A $50,000 Pallet of Compost? Building Johnson-Su Bioreactor and Test Results (With Microbial Counts)

[@MeanderLife]

I want to suggest my most useful find... It's called "wiggle wire" for holding greenhouse plastic. I have used it so many times to hold tarps etc on so many projects... (boat covers, porch enclosures etc.) They would be perfect to hold the landscape fabric to the posts and bottom of your set-up. They are reusable and are super strong, so easy to use... check them out!

[@birchfieldfarming]

I will definitely check out “wiggle wire” and thank you for the tip!🤠

[@TheNightwalker247]

Makes so much sense will try it out

[@ronnfoxx8472]

thank you . we are brothers of the soil!!

[@birchfieldfarming]

It all starts with the soil🌱

[@johnfitbyfaithnet]

Great to see the kids helping

[@birchfieldfarming]

Don’t know what I’d do without them!

[@bugbacktoone]

Love the red devons. We just calved our second home grown red devon today. I'm gonna be tinkering with a similar composting system. Thanks for the time and information, lotta good stuff here 💪

[@birchfieldfarming]

Congrats on 2nd Devon! Let me know how the compost turns out! I’m glad good folks are finding value in the content.🤠

[@Cynthia-sm5uj]

its 4pm. where did my day go with all the research to perfect easier and better systems? so, i had to cry like a girl (because i am), when you began quoting the Word. Thank you. I needed to take some refreshment!

[@birchfieldfarming]

You bet…thanks for stopping by😀🌱

[@MadebyBelarus]

Попутно можно получать тепло для отопления, ведь там в процессе температура 60-80°С, а также горючий газ. У нас в Минске Зеленстрой построил большую станцию компостирования, куда свозят всю листву, скошенную траву и ветки со всего города, на 70 тысяч тонн. Также есть станции компостирования поменьше. Производят грунт и продают.

[@birchfieldfarming]

So interesting! So much we can do with what nature gives us! Hope you are well, friend.

[@shk2564]

In this entire discussion about microbial life it is important to note that microbes are going to stay at the capacity of the soil so just adding microbes to soil will not increase them. The levels will quickly drop off as they quickly die but the carbon/organic matter has to be increased to support them if you want the levels to stay up. Adding the compost will do that. But making teas and many products with high microbial levels and adding them will not because they die off very quickly. I love this method of making compost and appreciate you sharing your version and improvements. 🙏❤️

[@raptorfeet]

The purpose is to inoculate soils that have lost certain populations of microbes. They have found things in these bioreactors that were thought to only exist in old forests and protected prairie. So this compost can return those lost species back to soils.

[@birchfieldfarming]

Might also be worth noting the recent discoveries surrounding the seed actually having its own microbiome. The consensus seems to be that’s one of the reasons we see the yield increase when extract is applied directly to seed in furrow.

[@paulnovak833]

Couldn't disagree more with this comment.

[@chadjones4255]

This is so cool. I want to see a combination of Johnson-Su and biochar to create a static long-lasting soil amendment.

[@birchfieldfarming]

Great idea!

[@Walrus2112]

Great video. Thank you for sharing! This has got some exciting possibilities for the future.

[@birchfieldfarming]

We’re seeing some impressive results on cover crops already. Thanks for watching.

[@Kolby.with.a.K]

This was such an informative video and I loved how you broke the numbers down and tested it! Just started our first compost that we'll do the Berkeley method on but I've been doing my research on the Johnson Su Bioreactor for the future. Also love the scriptures! Subbed 👍🏻

[@birchfieldfarming]

Thanks for watching and following along, Kolby. Congrats on starting your first batch of compost! 🐛 🌱💫

[@belgarion89]

Love little girl absolutely getting after the wet leaves in the Else dress!

[@birchfieldfarming]

No better way to raise a family than down on the farm!🤠

[@amandatejada8929]

I love that. For healthy people.

[@gg-gn3re]

I've seen systems built like yours. I think a gamechanger is a system that's easier to just shovel out the stuff on the bottom when it's done and keep throwing stuff in on the top. Because of this I just bury pipe with the compost and have air input that way, with it directly on the ground. (not my invention either, large scale does this)

[@birchfieldfarming]

Leaves are the primary input for a JS system, and we only have them once a year…but I hear ya, and thanks for sharing!🤠

[@wocoranch]

I cant wait to set a couple of these up when i get back down to GA!! I think with our heat and warm winters it might even speed up the process a bit. I wonder how i can run water lines from the well, and also if they should be put in full sun? So much to think about haha. Another great video Jason! Cant wait to catch up on watching!

[@wocoranch]

What if the leaves are mulched... I have an idea........ lol

[@birchfieldfarming]

With GA heat I bet you could absolutely cook one up quicker than here! I do full sun for winter heat, but doubt you’d need it there. Yeah, I’ll be waiting for your microbial counts!🤠

[@birchfieldfarming]

By mulched do you mean chopped? We do this with the mower before loading, and I think the finer you chop the quicker the breakdown…or maybe you’re talking about just chopping and leaving in pasture? I think Logsdon talks about that in his book Contrary Farmer - definitely soil fertility to be gained either way.

[@perpetual4958]

Diego Footer is propably the first on KZbin with the center mesh hole.

[@birchfieldfarming]

Diego’s done some great compost work!

[@winnipegnick]

Based on your $$$ calculations, it's worth building as many bioreactors as you can in a season. If you need more material, you can collect leaves and grass from neighbors and or put the word out and maybe they'd bring their leaf debris to you. I've even seen some KZbinrs snag leaf bags each time they go to the city and bring back as many as they can get their hands on.

[@birchfieldfarming]

Absolutely!…or how about this - starting a local leaf clean-up business in the fall and getting paid on both the front and back-end?

[@NotyouraverageYTwatcher]

I have one setup for about 15 months that was wood chips. Living in north Alabama. I didnt add water or the worms, but am going to check the micrometer out if you have a link :)

[@birchfieldfarming]

microbiometer.com If you think of it, circle back here with results. I’d love to know how you make out.👍

[@jperello001]

I’m doing Bible in the year and we covered this verse today!

[@birchfieldfarming]

Ah, that’s awesome! God is so good to us.

[@krayziez]

Wow the results look amazing. And this is 100% leaves? The result looks like nice black soil. So the leaves break down and it becomes what looks like soil. And we can use as much as we want and keep the rest in the bioreactor for later use? As long as it still has fresh air and is watered/heated. Thanks for sharing the video. I'm gonna try to follow exactly what you've done here.

[@birchfieldfarming]

Yeah, also David Johnson has a few very succinct, informative videos of how to build the pile. I deviated a bit on design b/c I had and wanted more mass. According to test results, my design worked out (nothing went anaerobic).

[@michelbisson6645]

You are right

[@birchfieldfarming]

Thanks for watching🤠

[@Nicole-pg3mr]

That’s great! Thank you for sharing.

[@birchfieldfarming]

You bet, thanks for watching!

[@sdriding]

Hey dude great vid. Check out vitamin C for removing chlorine and chloramine. That’s what I used in my aquaponic gardens

[@birchfieldfarming]

Thanks for this nugget - that’s really interesting, and something I’ll need to look into!👍

[@mushethecowboycook9353]

The girls were kicking it hard

[@birchfieldfarming]

Don’t know what I’d do without em!

[@anthonysurrency7134]

You ever thought about purposefully inoculating your compost with wine cap or oyster mushroom mycelium? Ive started doing it with my spent goat bedding and it has accelerated the decomposition tremendously. As an added benefit, during the cold season the fruits from the mushrooms pop up and gives us another source of food

[@birchfieldfarming]

That’s really interesting…so the mushrooms would fruit thru an Ohio winter??

[@anthonysurrency7134]

@@birchfieldfarming maybe not at the absolute coldest parts of it, but they'll fruit when most other vegetables won't grow. With enough aerobic activity warming up the air around the pile, it might even fruit in the dead of winter

[@birchfieldfarming]

@@anthonysurrency7134that’s awesome, thanks for sharing

[@ricksteen935]

Dude, did you ever think to take an extract o your compost and blend it with biochar, to extend the coverage of the compost and give a place for the microbes and fungi to hang out for years to come and provide their blessings on future crops?

[@birchfieldfarming]

Great idea!…Hearing from smarter people on here is wonderful!

[@ricksteen935]

@@birchfieldfarming I wouldn’t say smarter, just another guy along for the journey of learning about what God created and trying to be the best steward of what He’s allowed me to care for. Keep up the good work!

[@birchfieldfarming]

@@ricksteen935Amen, brother

[@DestinationJapan95]

Very fascinating video! Thanks for sharing your results. Have you looked at all into the static biochar + compost stuff? It seems fairly new still too but apparently the biochar can speed up the composting process by nearly half while making a richer compost. I am dying to know now if using this method along with biochar would speed up the process and generate insane fungal ratings!

[@birchfieldfarming]

I’ll be looking into it now b/c of this comment, thanks!…like I need one more thing!🤦🏻‍♂️🤣

[@gyalogmadar]

😊😊😊uy 6:09

[@cottagekeeper]

Do the bioreactors have to be in the sun? I live in the woods.

[@birchfieldfarming]

No, probably better off not in the sun, at least in summer. The sun on that black mesh helps keep them from freezing in winter.

[@dontbea7237]

Now if you had a collection box for the side feeder for the worms where you can collect the worms out of that thing and add them to the next one disabled would probably reduce your time not sure though as theres no soil in the bin to start and I'm assuming it would be entirely too expensive to use say 10% Coco coir to give them a fresh start until they munched everything below lol

[@birchfieldfarming]

We actually ended up setting up a heated worm bin in our old milk house. We put our original Johnson-Su (started Nov 2022) in the bin, retaining the original native worms plus adding 10K Red Wigglers. We’re harvesting some of the compost now to start seeds, and it’s pure gold!

[@MsShawn43]

Awesome, awesome video. Thank you..Subbed

[@birchfieldfarming]

Thanks for watching!

[@flatsville9343]

Re: our previous discission on JSB and freezing- I found this reply Dr. Johnson made re: freezing to a question in the comments to the below video... kzbin.info/www/bejne/mYDPh4dsrMh2rrssi=A7oDO_Qc4_-s7ah2 @frankfeske7867 Does a harsh cold winter affect this process? @davidjohnson1910 Yes, it will. Please keep it above freezing and around 70% moisture content. Happy composting!

[@birchfieldfarming]

Good stuff! We used Captain Matt’s design for worm bin, and then just wired up baseboard heaters on a thermostat underneath the unit…heat flows up into material, worked great!

[@anjumaziz8562]

We started mulching wheat and rice straw. And wigglers started multiping, here in pakistan. 😢

[@birchfieldfarming]

That sounds great!!🪱

[@mikecain6947]

How cold are your winters and if you shred the leaves do you get better results?

[@birchfieldfarming]

Winter are many times sub-zero, so we actually ended up building a heated worm bin and transferred everything there for winter. We just started our garden seeds in the material about a month ago and are blown away! We used to water everyday, now it’s like once a week! The soil is like a sponge. I would say yes you would have better results with shredding to finer material as long as you keep it 70% moisture (non-chlorinated source) and keep it from freezing.

[@janew5351]

What about cardboard around the sides, so moisture would be held and overtime would brake down over time and create an air space? To avoid all the work your girls did, could You water with each layer of leaves added?

[@birchfieldfarming]

Good ideas, and we’re so new to this that I’m open to ideas at this point. Thanks for sharing!🤠

[@nickreagin9585]

Carboard could lead to an anaerobic pile before decomposing. The woven landscape fabric is best. Its UV resistant enough to last a couple years and lets enough air through to keep it aerobic and not sour. The woven stuff is a little pricey but worth it for this stuff.

[@MrsandMrHoover]

Does the compost not heat up enough to keep from freezing?

[@birchfieldfarming]

The thermophilic phase does not last all winter, only for a few weeks.

[@allthingsgrowing]

Do you find that you have a lot of "juice", water, extract coming from the bottom of the bioreactor? Does it drain onto your land? If so, can you capture it? Does it have a benefits?

[@JordanLOL]

I've seen from others, that the soil under compost piles is usually pretty good. No need to "capture"....soil will do that for you

[@birchfieldfarming]

Yes, we do have some that drains out bottom. I think this is more of an issue with adjusting water inflow. I may try more of a mist on top at some point. I was amazed at how moist the finished product was despite us having been thru drought this year and me not watering!

[@navistwan4581]

Hey my name is Lavaj’e Birchfield

[@birchfieldfarming]

That’s a great last name!🤠⚡️

[@flatsville9343]

How are you keeping the worms from freezing over-winter outside? A JSB is a big stand up worn bin. The worms create the magic. Are you insulating & heating those bins sitting outside somehow? Built to spec & kept from freezing, the material should be clay-like textue which is a function of worm castings that looks more like this below. (Color is irrelevant.) kzbin.info/www/bejne/pITJmHyfbLKXndUfeature=shared

[@birchfieldfarming]

David Johnson talk about this, and the mass you have in the pile. Has to get very cold for extended periods to freeze the core solid. Nonetheless, I don’t add worms in the fall when we first build. I wait until Spring, and then harvest the following fall. After we tear down a pile, we move it to a heated worm bin in our milk house and run all winter. We had 16 month old JS to start our tomatoes, and it was amazing!

[@flatsville9343]

Yeah. You can't finish a JSB in a truly temperate climate unless it's undercover & heated. Dumping it off into a real worm bin in a heated milk house was your best option. Trust me. That core will freeze (dead worms & hyrdophobia) if outdoors in some place like WI or MN. 10F, Zero and minus 0 happens. It's brutal. Johnson spent most of his research years on this system in CA & AZ IIRC.

[@rocknrolla257]

Awesome. Did you add the worms?

[@birchfieldfarming]

We did, and I should’ve mentioned this. So once freezing temps were here in Spring, kids and I dug 100 native worms straight from ground and put them in. This coming Spring we’ll try purchased Red Wigglers.

[@RustyBobbins]

You have some amazing fellow workers there, that's the right kind of "child labor" lol. I miss being that young.

[@birchfieldfarming]

Hey, come by anytime, and we’ll put you to work!!🤠

[@randalmoroski1184]

Thanks for a great video! Content and commentary spot 0n..!

[@birchfieldfarming]

Thanks for watching, Randal🤠

[@jacknissen6040]

that batch looks amazing ! how to transfer all those microbes and fungi it to the soil is what is so important to me. the tools to do it.

[@birchfieldfarming]

For sure…We had some pretty good results with our JS extract on a winter cover crop trial. Putting extract straight down on seed seems to work well. I’m curious now what it takes to see results on perennial pasture (drilling it down vs spraying on top).

[@david.bull.]

​@@birchfieldfarming what equipment would you use to drill it and inject?

[@birchfieldfarming]

@@david.bull.That’s a great question. We’re doing very small batches and sections. Try Jay Young of Young Red Angus out in Kansas. He’s successfully doing it at scale.

[@david.bull.]

@@birchfieldfarming I am familiar with the content from Young Red Angus (probably why I was recommended content from your channel) and I have seen him treat the seeds with extract prior to planting on a large scale. As far as injecting after the fact on an already planted plot or pasture I've never seen. Is that what you're doing in your pastures? Somehow penetrating below the surface and injecting some extract? If so, what are you using?

[@birchfieldfarming]

@@david.bull.I’m merely dripping down extract onto surface of pasture. I know I would see better results if I could get extract into rhizosphere. My son and I have some ideas for something small scale that would slit and drip, but we haven’t built it yet.