Composting course will be rich in research

WOOSTER, Ohio – Get a good grounding in how to make compost at the 2007 Ohio Compost Operator Education Course Feb. 28 and March 1 in Wooster.
Led by the Ohio Compost Association and Ohio State University’s Ohio Composting and Manure Management program, the class will focus on technical know-how along with sound operation.
Purpose. The purpose, according to Program Coordinator Mary Wicks, is to combine the research and engineering knowledge of Ohio State scientists with the experience of the Ohio Compost Association to deliver a certificate course on the science and art of composting.
The presenters will be industry experts, OSU Extension specialists, and scientists with the university’s Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center.
Topics. Topics include: the composting process; raw materials; composting methods; compost testing; composting regulations; economics and marketing; site design; organic mulches; and value-added uses.
Three special practicum sessions will cover: calculations; organic matter and stability and optimal mixing ratios; sampling and testing; effects of turning; compost properties; and fan efficiency.
Compost facility operators and workers, public-health officials, OSU Extension agents, nursery owners, farmers, municipal solid-waste managers;
Public-policy consultants, composting consultants, environmental regulators, and equipment vendors all should consider attending.
The course takes place in the Shisler Center on Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center’s Wooster campus, 1680 Madison Ave.
Sessions start the first day at 8:30 a.m. and end on the second at 4:30 p.m.
Registration. Registration – due by Feb. 16 and limited to the first 25 paid registrants – costs $175 for Ohio Compost Association members and $225 for nonmembers.
The cost covers course materials, texts, facilities and lunches.
Participants may sign up to receive Continuing Education Units (CEUs): 13 hours for waste water certification and 11 hours for registered sanitarians.