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Washington State University

WSU Snohomish County Extension office has moved!

Our office is now located in the Snohomish County Parks & Recreation Administration Office at Willis Tucker Park, 6705 Puget Park Drive, Snohomish, 98296.

Compost in Agriculture

Need compost for your farm?

Contact our partner compost companies in Snohomish County! (pdf)

What is the Compost Outreach Project?

The Compost Outreach Project provides Snohomish and King County farmers with an opportunity to see first-hand the benefits of incorporating compost into their cropping systems. Our on-farm research is helping document the value of using compost in local cropping systems, and create a sustainable system for returning urban landscape and food waste energy to local farms.


Compost to Combat Drought

Compost increases organic matter, improving soil moisture retention!

Learn more! (pdf)drought-afflicated-crops-205x150


handoutCompost reduces soil bulk density through 2015 on-farm research.

See the 2015 program handout! (pdf) (Dec. 2015)

 

 


For Web Pg 1 presentationIncorporating Compost in Specialty Crop Production!

New Presentation! (pdf) (Nov. 2015)

 

 


Local farmers are using compost made from food scraps and yard waste!

Do you participate in food and yard waste collection? If so, you're helping to create a natural soil amendment! Food scraps then put in the food and yard waste collection become compost.

See Compost in Action

Compost has been used on nearly 73 farms through the Compost Outreach Project. Check out some of the results through the farmer-conducted demonstration trials! Click here- Compost Demo Trials Observations (pdf)

A farmer holds and looks at potato plants pulled from the soil in each hand.
In 2012, farmer Tristan Klesick observes the results of his compost trial on potatoes.

 

Forty-nine Snohomish and King County farmers participated in the compost trials in 2015!

Capture-map-2015-1

View a map (website) of our 2015 compost trial farms!

(Mobile browsers may experience challenges with this Google custom map)

 

Watch our YouTube films! (website/video)

 

2016 On Farm Compost Demonstration Results (website/video)

 

Watch this short video that highlights the programs’s results on one participating farm in the WSU agricultural compost research and outreach project.

 

Program Handouts

 

2014 Compost Research Trials

Information for Farmers:

 

 

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