Thursday, October 1, 2026
8:00 a.m.-4 p.m.
Rainbow Valley Farm, 3535 West River Road, Sidney, Maine
Cost: Free
Snacks and lunch will be provided.
The Maine Compost School is a nationally recognized composting program offered by the Maine Compost Team for 29 years. Join us for a streamlined, one-day on-farm workshop on composting essentials designed specifically for farmers. Through a combination of engaging presentations and hands-on field exercises, participants will learn the fundamentals of successful composting, including feedstock selection, pile management, troubleshooting, and using finished compost effectively on the farm.
Agenda
- 8:00 a.m.: Welcome, Introduction of Participants, Introduction to the Course
Mark King, Organics Management Specialist, Maine DEP—Director of Maine Compost School - 8:30 a.m.: Biology of Composting
Nick Rowley, Assistant Extension Professor, UMaine Extension - 9:15 a.m.: Compost Feedstocks – Characteristics, Types, Potential Problems, Complementary and C:N (Part 1)
Mark Hedrich, Nutrient Management Coordinator, Maine DACF - 10:00 a.m.: Building and Managing Your Compost Pile
Mark King - 10:45 a.m.: Break
- 11:00 a.m.: Siting and Site Management
Ed Stamborski, Environmental Specialist, Maine DEP - 11:45 p.m.: Lunch on-site
- 12:15 p.m.: Field Exercises—Feedstock Assessment/Building a Compost Pile/Trouble-shooting the Compost Process
Maine Compost Team - 2:30 p.m.: Composting for Your Community
Mark King - 3:00 p.m.: Using Compost On Farm
Nick Rowley - 3:45 p.m.: Wrap-up/Evaluations
- 4:00 p.m.: End of Program
If reasonable accommodation is needed, please contact Nick Rowley, nicholas.rowley@maine.edu by September 21, 2026.