Today, I’m thrilled to share my conversation with Nathan. He’s the Director of Soil and a long-time force behind Rust Belt Riders, a cooperative composting operation that’s grown from bicycles and buckets to launching a mid-scale compost facility. Their story is truly inspiring—not just because of the growth, but because of how intentionally they’ve done it.

We talk about the early days, what it’s been like to scale, and the importance of their unique cooperative business structure—which sets them apart in the composting world. And toward the end of the conversation, Nathan shares his beautiful vision of a compost-centric utopian future. It’s heartfelt, imaginative, and honestly, something we could all use a bit more of.

Check out Rust Belt Riders (👊) at

https://www.rustbeltriders.com/

Nathan mentioned Farmers of Forty Centuries; Or, Permanent Agriculture in China, Korea and Japan, a book by Franklin Hiram King that anyone interested in Compost should check out!

Thank you to our Show sponsors:

Green Mountain Technologies: visit Compostingtechnology.com and mention The Composter podcast for a free consultation

And Agrilab Technologies at www.agrilabtech.com/podcast

Merch:

https://www.earthcarefarm.com/store/c3/Clothing.html

Contact:

Composter Host, Jayne Merner can be reached at [email protected] or through https://www.instagram.com/composterpodcast/

Today’s episode comes from a walk-and-talk at Green Mountain Compost in Vermont with Dan Goossen. Dan was super generous with his time—he gave us a full tour of the site and shared insights from over 20 years in the composting world.

There’s a lot to take away from this conversation, The first half of the interview is about site process and new techniques Green Mountain has adopted for quality and efficincy. The second half is about Dan’s experience being the first compost operator in the country to publicly deal with persistent herbicide contamination. Back in 2012, before anyone really knew about these chemicals, Green Mountain Compost made national news when they discovered 10,000 cubic yards of compost had been affected.

It all started with one customer calling about a garden that wasn’t growing right... then came 500 more. You can imagine the heartbreak—putting your heart into making great compost, only to find out that an unknown herbicide in manure can ruin your whole batch.

Dan’s openness in sharing what happened has helped the whole industry move forward. It’s a powerful story. Dan also shares awesome tips and enhancements on their site: there’s a lot to learn here.

Check out Green Mountain Compost at https://cswd.net/waste-recycling-help/organics/green-mountain-compost/

Thank you to our Show sponsors:

AgriLab Technologies: www.agrilabtech.com/podcast

Compost Systems of Austria: https://www.compost-systems.com/en

Merch:

https://www.earthcarefarm.com/store/c3/Clothing.html

Contact:

Host Jayne Merner can be reached at [email protected] or through instagram @composterpodcast

Today’s episode is a special one. We’re talking with the very knowledgeable and very lovable Farmer Jesse Frost from No-Till Growers and his The Growers Daily Podcast . Some of you may know that The Composter actually started as part of the No-Till Growers family, and I was originally hired by them to host the show.

Jesse’s going to talk us through how the Composter Podcast came to be, how it’s grown, and what he’s up to now. And of course, we’ll dig into how he’s using compost on his farm these days. If you haven’t already, definitely check out The Growers Daily Podcast, hosted by Jesse—I love catching it on YouTube for great growing tips.

Support Jesse's work (👊) at https://www.notillgrowers.com/support or / notillgrowers

Show sponsors:

Green Mountain Technologies: visit Compostingtechnology.com and mention The Composter podcast for a free consultation

AgriLab Technologies: www.agrilabtech.com/podcast

Merch:

https://www.earthcarefarm.com/store/c3/Clothing.html

Wow, we’ve made it to Season 4 of the Composter Podcast — and I couldn’t be more excited to share this journey with you. Our first episode drops Wednesday, November 5, and we’ll be coming to you every other week through March, with a total of 12 inspiring episodes.

Thank you for all the love you’ve given this show over the past three seasons. Composting is evolving fast — new challenges, new solutions, and more people than ever getting involved. This podcast is here to help you stay informed, inspired, and connected to the wider composting community.

There’s also some exciting personal updates. Many of you know that I run my family’s 48 year old farm, Earth Care Farm and we are expanding our compost operation, across the state line into Sterling, Connecticu. We are nearing the finish line — I’m on the last of seven permits (yes, seven!). It’s been a journey, but the finish line is in sight.

And one more fun thing — we’ve launched brand new Composter Podcast merchandise over on our Earth Care Farm website. If you want to show your compost pride, go check it out!

So listen up for another season packed with diverse voices, hard-won wisdom, and new ideas. Composting is more than a method — it’s a movement. And the momentum? It’s real. I can feel it.

Let’s dig in.

www.earthcarefarm.com

https://www.instagram.com/composterpodcast/

Hey Compost Lovers, I just booked my flights to Phoenix for USCC Compost Conference 2025. Join me, January 27th to 30th for compost enthusiasts from all over the globe unite to celebrate all things soil, sustainability, and innovation. What's in store? Workshops galore. Dive into fresh ideas, techniques, and discussions that'll make your Compost games stronger. The trade show. I'll be hanging at booth 501 checking out Viably's latest Komptech innovations and so much more. The demo day on the last day, get ready to watch those big machines do their thing. Full flex mode guaranteed. And my favorite part? Connections. Meeting you. Whether you're a composter, researcher, or equipment guru, this is where our global soil-loving squad comes together. Let's share. Last year was incredible. Check out the following stories from past attendees...

Today's episode is with two of our compost pioneers, Karl Hammer from Vermont Compost and Mike Merner from Earth Care Farm. They share advice, stories from the early days, wishes for the future, and so much more. Both of these wonderful humans have always been generous talking about their experiences and helping the compost industry grow. It seems fitting as we head into the season of gratitude to tap into these two dedicated composters. As an aside, I'm super blessed to also have Mike Merner as my dad. Thanks, dad. I'm very proud to follow in your big old footsteps. Welcome to The Composter, a podcast for compost lovers...

Follow Jayne & Earth Care Farm on Instagram

Support the folks who support The Composter

You can learn more about Viably, formerly Komptech, and their portfolio of compost solutions at thinkviably.com. While there, request a complimentary consultative meeting to discover how Viably can help your compost operation deliver what is possible.

Compost use and selection decisions involve many factors and are not one-size-fits-all. The U .S. Composting Council's Seal of testing assurance, STA program helps you make the best decisions for your application. Learn about the three Cs of the STA program, clarity, consistency, and confidence and enroll at compostingcounsel.org

Farmhand enables you to offload your administrative tasks, send and manage communications, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and book a free test drive at farmhand.partners/notill

High Mowing Organic Seeds has the professional quality seeds and supportive grower reps to get you from seed to harvest. Visit highmowingseeds.com to request a catalog and use code NOTILL25 for 10% off your order of $100 or more!

I recently took a road trip to eastern Massachusetts. Most people visiting this classic New England area in October are either leaf peeping or visiting the witchy town of Salem, but you listeners know me better than that. I am much more excited about the brown leaves about to get into my compost pile and meeting composters like Andrew Brousseau, operations manager at Black Earth Compost. On my way in, winding through the historic streets of Gloucester, my anticipation grew as I saw so many little green food scrap collection buckets in front of the homes. I followed those buckets all the way to Black Earth's new two-acre ASP compost facility where the contents of those little green buckets end up. This is Black Earth's fourth facility in Massachusetts. It's located on top of the town's old landfill. After the tour of the tight site that has been thoughtfully designed with the help of Green Mountain Technology, we went to Andrew's home where we sat down in his children's kindergarten chairs and spoke a little bit about his operations and a lot about the hot topic of PFAS. In fact, as I walked into his home, an NPR news story was on about PFAS and Andrew was trying to call in. We delve into how Black Earth is handling customer questions, how and why we should test for PFAS and more.

Mentioned in the show...

TIME// Now We Need to Worry About Harmful Forever Chemicals in Our Toilet Paper, Too?

Check out the Black Earth Compost website & follow them on Instagram

Follow Jayne & Earth Care Farm on Instagram

Support the folks who support The Composter

You can learn more about Viably, formerly Komptech, and their portfolio of compost solutions at thinkviably.com. While there, request a complimentary consultative meeting to discover how Viably can help your compost operation deliver what is possible.

Compost use and selection decisions involve many factors and are not one-size-fits-all. The U .S. Composting Council's Seal of testing assurance, STA program helps you make the best decisions for your application. Learn about the three Cs of the STA program, clarity, consistency, and confidence and enroll at compostingcounsel.org

Farmhand enables you to offload your administrative tasks, send and manage communications, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and book a free test drive at farmhand.partners/notill

High Mowing Organic Seeds has the professional quality seeds and supportive grower reps to get you from seed to harvest. Visit highmowingseeds.com to request a catalog and use code NOTILL25 for 10% off your order of $100 or more!

As farmers and composters, it's easy to get in the pattern of only thinking about our day-to-day fires that need to be addressed. Weeds, odors, staffing, where to move that next batch? We forget the bigger picture. Pierce Lewis from Dirt Hugger reminds us to keep perspective and take time to plan. It saves so much effort in the long run. In this episode, Pierce talks about the newest innovations at Dirt Hugger, the journey from being privately owned to selling to a big corporation and then buying back and how he and his business partner Tyler strategize.

Mentioned in the show...

Dirt Hugger's first appearance on The Composter

BOOK// Traction: Get a Grip on Your Business

BOOK// The Lean Farm by Ben Hartman

Follow Dirt Hugger on Instagram & check out their website

Follow Jayne & Earth Care Farm on Instagram

Support the folks who support The Composter

You can learn more about Viably, formerly Komptech, and their portfolio of compost solutions at thinkviably.com. While there, request a complimentary consultative meeting to discover how Viably can help your compost operation deliver what is possible.

Compost use and selection decisions involve many factors and are not one-size-fits-all. The U .S. Composting Council's Seal of testing assurance, STA program helps you make the best decisions for your application. Learn about the three Cs of the STA program, clarity, consistency, and confidence and enroll at compostingcounsel.org

Farmhand enables you to offload your administrative tasks, send and manage communications, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and book a free test drive at farmhand.partners/notill

High Mowing Organic Seeds has the professional quality seeds and supportive grower reps to get you from seed to harvest. Visit highmowingseeds.com to request a catalog and use code NOTILL25 for 10% off your order of $100 or more!

Adam Schwartz from DirtCraft Organics has a background in farming. He saw the gap in the potting soil market in his area of North Carolina. He's filled this niche by blending and bagging potting soils and shipping in the southeast. Today, we get to hear about the equipment he's using, the challenges he's come across, and the exciting news about starting up his new compost operation.

Check out dirtcraftorganics.com to order some great potting soil and follow along with his composting progress on Instagram!

Follow Jayne & Earth Care Farm on Instagram

Support the folks who support The Composter

You can learn more about Viably, formerly Komptech, and their portfolio of compost solutions at thinkviably.com. While there, request a complimentary consultative meeting to discover how Viably can help your compost operation deliver what is possible.

Compost use and selection decisions involve many factors and are not one-size-fits-all. The U .S. Composting Council's Seal of testing assurance, STA program helps you make the best decisions for your application. Learn about the three Cs of the STA program, clarity, consistency, and confidence and enroll at compostingcounsel.org

Farmhand enables you to offload your administrative tasks, send and manage communications, and sell more to your customers. Learn more and book a free test drive at farmhand.partners/notill

High Mowing Organic Seeds has the professional quality seeds and supportive grower reps to get you from seed to harvest. Visit highmowingseeds.com to request a catalog and use code NOTILL25 for 10% off your order of $100 or more!

For over 40 years, The Food Bank has served as the primary source of food for the Hunger Relief Network in the Miami Valley of Ohio. The Food Bank, the only one of its kind in the area, relieves hunger in the community through a network of partner agencies by acquiring and distributing food. The Food Bank provides the structure for more than 100 member food pantries, community kitchens and shelters that serve as the charitable hunger relief network. This might seem like a funny match for The Composter, but The Food Bank has a robust community garden run by James Hoffer, and he began their composting operation in 2019. I really love the addition of the compost cycle in with food recovery and production. It just makes sense. James talks to us about their in-vessel continuous flow composting unit that they purchased through Green Mountain Technologies, the compost scene, and so much more.

Follow Jayne & Earth Care Farm on Instagram

Support the folks who support The Composter

You can learn more about Viably, formerly Komptech, and their portfolio of compost solutions at thinkviably.com. While there, request a complimentary consultative meeting to discover how Viably can help your compost operation deliver what is possible.

The OSC Pack Pact is a collective action campaign that works to reduce single-use packaging in the natural products industry. Receive a discount code to shop select products from leading natural products brands that you love. Click the link in the show notes to join the Pack Pact!

Compost use and selection decisions involve many factors and are not one-size-fits-all. The U .S. Composting Council's Seal of testing assurance, STA program helps you make the best decisions for your application. Learn about the three Cs of the STA program, clarity, consistency, and confidence and enroll at compostingcounsel.org

Green Mountain Technology's mission is to help organizations around the world realize the economic and environmental gains that can be achieved by a well-designed composting system. Learn more at compostingtechnology.com