nearly 3 million heavy-duty trucks that carry approximately 70 percent of America’s freight,” said Loris. “And the industry operates on paper-thin margins and plans driving routes down to the tenth of a mile to save on fuel costs. “But forget all of that,” Loris writes in CNS News. “The government thinks it knows better and has better business and investment acumen than those actually in the trucking industry.” H. Sterling Burnett, Ph.D., (hsburnett@heartland.org) is the managing editor of Environment & Climate News. This article was reprinted with permission from heartland.org, a product of The Heartland Institute (https:// www.heartland.org/news-opinion/news/obama-administration-imposes-newefficiency-regulations-on-heavy-duty-trucks).

Mulch Producer NEWS

Soil Manufacturers Find Rock Dust Really Rocks ! Continued from page 3 having chocolate chips isn’t going to sell your cookies. It’s difficult to say if any specific amount of sales could be attributed to that. “I also find that our success is because all of our ingredients are scrutinized on that level and that we only go for the best available of what we are using. We do take the time to test varying products available to us to make the decisions. That’s why we chose Cascade. We already had a recipe built and chose to use the Cascade Minerals product because it functioned better in our application. “It comes down to attention to detail and consistency,” he adds. “There’s a lot of variability in the way soils are built and in living organic matter and natural ingredients being assembled like that. The rock dust is just one of the many stable components we’ve broken it down into to allow us to build a consistent medium.” Beck says other soil manufacturers could benefit from incorporating rock dust into their products. “Yes, absolutely,” he says when asked if it would be a good business move. “It’s one of those things that’s also very niche, that whole knowledge of rock dust and how it functions and the micronutrient processes. It’s new knowledge that’s really coming to the forefront of gardening.”

EPA Inspector General Says EPA Violating Renewable Fuel Reporting Requirements A new report by the Environmental Protection Agency’s Inspector General says EPA’s Office of Research and Development has failed to report to Congress on the environmental impacts of biofuels as required by law

By H. Sterling Burnett

ccording to a new report by the Inspector General (IG) of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), EPA’s Office of Research and Development has failed to report to Congress every 3 years on the environmental impacts of biofuels as required by law. Among other issues, EPA has not fulfilled requirements to analyze and address any negative air quality impacts of Renewable Fuel Standard (RFS), nor has it completed a comprehensive lifecycle analysis to determine whether renewable fuels actually reduce greenhouse gas emissions as it claimed they would The IG’s report notes, a comprehensive analysis of the environmental impacts of biofuels is critical given conflicting scientific opinions about biofuel’s possible harmful impacts and the divergent interests involved in pushing the RFS. As a result of EPA’s failure to meets it statutory analysis and reporting requirements, the IG concludes EPA is unable to determine whether the RFS creates negative impacts on air quality and, if so, take required measures to mitigate such impacts as the law requires.

RFS’s High Environmental Costs

usan E. Dudley and Sofie E. Miller, respectively the director and a senior policy analyst at the George Washington University Regulatory Studies Center, write concerning the problems highlighted by the IG’s report in a recent Forbes article. “When EPA issued rules implementing the RFS program in 2010, it estimated that biofuel production would reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 138 million metric tons,” write Dudley and Miller. “However, academic research published since 2007 suggests that the opposite may be true, and that the production of biofuel may significantly increase emissions of

greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide (CO2) and nitrous oxide (N2O) and of criteria pollutants such as particulate matter.” Despite the fact that Congress required EPA to report every three years on the environmental effects of the RFS, in order for lawmakers to determine whether the consequences of the program merited its continuation, EPA has not issued such a report since 2011 and the IG found the agency has no plans to provide the required information to Congress or the public in the near future. In addition, EPA has yet to undertake a legally required study on the air quality impacts of the RFS, in order to determine the RFS is actually increasing emissions of various pollutants and greenhouse gasses. Dudley and Miller report even the under best conditions, the environmental benefits of the RFS are modest at best and, at worst, mandatory biofuel use may result in larger carbon dioxide emissions than gasoline. In addition, they note, studies show increases in corn-based ethanol production, required by the renewable fuel mandates, damage ecosystems, wildlife habitat, and fisheries. “The availability of new scientific, technical and economic information shows that, despite the best of intentions, the RFS program does not work and is likely causing significant environmental harm,” write Dudley and Miller. As the IG’s report states, absent EPA following the research and reporting requirements of the law, it is impossible for Congress to determine whether the RFS merits continuation or should be halted. H. Sterling Burnett, Ph.D., (hsburnett@heartland.org) is the managing editor of Environment & Climate News. This article was reprinted with permission from heartland.org, a product of The Heartland Institute (https://www. heartland.org/news-opinion/news/epa-inspector-general-says-epa-violatingrenewable-fuel-reporting-requirements). September / October 2016 Soil & Mulch Producer News

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Mulch Producer NEWS

What Is It About This Soil That Protects Plants From Devastating Disease? Figuring out why certain soils keep plant parasites at bay could be a boon for agriculture around the globe By Kayleigh O’Keeffe

Kayleigh O’Keeffe produced this feature as a participant in the Ensia Mentor Program. Her mentor for the project was Hillary Rosner.

lants around the world are constantly under attack — often with big implications for humans. In the 1960s, millions of elm trees in Britain, France and the U.S. fell victim to Dutch elm disease, which clogs the vessels that carry life-giving water to the trees’ leaves. Starting in the late 1980s, Brazil’s thriving chocolate industry crumbled when witches’ broom disease devastated its cacao trees. Lately, banana growers have become increasingly concerned about Panama disease, which is spreading rapidly and threatening to wipe out their crops. The attackers, like many of the infectious agents that harm humans, are tiny but devastating fungi, bacteria and other microbial parasites. Now, global change is giving these parasites an edge, helping spread deadly diseases around the globe. Desperate to find a way to fight back, some scientists have turned their attention to a special type of soil known as “disease-suppressive soil.” The plants that live in it seem to magically remain relatively free of disease, even if disease-causing parasites are present. These scientists hope to improve understanding of this phenomenon so they can use it to help make agriculture more sustainable.

Perfect Combination

n the same way forts have armies to protect themselves against invaders, plants growing in disease-suppressive soil have beneficial bacteria to defend themselves against parasites attacking them from the ground. While all soil has microbes living in it, disease-suppressive soil has certain types of microbes that can fight off disease. Not all soils are disease suppressive, and those that are weren’t always that way. In many cases, soils develop protective qualities only after they host a single plant species and that species has experienced years of disease outbreak. It appears that, much as our bodies gain defenses in the form of antibodies after we get sick from the illnesses such as chicken pox or measles, soils can gain defenses in the form of the perfect combination of microbes that fend off future attacks from the same pathogen. Just as each human has a unique set of fingerprints, each type of soil has a unique signature based on the kinds and numbers of microbes present. The phenomenon was observed as early as 1931. Since then, scientists have tried to understand which specific microbes can defend plants against their attackers and how they do so. Today, advances in microbiological and sequencing technology are enabling researchers to tease apart the complexities of the microbes that live in soils — which organisms are they, exactly, and just what do they do? It turns out that, just as each human has a unique set of fingerprints, each type of soil has a unique signature based on the kinds and numbers of microbes present. A team of researchers based at Washington State University has focused on the suppression of take-all disease in wheat for decades. Take-all, which destroys grasses’ roots, is caused by a fungal parasite. Even before this group started its research in the 1960s, it was clear that growing wheat continuously in an area that had experienced take-all would lead to a decline in the disease. Plant pathologist David Weller, a member of the research team, determined that these suppressive soils had greater amounts of a type of bacteria called pseudomonads. When research geneticist Linda Thomashow joined the group 6

Soil & Mulch Producer News

September / October 2016

in 1985, she used molecular methods to learn more about pseudomonads and how they produce antibiotics to fight off pathogen. In the 1990s, Linda Kinkel and Neil Anderson, plant pathologists at the University of Minnesota, went looking for a microbial explanation for an inexplicable decline in scab, a disease that disfigures crops like potatoes or radishes with dark, splotchy growths, in a potato field in Minnesota. Kinkel and her colleagues found that the soil contained greater amounts of a certain type of bacteria called Streptomyces than soil that does not suppress disease. These bacteria produce antibiotics used as weapons against parasites. Characterizing such “microbial signatures” is just the first step toward further harnessing soil microbes to prevent disease. Understanding the soil microbes that protect plants from disease can be a matter of life and death — not just for the plants but for us as well. “Technology provides a static picture,” says Kinkel, “but these systems are so not static. … We need to understand not just which species are present, but how they are interacting.” Translating their discoveries about disease-suppressive soil into management solutions, she says, will require a shift in thinking. While many researchers are searching for a “silver bullet” microbe that can be added to soil and fight off disease, the system is much more complex than that.

Food Security

nderstanding the soil microbes that protect plants from disease can be a matter of life and death — not just for the plants but for us as well. Human population is growing, and plants are key to ensuring our future food security. Enlisting the help of microbes found naturally in the soil is critical, Thomashow explains, because “the agricultural systems are weakest in parts of the world where population growth is the greatest and the people can’t afford chemicals.” “It’s not this pie in the sky,” Kinkel says. “[These soils provide] long-term, stable, virtually complete disease suppression without any pesticide input.” So what do we need to bring disease-suppressive soil into management practices more widely? If scientists can learn more about how disease-suppressing microbes are functioning in this soil and how suppression originates, they can inform management practices to better protect plants against disease while reducing the need for artificial chemicals. However, Kinkel points out, for that to happen smoothly, communication will be key. Scientists may figure out ways to introduce disease resistance into soil, but that won’t do any good if their recommendations don’t mesh well with practices farmers use in real life such as rotating crops. “I may know things [growers] don’t, but they know a lot of things I don’t,” says Kinkel. In other words, successfully applying what has been learned about diseasesuppressive soils to agriculture will require both scientists and farmers to listen to each other. As Thomashow puts it, “We have a big toolbox, but we are not yet employing all the tools we have.” This article was reprinted with permission: http://ensia.com/articles/soil-protectsplants-devastating-disease/.

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Maine PUC Mum on Biomass Bailout

angor, ME – State legislators passed a law earlier this year setting aside $13.4 million to keep biomass plants open, but so far bidders for the funds are unknown, reports BangorDailyNews.com. Under the requirements of Maine’s biomass bailout plan, the winning bidder lands a twoyear contract with one or more utilities for the electricity it produces and is paid higher prices for the power than on the open market. The difference in price between the contract and open market is made up by $13.4 million from the state’s Rainy Day fund, which the legislators transferred to the Maine Public Utilities Commission. The law stipulates that the winning bidder must have been running a wood biomass or landfill gas power plant at half capacity for 60 days before the PUC’s solicitation, which was issued in July. The PUC has kept bidding confidential until it votes on proposed terms with biomass generators. According to power generation data collected by the U.S. Energy Information Agency that was reviewed by Bangor Daily News, the private equity-held company, ReEnergy, appears to be the only generator that meets the capacity requirement. Critics have called the bidding process corporate welfare, and a trade group that represents large energy users, the Industrial Energy Consumers Group, expressed its displeasure, releasing a statement that said, “the basic premise of competition in bidding is to have more than one bidder.”

2016 Peat Harvest Below Expectations

t. Albert, Alberta, Canada – The Canadian Sphagnum Peat Moss Association (CSPMA), whose members represent 95 percent of the North American peat production, recently surveyed its members on the status of their 2016 Actual Harvest as a percentage of their 2016 Expected Harvest (as of August 31). Overall, the organization says the season has been disappointing, with no peatland harvest region achieving its expected harvest volumes. According to the organization, unfavorable weather conditions, throughout the harvest period, contributed to the harvest decline. In New-Brunswick, the industry is slightly below average in its expected harvest volumes as a wet, cool summer restricted harvesting (New Brunswick North, 93 percent, New Brunswick South, 76 percent). The harvest on Québec’s South Shore (89 percent) is also below expectations. In Québec’s North Shore, results were even less favorable (75 percent). The Prairie Provinces (MB, SK & AB) also experienced weaker harvest rates (Manitoba, 83 percent, Saskatchewan, 70 percent, Alberta, 79 percent), primarily due to adverse weather. Minnesota also experienced similarly lower rates at only 84 percent.

Soil

Membership Organization Drives Maine Food Waste Recycling

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ortland, ME – Portland-based ecomaine has launched a new recycling service that makes it easy for residents to separate food scraps and help Maine reach its recycling goal of 50 percent by 2021. A provider of solid waste and recycling services to 57 communities in Maine and New Hampshire, ecomaine is a quasi-municipal organization. It is owned and operated by 20 municipalities in Maine. Ecomaine is now allowing kitchen scraps, expired produce and other food waste to be collected in plastic bags – yes, plastic bags. The organization hopes this will help significantly reduce the amount of organics going to landfill. Between 30 and 40 percent of the trash that Mainers throw out is food waste, according to a 2011 University of Maine study and ecomaine figures. Residents and businesses are encouraged to use clear fruit and vegetable storage bags for collecting the scraps. Plastic bags are no longer a problem, thanks to the de-bagging technology at Exeter Agri-Energy, the anaerobic digestion facility which processes the waste after it leaves ecomaine’s Portland transfer station. The food waste program accepts fruit, vegetable, meat and fish scraps, dairy products, bread, pasta, rice and grains, eggshells, coffee grounds and filters, soiled tea bags, jellies and sauces, fats, oils and greases. No yard waste is allowed. Ecomaine’s service initially was targeted at supermarkets, restaurants and food processors that generate tons of the organic material. The organization’s $55/ton tipping fee is low, compared to landfill tipping fees of $70/ton. The nonprofit’s Portland transfer station handles some 175,000 tons of trash and about 45,000 tons of recycling yearly. Ecomaine officials expect 5,000 tons of food waste in the first year, increasing as more communities and institutions join the program.

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Massachusetts Lawmakers Classify Woody Biomass as Renewable Energy

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BostonGlobe.com article reports that although biomass is being viewed as a renewable energy resource with tremendous potential in Massachusetts, environmentalists consider it a backward step and they are mounting strong opposition. According to the state’s Department of Energy and Environmental Affairs(DEEA) website, the Massachusetts Department of Energy Resources (DOER) and Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR), have identified three million acres of underutilized forestland and other large sources of wood in the state. The 2008 Sustainable Forest Bioenergy Initiative was drafted to foster biomass energy projects and fuel supply infrastructure in Massachusetts, but environmentalists, including scientists from Woods Hole Research Center say that the state’s energy policymakers’ plans to designate fuel derived from felling trees and clearing brush in forests as a form of renewable energy is wrongheaded. The new regulations would qualify wood biofuel for the same type of subsidies as solar and wind power. The state’s energy office estimated that some 4,000,000 tons of woody biomass could be produced annually in Massachusetts, from logging activities and from forest products industries. Utilizing only half that volume for the production of electricity would represent an estimated 150 MW of renewable generation, and substantial rural economic development associated with the fuel supply, according to the DEEA website. The Massachusetts Sustainable Forest Bioenergy Initiative was supported by $495,000 from the U.S. Department of Energy and $245,000 from the Massachusetts Technology Collaborative, Renewable Energy Trust supported the Massachusetts Sustainable Forest Bioenergy Initiative to assess forest management practices and set forth a plan for economic development that focused on nurturing the biomass industry. The Conservation Law Foundation, Massachusetts Sierra Club, Environmental League of Massachusetts, and other groups say the state is moving in the wrong direction by incentivizing biomass and warn they will bring a lawsuit if the administration approves biomass subsidies. “Biomass is the ultimate renewable energy, because it grows and grows,” a spokesperson for Massachusetts Forest Alliance told the Globe. The Alliance is a trade association for foresters, landowners, and the logging industry. Thompson added he does not believe biomass is “making climate change worse.”

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Soil

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EU Moves Toward Closing Wood Biomass Loophole

oon, a loophole that has helped to promote the burning of wood pellets for electricity in the European Union is going to close, a ClimateCentral.org article reports. According to the EU report, “Environmental implications of increased reliance of the EU on biomass from the Southeast U.S.,” electricity that is produced by burning wood is only an improvement over coal and natural gas in limited circumstances — when cutting down trees for fuel results in forests growing more quickly. That’s because power plant emissions for wood energy are “higher than those of fossil fuel alternatives.” An estimated five million tons of wood pellets were exported to Europe last year from producers in Southern states, reports the Forisk Consulting Wood Bioenergy Update for the first quarter of this year. The report was commissioned following UN negotiations for the Paris Agreement, the global treaty on climate. The aim of the report was to guide European Union efforts to update climate and energy policies after 2020. The EU pledged to reduce its climate pollution by 40 percent in 2030, compared with 1990 levels. Essentially, the loophole helps European countries meet European Union rules on carbon emissions on paper. Current EU climate rules do not take into consideration effects of pollution, loss of biodiversity and deforestation that the new study says woody biomass energy causes. Pellet fuel is heavily subsidized in Europe. The loophole in question “treats electricity generated by burning wood as a “carbon neutral” or “zero emissions” energy source — the same as solar panels or wind turbines. When power plants in major European countries burn wood, the only carbon dioxide pollution they report is from the burning of fossil fuels needed to manufacture and transport the woody fuel,” according to an article published last year by environmentalist, John Upton. The U.S. Industrial Pellet Association called the EU policy report recommendations “overzealous” and said in a statement that the wood pellet producers characterized the “underlying conclusion” of the report as being “that the wood pellet industry has not adversely impacted” America’s forests.

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September / October 2016 Soil & Mulch Producer News 13

Soil

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uffolk, England – Experimental testing done by a near-century-old malt producer based in England shows that anaerobic digestion (AD) plants could eventually produce pharmacological compounds to combat drug-resistant microorganisms, reports an Edie.net article. The news comes from University College of London researchers, who tested digestate from an AD plant operated by Muntons Plc. The scientists discovered that a digestate that forms from certain plant feedstock during the AD process attacks the antibiotic-resistant microorganism, Micrococcus, spp., stopping its spread. Muntons, a global leader that supplies malts, malt extracts, flours and flakes and other malted ingredients to the food and beverage industry, sent the London college a sample of the digestate for testing. The school has begun a “swab and send project,” which looks for new antibiotics by analyzing swabs the public sends. According to MSDSonline.com, Micrococcus spp. naturally inhabits skin, mucosa, and sometimes, the throat, but can multiply and become deadly in immunocompromised people. The microorganism has been linked to bacteremia, peritonitis, and infections associated with ventricular shunts and central venous catheters. It also has been isolated from blood and surgical specimens in certain patients with coronary and infectious conditions. One member of the species has been reported as the causative agent in cases of intracranial abscesses, pneumonia, septic arthritis, endocarditis, and meningitis. Identifying and potentially reusing bacteria from AD plant operations in medicine highlights how the AD process could promote clean energy and healthy living standards. Further research is being conducted by the University College of London lab on the strain of bacteria that was found in the Muntuns AD digestate.

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Soil

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T.H. Glennon Co. Announces New National Sales Manager

.H. Glennon Co., Salisbury, Mass., recently announced that Richard Stewart has joined the company as National Sales Manager. Richard will manage the sales force that represent the company’s line of Colorfast landscape mulch colorants for wood, rubber and aggregate, as well as the Mulch Color Jet equipment. Over the past four years, Richard was active as a consultant and product representative to the mulch and soil industry. He designed and implemented manufacturing processes, assisted with product development, and created revenue streams designed to integrate seamlessly into existing production formats and providing vetted products. Clients ranged from regional start-ups to international corporations.

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Invasive Asian Worms Wreak Havoc in U.S. Soils

adison, WI – Wisconsin researchers are studying an invasive Asian earthworm species that could spell trouble for American forests and grasslands, Sciencedaily.com reports. Scientists from the University of Wisconsin set up test plots. According to their study findings published in the journal, the Asian worms can have a destructive effect, dramatically changing soil composition and permeability almost overnight. The Asian worms in the study belong to two species, Amynthas agrestis, dubbed “The Crazy Snake Worm” and Amynthas tokioensis, or “Asian Jumping Worm.” These species are very different from the familiar North American worm family, Lumbricidae, which originally came from Europe and is found just about everywhere. The Asian species, which originated from Korea and Japan, belong to the earthworm family Megascolecidae. Because they congregate in higher densities than European earthworms, their impact is alarming. For one thing, they are voracious eaters. Their diet can vary, but their favorite meal is the valuable layer of leaf litter that covers the first few centimeters of forest floors. An infestation can make short work of this layer. Secondly they change soil composition and texture in ways that can rob saplings and other young plants of the chance to grow. The Wisconsin scientists observed that the Asian worms consumed 95 percent of the leaf litter in the forested test plots. They also learned that, unlike the rich castings left by European earthworms that are used as soil amendments; the Asian species excrete a granular residue. An infestation of Asian worms leaves a bare, clumpy soil vulnerable to rains. Nutrients get washed away before small plants can grow. The experiments also suggest that Asian worm infestation changes the soil’s permeability and its ability to filter nitrates away from the surface. Nitrates are salts mainly produced for use as fertilizers in agriculture because of their high solubility and biodegradability. Meanwhile, University of Vermont scientists have discovered the worms in mulch and growing mediums. The Vermont scientists plan to study invasion dynamics of Amynthas species, and develop best management practices for nurseries to keep horticultural stock free of the worms. The Wisconsin scientists are experimenting with reducing infestations by eradicating introduced shrubs such as common buckthorn and honeysuckle, which produce leaf litter favored by the worms. In 2014, a team of Southern Forest Project researchers experimented with prescribed burning to destroy Amynthas infestations in test plots. The findings, published in the journal, Soil Biology and Chemistry, suggest that surface fire can destroy most of the worms and their cocoons if done at the right time of year and repeated the following year. The worms are thought to have arrived through the horticultural industry. According to study findings published in the journal, their movement in the soil is slow on their own; however, they can become hitchhikers on vehicle tires and migrate much faster. Also, the earthworms are commonly used as bait for fishing, and many escape or are released.

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September / October 2016 Soil & Mulch Producer News 15

Soil

Mulch Producer NEWS

Katrina Flood Remediation Benefit: Lower Lead Levels

www.mulchandsoilcouncil.org

ew Orleans, LA – Soil remediation techniques that have been applied post-Hurricane Katrina have been linked to a dramatic decrease in the amount of lead levels found in New Orleans children, according to a WWLTV.com report. In a paper just published by Dr. Howard Mielke, a research scientist at Tulane University, the lower levels of lead are linked to the removal of contaminated soil and replacement with “clean” soil and sod. Dr. Mielke, who has studied the effects of lead contamination in New Orleans area for 25 years, was among a number of scientists in the 1960s and 1970s who warned the federal government about the environmental health dangers of leaded gasoline. Before Hurricane Katrina, an experimental technique Dr. Mielke developed which involved geotextile fabric and clean spillway soil was used to cover contaminated soil. Before and after lead levels in the blood of children were measured, showing that that method was effective in protecting children from absorbing lead into their bodies. After the Katrina flood surge and remediation, lead levels dropped and the percentage of children who had had very high blood lead levels in certain contaminated neighborhoods changed significantly – from 64 percent to 19 percent. Dr. Mielke believes the Katrina flooding deposited cleaner top soil from the coastal area, while pushing some smaller lead particles deeper into the ground. As communities cleaned up the flood debris and new construction began, contractors brought in cleaner soil, as well. Dr. Mielke says soil lead levels are a serious, long-term public health problem and he wants the city to use the geotextile fabric covers and spillway top soil before building. In 2011 and 2012, the City of New Orleans conducted soil testing at 18 public parks and playgrounds, guided by the research of Dr. Howard Mielke. The lead levels were so high that most of the parks were closed. After applying the technique developed by Dr. Mielke, tests showed lead levels to within safe ranges and the parks were reopened.

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Soil

Digester Pilot Program Begins in Perris, CA

erris, CA – Testing recently began on the first phase of a state-of-the-art $100-million anaerobic digester facility in Southern California, reports PressExaminer.com. In addition to the City of Perris, where the digester is located, the waste disposal contractor, CR&R Environmental Services, has contracts with Los Angeles County and parts of Riverside County. Other Inland Empire cities have expressed interest in signing on, as well. State legislation passed in 2014 sets the goal of diverting nine million tons of organic material from landfills every year by requiring businesses and residents to separate food scraps and yard trimmings from their regular trash. The law designates composting and anaerobic digestion for recycling the material and bans the use of green waste as landfill cover. CR&R officials say that when the four-phase project in Perris is completed, the facility will process about 1,000 tons of organic waste each day. L.A. alone is expected to generate about 125 tons of organic recyclable material daily.

Philippine Feedstock Supply Program Offers Farmers Extra Income

hilippines – A bill written to benefit farmers by giving them a market for agricultural waste hasn’t had the impact its authors hoped for, according to a BWorldOnline.com article. Senator Juan Miguel F. Zubiri, who inserted biomass into the Philippines’ Renewable Energy Act of 2008, hoped to help farmers convert garbage, such as “corn trash” into cash. Prospective biomass developers, however, have been slow to act. Based on the government’s estimates of annual agricultural waste generated in this South Pacific nation, the volume of biomass feedstock is enough to bring benefits all around. Rice can yield 4 million tons of hull and 4.2 million tons of straw, while coconut processing can yield 7 million tons of husk and 6.9 million tons of fronds. Sugar cane produces waste equivalent to 6 million tons of bagasse and 6 million tons of leaves, while corn waste adds up to 1.48 million tons of corn cobs, stalks, straws and leaves. Biomass wholesalers, or developers, as they are known in this South Pacific region, are willing to pony up P1,000 to P1,500 per ton (between $20 and $30USD) for the crop waste if they can obtain a steady flow. Developers can receive fixed tariff of P6.63 for every kilowatthour they export to the electricity grid. Zubiri says farmers are missing out on a good source of extra income - their subsidized rate amounts to about P3,000, or a little over $60USD for every two tons per hectare, according to government estimates. Currently, sugar mills, copra (coconut kernel) mills, corn mills and grain mills are taking part in the government scheme.

Mulch Producer NEWS

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Scientists Demonstrate How Bacterial Nanowires Conduct Electricity

mherst, MA – Electricity from soil – it’s science, not science fiction, according to researchers at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst, reports IndustryLeadersMagazine.com. The discovery was made by UM Amherst professor Derek Lovley. Dr. Lovley published papers in 2011 describing the process of genetically modifying a common soil microorganism, Geobacter, to form nanowires, or hair-like protein filaments, that can connect with iron oxide to conduct electricity. The nanowires, protrusions which are a thousand times thinner than the human hair, are capable of conducting electricity for small-scale electronic devices. The findings of a new study by Dr. Lovley and his team of microbiologists published recently in the journal, report that Geobacter could be altered further to boost conductivity and could be linked to solar energy or other renewable energy sources such as plant waste for large-scale power generation. No chemicals are required to generate the nanoelectronic particles. Genetically modified by altering amino acids, the bacteria become 2,000 times more conductive than they are in their natural state. The increased conductivity yields a small, yet durable power grid that may prove to be useful in developing smaller, more powerful computing devices with state-of-the-art sensors, transistors, and capacitors and, one day, advanced fuels production. The Geobactor project has received funding from the Office of Naval Research.

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Sell your products or equipment with a showcase ad in Soil & Mulch Producer News. For more information, call 440-257-6453. September / October 2016 Soil & Mulch Producer News 19

Soil

Mulch Producer NEWS

Food Composting Program Launches in Charleston, WV

harleston, WV – As Charleston’s Upper Peninsula makes the transition from its heavy industrial and commercial roots to workplaces, retail, restaurants and dense housing, a new food waste recycling program is underway to complement the locale’s sustainability initiatives, reports PostandCourier.com. The program, which focuses on restaurant recycling, is partially funded by a $7500 grant from the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control. Some of the grant money will be used to buy bins to collect food scraps and to train restaurant kitchen employees. Most of the money, about $5,500, will cover the cost of hauling the scraps to Charleston County’s food compost program at the Bees Ferry Landfill. Charleston established the Upper Peninsula revitalization project as an initiative to be managed through a joint public-private effort between the City of Charleston’s Planning, Preservation and Sustainability Department and the Sustainability Institute. Food waste is not new to Charleston County, which has recycled scraps, grass clippings and other yard waste into compost since 2012. Last year, the county produced 4,100 tons of compost, which was available for purchase by county residents. Some also is sold to commercial clients. Food waste collection and hauling is done by private haulers who pay a $15 per ton tipping fee to dump at the county landfill.

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DON’T Attn: Contract Bagging Companies We are working on an article that will profile such companies in MISS our November/December issue. To be included in this article, OUT ! please contact Rick Downing by October 21st at 440-257-6453.

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Soil

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Napa Approves Funding for Covered Composting Operation

apa, CA – To help meet its goal of a 75 percent recycling rate by 2020, Napa City Council has given the go-ahead for modernizing the community’s recycling center – to the tune of $12.5 million, according to napavalleyregister.com. The taxable municipal bonds, which are being issued this fall, will fund improvements at the community’s materials diversion center. Of the total $12.5 million being raised, $7.5 million will be used to build a covered composting system. The composting operation complements Napa’s food waste recycling program that began last year. In covered composting, finished compost is used to cover fresh organic waste which is dumped in concrete bunkers. Air blowers aid the decomposition process, which takes about 45 days. Napa’s state solid-waste permit requires it to modernize the facility and partially enclose the processing area by 2018. Some of the funds will be used to extend a roof overhang to meet that requirement. The city will use revenue from waste-hauling and recycling revenue to fund the bond repayment.

James Shoemaker Jr., Morbark President, Announces Retirement

inn, MI – Morbark, LLC, recently announced that its President, James W. Shoemaker Jr., has retired after 13 years with the Company. “My job is complete,” said Shoemaker. “When I became President, I had a mission — to regain market share and increase profitability for Morbark, and then to prepare the Company for sale. The team at Morbark reacted splendidly, and we successfully regained market share and enhanced our profitability. My intention all along was, once the Company was sold, to retire and let the new management take charge, and that’s what I’m doing.” Morbark was acquired by Stellex Capital Management in March of this year. Shoemaker started working with Stellex in September 2015 and agreed to stay on as President for a few months to assist with the transition. He also plans to stay involved with Morbark in a consulting capacity.

Iowa Composter Must Stop Accepting Food Waste

pworth, IA – A compost facility here will not be able to accept food scraps after March 2017, according to a DesMoinesRegister.com article. Repeated complaints by residents about odors persuaded Dubuque County officials to look at rezoning the property where the composter has been recycling food waste. Midwest Organic Solutions and Dubuque County reached an agreement that will allow other profitable businesses on the site, however. Once the Iowa Department of Natural Resources approves zoning changes, the composter will be allowed to recycle manufacturing waste and construction materials, as well as compost yard waste and wood. The company also will be allowed to have an office building and storage facilities on the property and to store and sell construction materials such as asphalt, cement and wood. As a condition of the zoning, all crushing of cement, asphalt, rock or other construction material must occur in daytime hours.

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Product/Equipment Profiles

ClearSpan Introduces New Fabric House Building

learSpan Fabric Structure’s new Fabric House Building is an updated design of a ClearSpan classic. The structure utilizes the frame from the Hybrid Building, but covers it completely in fabric. W h i l e customers c o u l d traditionally customize the Hybrid Building with fabric, the Fabric House Building will allow ClearSpan to get the building to customers faster. The Fabric House Building features a peaked roof and overhanging eaves that provide extra outdoor coverage. The sidewalls are available in heights of 13’ or 20’, ensuring plenty of clearance for any application. The unique design, combined with multiple foundation options, ensures that each building can be quickly installed without sacrificing strength or durability. Like other ClearSpan buildings, the Fabric House Building comes with industry-leading warranties. Customers will receive a 50 year warranty on the frame and a 20 year warranty on the fabric cover.

Morbark® Introduces New 223 Stand-Alone Flail, Smaller Option for Contractors

orbark, LLC, has added a smaller flail option to its product line, the 223 Standalone Flail. Easy to transport, the model is efficient and robust for in-woods chipping applications. The 223 Flail is designed to work in conjunction with chippers like the Morbark 23 Chiparvestor®, the 40/36 Whole Tree Drum Chipper or similar machines. With a large 56” x 23” infeed opening, the 223 Flail accepts logs up to 23” in diameter at a feed rate from 70-150 feet per minute. The Morbark Integrated Control System allows for fine adjustment of feed rate and flail drum speed so that bark removal is maximized and removal of “good” fiber is minimized for superior end products. With its wide flailing chamber, the 223 reduces hassle while feeding and allows for additional stems to be fed during operation. Other key features of the 223 flail include the dual horizontal segmented flail drums — each equipped with eight flail chain rods — and a large work/inspection area for easy access to engine and hydraulic components, for easier maintenance and reduced costs. For more information visit www.morbark.com or call us at 800-831-0042.

For more information visit www.ClearSpan.com or call 866-643-1010.

Rawlings Manufacturing Inc. Celebrating the Company’s 40th Year Anniversary

awlings Manufacturing recently announced its 40th year anniversary. The family business started out as a sawmill Construction Company in 1976. While growing a successful business and reputation of manufacturing custom wood waste reduction systems, Pat and Cliff Rawlings raised their three sons, John, Craig and Mike, in and around mills and log yard cleanup operations while learning the industry from the inside out. In the early 1980s, Cliff developed the Rawlings solid rotary wood hog. During this time, sawmills had generally used hammer mills to pulverize bark into hog fuel for boilers, but many had given up on processing cedar because the bark was so stringy. Cliff’s new grinder used a system of solid rotors that efficiently reduced the more challenging bark without the usual equipment breakdown. The same concept is being utilized today in the Rawlings wood hog. In 1996 John Rawlings improved on his father’s original rotary hog design an introduced the Super Hi Inertia Rotor. Rawlings has manufactured and marketed several series of product lines offering its customers wood waste processing equipment in a full range of sizes and models. For more information visit www.wastewoodhogs.com or call 866-ROCWEAR (762-9327).

22 Soil & Mulch Producer News September / October 2016

Rayco Introduces RM27 Multi-Tool Carrier

he Rayco stump cutter just became more versatile for the rental and landscape i n d u s t r i e s ! Rayco’s RM27 M u l t i -To o l Carrier is a new platform for carrying a variety of work tools, including Rayco stump cutters, plus tillers, trenchers, snow throwers, power brooms, push blades, and more. No longer is the stump cutter just a 1-trick pony. This unique machine provides operators with an economical and versatile tool carrier capable of utilizing a variety of implements. The RM27 tool carrier maximizes profit by operating work tools at a fraction of the price of dedicated machines. The new RM27 is self-propelled, with rubber tracks, and is powered by a reliable 26.5hp Kohler, fuel injected, gasoline engine. The RM27 has been designed for the rental and landscape industries with easy to operate controls and a low maintenance hydraulic system. Service points are easily accessible and powered implements feature beltless drive trains. The RM27 is available with non-marking rubber tracks. For more information on the Rayco RM27, please call 800-392-2686 or visit us online at http://www.raycomfg. com/products/multi-tool-carrier/rm27.html.

SERVICE YOU CAN COUNT ON. WHENEVER. WHEREVER. WE’VE GOT YOUR BACK. When you buy Vermeer, you get more than just equipment — you get the expertise and support that only your specialized Vermeer dealer can provide. Working to deliver local solutions whenever and wherever you need us. That’s service you can count on. www.vermeer.com VERMEER.COM

September / October 2016 Soil & Mulch Producer News 23

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VOL. X NO. 5

6075 Hopkins Road • Mentor, OH 44060

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Inside This Issue Soil Manufacturers Find Rock Dust Really Rocks PAGE 1

EPA Inspector General Says EPA Violating Renewable Fuel Reporting Requirements PAGE 5 What Is It About This Soil That Protects Plants From Devastating Disease? PAGE 6 EU Moves Toward Closing Wood Biomass Loophole PAGE 13 Katrina Flood Remediation Benefit: Lower Lead Levels PAGE 16 Napa Approves Funding for Covered Composting Operation PAGE 21