A Simple Composting System for Small Farms | Four Winds Farm

In today's video we get a full breakdown of the static aerated compost system they use at Four Winds Farm in New York.
We cover: forced air composting, static aeration, composting regulations, mixing horse and cow manure, compost making basics, a simply DIY composting system for small scale farming, and more!
Jay and Polly's site: fourwindsfarmny.com
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[@FreeCanadian76]

Polly has an incredible amount of enthusiasm and she really seems to understand the science behind stuff. Love that!

[@cupcakescookies246]

OMG I love this couple! So warm and gentle. I want them to be my neighbors!!

[@theburnhams2925]

Yes, agreed! Who wouldn't want them as neighbors? (Well, maybe some "city slickers" who don't like the color brown, but otherwise, YUP!) Polly's enthusiasm is infectious! "Almost" made me want to go out and turn my piles. Almost....

[@travissears1829]

On the forced air system, The fan from a kids bounce house has a round nozzle, and it fits perfectly into 4in drain pipe. We bought our bounce house from Sam’s Club.

[@SeeStuDo]

Good tip!

[@rickthelian2215]

I’ve seen that used before works well.😊

[@TheNorseTexan]

Glorious.

[@brainwater]

A nearby city set up a municipal compost system with an old bounce house fan.

[@yesth420]

They also sell them individually. Just Google "inline duct fan" they usually come in 4in or 6in. I bought one from ac infinity but honestly if I would've known they were interchangeable I probably would've gotten a bouncy house instead!

[@audreybarnes6527]

You never ramble Jesse, you only ever educate ❤.

[@PlantGuild]

‘Cob Job’ is going to be my new description for those types of projects I do around the house. On a serious note I absolutely love this ‘Patio Chat’. Sitting on the patio in the morning with coffee and listening to my parents catch me up on what they have been up to since our last visit with them has always been my favorite and this reminded me of those chats. Including the times when they talk over each other without acknowledging it 😂

[@shawnmurphy282]

Cob job - old New England slang. You can hear it alot at the auto repair shop. "Yeah, I think we can cobb-er together".

[@robertkonczal7406]

The derivation is from "to cobble"- as a cobbler would fix shoes

[@lovism6590]

Ok i would like a whole 100 part series with these two sharing their knowledge 😍

[@agedskator]

I never thought of the idea to use the forks on my tractor to mix the pile. I think that is a great tip. Thanks

[@Nphen]

When moving woodchip mulch by hand, I've found the fastest way to dig into a big pile is with a pitchfork. Seems like the same principle here with the tractor forks, but bigger! I thought it was a pretty cool tip when I heard it myself.

[@drhoy15]

Watch your channel almost religiously. I bought your book, suddenly felt that I need it, sorry I got it from Amazon. Fantastic book - now I have the mantra --rarely till, plant to cover and crop often!!-- I just have an allotment garden but I can use most of what you talk about on your channel and in your book. There are a few things that I disagree with you on but you are providing a phenomenal service to the wider agrarian community

[@mourlyvold64]

Out of curiosity: what briefly are the main subjects you disagree with? Thanks.

[@PvPNokills]

Nice to see practical examples rather than the manicured stuff you often see

[@FarmerJayne]

Love how you repurposed things as you need. I love how passionate you are. Should be more people like you two.

[@jerrywayne4887]

The duct fitting that converts your rectangle blower housing to a round duct is called a "square round" or "square to round." Most HVAC supply houses stock them. If they don't have your exact size, it can typically be ordered and made within 48 hours. A square to round provides less turbulence than your bucket which is essentially called a "plenum." Obviously, plenums work as well and are often necessary to abruptly change the direction of the airflow as a 90 degree turn would. For those looking to do the same, a direct drive blower is safer. The "belt and pulley pinch point" won't have any mercy on a kids finger or a dog's tail. 1/4" or 1/2" hardware cloth over each side of the blower wheel works great at preventing contact with the wheel. Anything entering that wheel will be chewed into pieces. I have seen it happen with a possum. It ain't pretty! Happy composting!

[@jessegillespie9140]

Thank you for including the aeration timing numbers! That is such key information. I did a static aerated pile in a greenhouse (for heat and CO2 enrichment) in 2011, and I had to learn the hard way. Good info!! Keep it coming please.

[@amakiridikoru8393]

This is very educating and practical. Greet work Jesse👍🏾

[@douggibson9084]

Excellent information Jay,thanks.

[@tomodea4809]

What fun watching Polly on the trailer for next week get jazzed up over soil aggregation. But she's right on for her passion regarding soil biology/ecology. Great video: would love to visit their farm.

[@TheNorseTexan]

I would really like to see more videos on the use of a subcompact tractor, and how it changes row spacing and yield in a no-till system, if you've got a SCUT and want to go from tilling to no-till. Give me the "Start Here" manual. For instance, I have a JD 1023E/FEL with tines, and I've never considered using tines to turn compost. That was an Easter Egg for me in this video. Great content, keep it coming!!!

[@bakersbooks]

What a fascinating method! Jay's ability to improvise a working system with the (not necessarily ideal) materials at hand reminds me of my dad. Excellent video-love the interview format and getting other folks to share expertise!

[@HomeBrewNick]

Awesome, glad to see a no till farm less than two hours away! Great job and awesome info.

[@thepeopleplaceandnaturepod8344]

Keep up the fantastic work, and let's all work together to protect our planet! 👏

[@whiskeynature]

Picked up my copy of The living soil hand book, cant wait to dig into it.

[@wendyeames5758]

😅

[@doncook3584]

One day all growers large and small will be as good stewards of the land as these people Wonderful. Thanks to Farmer Jesse and guests

[@lisabaughman887]

Thank you for posting this info. I had a hard time figuring out the timing on the airflow. Now I have a base to start with.

[@juliank6728]

Inspiring! Thank you!

[@berrisbogle]

I have been doing this system for the last 4 years. I love it. I set my timer to run for 1 minute and stay off for 30 minutes it will stay at 140/150 for a month when I do goat manure n for my compost mix about 4 months 140 with the fan running everyday for that 1 minute on n 30 minutes off and he is right about the finishing product it all depends n what you used to make that compost but after 7 months to a year it beautiful product to used in the garden r n the farm.

[@Dakota77d]

Fantastic- hats off to folks like this!!

[@chrishusby8008]

I love this!!! So simple and so many minor details answered. Thank you to everybody!

[@Farmer.David.Y]

Thank you ❤

[@victorandrews9790]

Incredible video and very inspiring! I want to start this at my farm soon!

[@jdp6ofus]

Curios about herbicide residue - typically horse hay/manure is contaminated with broad leaf herbicides that stick around for years. I know because we got some and ruined our garden. Is it not as much of a problem in NY? Here in AL, you can hardly grow horse quality hay unless they spray, due to heavy noxious weed pressure in our climate

[@neophytebutterfly]

Love your energy, Jesse! Thanks for all the great videos. I bought your book, and hope my garden will improve through osmosis!😁😎

[@SkotColacicco]

I have never been more fulfilled by watching a man move piles of sticks and poop around. Well done.

[@Golden_SnowFlake]

Really excited to hear about the flocculates!

[@patriciahogg5763]

Thanks for sharing this valuable information!! 👏👏👏

[@billmoody9736]

Wow was this good - I love practical old guys

[@billherrick3569]

Excellent content. Thank you.

[@user-od8qj3be8m]

WOW and another great and informative video. We do not have cattle but we do have goats and rabbits. And of course chickens and more. So this would be VERY doable for us on a smaller scale. Good as we are now trying to devour your The Loving Soil Handbook and this video answered a few questions more clearly. Now to patiently waiting until next Sunday and learning more. And by the way your book is awesome!

[@trumpetingangel]

Loving Soil Handbook is a good name for it!

[@user-od8qj3be8m]

@@trumpetingangel And it has been a great read so far. So much to learn and try to retain. So now a constant go back to for reference and more!

[@TheEmbrio]

Love your typo. Loving soil /living soil.

[@kakown]

Love watching this type of videos. Thanks for making this very educational video. Now I also understand why some compost are more like mulch and others like worm castings.

[@DeanWAnderson]

Interesting they did not mention moisture. Many say 50% moisture is ideal (squeeze and get a drop or two out of your hand or see the water forming between your fingertips). My piles don’t heat well in our very dry SW Colorado climate without adequate moisture. I definitely need to add water as we build the pile. However, Beware too much water can turn the pile anaerobic.

[@TheEmbrio]

Their mix of fresh horse manure and month old cow manure seems to be ideal, so much they don’t even remember to mention moisture ! New york climate is good for composting too

[@bbqribz570]

Well it looks like ill be building one of these this summer

[@boonmsgt]

I dont have the land for that kind of composting but love the knowledge provided. Great video....

[@TaureanDreams]

This is exactly how my compost look! This makes me so happy ☺️

[@firehorsewoman414]

Validation!

[@kangtani_indonesia]

Terimakasih sudah berbagi informasi tentang pupuk

[@juha7830]

Beautiful compost

[@keitho3133]

Seems like you would want to do a full turn at least once. Even if it technically meets the organic specs it seems unlikely that the temperature on the outside edge would get hot enough to make weed seeds non-viable. Maybe the stirring with forks combined with relatively weed seed free inputs allows that method to work well for them.

[@danielalvarez5651]

Nice intro jam!! I was in a groove.

[@viqtahkorir7622]

This is great information 👍

[@conniewojahn6445]

Highly innovative. "Mother of necessity" strikes again. Trial and error and the results are fantastic. The horse farm comes out ahead because they get rid of manure people don't usually want because horse manure has a ton of seeds in it and doesn't heat up by itself to enough to kill seeds.

[@user-wv5fq8di2m]

Excellent video - Thanks!

[@TaureanDreams]

Excellent video!

[@goodboysongs]

Awesome system. We can borrow a tractor to build our piles but I can’t keep it around for 15 days to turn it, and no way I’m going to manually turn a pile every 2-3 days, so this is perfect. Love the Star Wars reference.

[@SeaDog-qu8cx]

Rookie composter here. Turn it with the forks on the tractor. What a great idea!. Got a little 1025 R and turning with bucket was taking a while but turning with forks took minutes. Thanks for the idea of the century. Nice farm. I've had that produce in NYC at a farmers market. Amazing what you folks grow up there. Thanks and Happy New Year to ya'll from Florida. kevin

[@JRileyStewart]

I wonder how much of a danger aminopyralids in manure (horse or cow) is to making manure-based compost. It probably varies by region, but the use of this herbicide is prevalent in the US, so I'm always worried that the farmer doesn't even know what the status of the hay really is, unless they grow their own. My first batch of "mushroom compost" took two years to actually help my garden vs hinder it.

[@rickthelian2215]

Knowing where they source their hay straw etc is important especially with hay. Spent Mushroom Compost can be strange when using it I hear the same it can take time before benefits to the plants etc, best mixing it with manures or other green compost.

[@JRileyStewart]

@@rickthelian2215 Yep, it was rippin' hot when delivered. I could tell it was mostly horse manure and straw. Even after sitting for months, it still wouldn't even support germination very well, let alone plant growth. But it's been in my garden for 2 years now and the garden is looking good.

[@DeanWAnderson]

I was heart broken when I inadvertently got aminopyralids in my compost via contaminated hay and therefore horse manure, which then contaminated the greenhouse. A couple soil drenches with Soil Revive from Earthfort Labs (great microbe food with humates, kelp, fish complex carbohydrates) and heavy compost tea and extracts solved the problem. In less than three months the microbes had done their jobs and tomatoes, potatoes, etc were once again germinating, producing abundant leaf structure with no leaf curling and fruiting. Aminopyralids are awful but not the of the world if you help the microbes proliferate.

[@JRileyStewart]

@@DeanWAnderson Bad news. That's exactly why I'm concerned about getting any source of manure compost, and will continue to make my own green waste compost. I know manure would be better tho.

[@rickthelian2215]

Great video with 4 winds farms😊

[@ladyryan902]

Ok it's 104 in my front garden n I gave up n taped it 😢 now I'm binge watching these awesome no rollers thx😅

[@swallowhousetakeo]

Thanks bro for sharing knowledge i watching from Cambodia 👍👍❤,

[@MarkyBigSmoke]

This is a great idea!

[@KPVFarmer]

Great Video, thank you!

[@DanB-ei8br]

Great info! Thanks

[@mafftv3801]

Brilliant video

[@petanisukses_garden]

very useful for fertilization

[@UsurpedLettuce]

"Horse farms seem to be popular around here" - Absolutely. Gardner is in Ulster County and I grew up across the river in Columbia County and it seems to be either corn (and cattle) or horse farms. Glad to see the debuting episode of this series is from my old "neighborhood".

[@clarkansas6590]

Great information

[@hanzketchup859]

Very, very good, Cheers

[@nancyfahey7518]

I have one of those squirrel cage fans from our old furnace system. Hubby uses it sometimes out in his shed.

[@wytchwoodhomesteadandkenne5036]

Me too! I use mine to circulate air in my DIY greenhouse

[@nancyfahey7518]

@@wytchwoodhomesteadandkenne5036 great idea.

[@estrogenacres801]

I got manure from a friend with horses and come to find out later after my garden died was his hay he was using had been sprayed with grazon. I can't find anyone now that know for sure that their hay hasn't been sprayed.

[@echognomecal6742]

That's so terrible! I'm sorry you experienced that! I was just thinking of asking around in my area to get manure & from your comment & a few others...it's a scary prospect :/

[@estrogenacres801]

@@echognomecal6742 yes it is. I'm now only using my pine shavings from my chicken coops. I can't imagine they would waste grazon with pine shavings lol

[@echognomecal6742]

@@estrogenacres801 Sounds logical to me...but I've learned trusting logic can be disappointing. Fingers crossed there's nothing troublesome in it! Chicken doo is supposed to be WONDERFUL for plants, so that could turn out quite beautifully for you :) I'm just noticing your name...delightful! :)

[@estrogenacres801]

@@echognomecal6742 LoL Thank you! It just takes longer to compost.

[@echognomecal6742]

@@estrogenacres801 Best of luck in your gardening! :)

[@parrysan]

Thank you for sharing. That was very insightful. I don't have easy access to animal manure right now and wondering if a woodchip & grass combo will work with this method!

[@mourlyvold64]

Yes it will. Diversity of inputs is always better but you work with what you got.

[@batzzz2044]

Omfg that garden cart! That exact cart made me 1000's as a kid. 06:12

[@hawkspiritweaver6664]

Excellent

[@ashtree9693]

Your Awesome and so am I as I'm subscribed lol. Cheers great vid as usual.

[@ronaldcummings6337]

So my question is " Do outside sourced inputs have to be certified analysis?"

[@LuckyPat335]

UR Awesome friend. Great show!

[@echognomecal6742]

I looked them up on Google Maps as they were talking about manure...1st pic is a big ol' pile lol There's additional pics of what's being discussed if anyone's interested. I'm Hudson Valley, too, but we're WORLD'S away lol

[@lesliebehrens7252]

I’m curious about harvest. How do you collect the finished product without destroying the air tubes? Awesome video and cool drone footage

[@josephcutler8870]

He can see the dog house. And he leaves some of the pipe sticking out looks pretty much in the center of the pile. I think if you scaled it up to 2 3 4 5 6 air lines itd be more of a issue. Youd probably want a indicator like a peice of pvc or whatever to guide where the pipe is

[@samboherring3673]

He tops the pipes with a layer of wood chips. When loading up a completed pile, he'll stop going deeper when he sees the layer of pure wood chips

[@theburnhams2925]

Thanks!

[@notillgrowers]

Thank you! 🙌

[@garrettscott4094]

I'm torn between the static aerated piles and the Johnson bioreactor.

[@twojack87]

Another idea for an adapter for the fan would be to hit up an hvac shop, they can do custom transitions and they don't cost alot

[@kenschaus8190]

Good video Do they add any water to the pile at any stage?

[@praveenkadakol1525]

Sooper sir

[@babsoneverything3060]

I've always heard that cow and horse manure contained a lot of weed seeds. I wonder how they avoid that. Also, how do they avoid forever chemicals that may be present in the manure from the feed that the horses get. Thank you soooo much for this, Jesse! I have learned so much from your channel, and I now have your book!

[@Ironrodpower]

Your are correct. But when you hot compost to the high temps it makes the seeds non viable. Needs to be in the 130-160 range .

[@babsoneverything3060]

@@Ironrodpower thank you!

[@TheEmbrio]

You avoid chemicals bye sourcing organic farm products

[@NanasWorms]

@@TheEmbrio I agree, but my local organic farmer told me hay producers are increasingly reluctant to disclose the use of persistent herbicides. He can't grow enough hay himself, unfortunately, for his animals. I now do a test on any horse manure to check for aminopyralids.

[@firehorsewoman414]

@@NanasWormsHow do you test for that?

[@manolopapas]

Awesome

[@robertdoupe4142]

The jammy in-between the bucket to the round tube feels like a tuyere. French word for a forge but if the shoe fits

[@mcgarvsminihomestead7684]

Great Video! We currently don’t live at our growing space so holding off composting until next year. What are your thoughts on MUSHROOM compost? I haven’t found a good source except mushroom. Thank you!!!!!!

[@christinestraub1994]

How do you know the hay or straw that’s fed to the cows or horses is not sprayed with Grayson because I’m needing to know before I go get manure thank you the video is very very educational!

[@TheEmbrio]

To be organic certified you need to get material from organic farms.

[@Kretaroo]

I am courious about the weed in this finish product. That this compost that they made end up with no seeds inside it?

[@ioerror2000]

Seeds are destroyed when the compost gets hot. That's what its supposed to do anyway.

[@aok2727]

I assume the horse manure hasn’t been exposed to herbicides. That is hard to be certain of. Thanks for sharing!

[@Oktopia]

That was amazing. I wish I could source cow manure. I have horse manure I get from a stable down the road from me. I'm close enough to hear the horses. Maybe I need to find out how to get my hands on some cow manure. :D

[@echognomecal6742]

I'm a City-Mouse-Country-Mouse all in one & have friends in both places. Some city friends would have Zero Clue about this sort of thing & reading your last line had me smiling, imagining trying to explain things to them & the look on their faces lol Thanks for that :)

[@Oktopia]

@@echognomecal6742 lol your welcome :D

[@Lilly-dk5bg]

You give major ryan renolds vibes but talk about literal poop and it's useful and I love it. 😂

[@brianchrisman4331]

Can something like a jang seeder work in compost that chunky

[@floridacoder]

Is there a bucket attachment that would funnel compost, so you don't need a crew with shovels walking with the tractor to apply compost?

[@kennethmiller8415]

When including horse manure from outside sources, is there a concern about horse dewormer and Other Drugs in the manure?

[@InnovativeFarmers]

Love from India

[@bradmitchell3765]

I once read you could cook a chicken in hot compost. Mine was around 160 + or - so I put raw hamburger in a sealed container then put it in the pile. The next morning it was cooked! Ate it too. I started hot composting using leaves from Arizona Ash trees and horse manure from a farm that rescued horses. Worked out very well but with two 3x3x4 foot bins I never had enough for the 6 raised beds I had. I did have PVC pipes through the pile and they did warp due to the heat.

[@SamRoxxJDM]

keep it up

[@rustyschackleford5800]

I wonder about moisture management.

[@PiarasMoriarty]

Hi All, how long do I need to wait after putting the pile together and it has achieved its 3 days of heat? Is it ready to use right away? Do I need to cover it with a tarp or plastic or keep it under cover while I’m waiting to use it ?

[@gynocentrismergomgtow]

6:20 I wonder if a corded leaf blower would work as well.

[@JBW808]

I wonder if they’ve had any issues with grazon

[@ponang379]

Fantastico

[@shawnmurphy234]

How do they spread compost on beds? I love making compost, but am limited by how much I can tolerate spreading with wheelbarrow/vermont cart/shovel.

[@dominiqueperney3058]

Merci beaucoup pour ce reportage très instructif ! . Ce couple est adorable . Je m'interroge sur la quantité apportée au sol qui me semble énorme avec un risque probable d'excès d'azote préjudiciable à la pollution des nappes phréatiques mais aussi pour les légumes qui généralement sont affaiblis par une sève trop attirante pour les insectes suceurs . L'excès d'azote produit de gros légumes mais avec des cellules turgescentes , à la paroi fragile et facilement attaquable . Je trouve donc le procédé formidable mais j'ai des doutes sur L'excès de quantité. Il faudrait connaître le poids annuel épandu à l'année. En france c'est réglementé : maximum 1,5 kg au m2 Super votre chaîne KZbin !!! 👍👏