The New Jersey Department of Agriculture (NJDA) and the New Jersey Composting Council (NJCC) have announced two free events in July aimed at educating composters and farmers about NJ ManureLink and the advantages of sharing resources and information via njmanurelink.rutgers.edu. The platform facilitates connections between farmers, composters, and users seeking local manure or compost.
The first event is a composting webinar scheduled from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. on July 10. It will cover composting basics, manure handling and stockpiling, nutrient management, and introduce local technical and financial resources.
The second event is a composting field day set for 5 to 8 p.m. on July 17 at Copper Creek Landscape Management and Nursery in Kingwood, Hunterdon County. This session will feature hands-on demonstrations of composting techniques, discussions on recipes for horse stall waste, and guidance on incorporating compost into pasture, crop, and nursery operations. The NJDA, NJCC, USDA-Natural Resource Conservation Service, Rutgers Cooperative Extension, and other local resource providers will assist with demonstration stations and be available to answer questions.
Field day demonstration stations will cover topics such as identifying a suitable location for composting or storage, developing a compost recipe, measuring important criteria like moisture content, temperature, bulk density, reviewing curing time to determine when compost is finished, and providing an overview of nutrient management along with soil and compost sampling.
Livestock farmers and composters across all agricultural sectors—including urban farming—are encouraged to attend both the webinar and field day. While webinar registration is unlimited, field day attendance is capped at 45 participants.
Launched earlier this year, the NJ ManureLink website lists manure and compost availability by geographic location within New Jersey. It also allows users to sign up for notifications when their desired resource becomes available. This initiative offers farms with limited land capacity an opportunity to distribute their manure to those who can use it effectively in their operations.
