Re: [compost_tea] What I think is important
Matt,
The ICTC sort of fell apart, I don't think there was enough momentum and in=
terest, and people got busy with other things. My father was the Pres=
ident at the time I believe, though it was right when I got into the busine=
ss so I may be remembering things wrong.
I like your idea for a convention more than one for a competition. St=
andards for testing would be a huge issue, as well as coming up with an agr=
eed-upon definition of ACT and what claims we can and cannot make as an ind=
ustry. I know the general public has no idea was ACT or compost tea r=
eally is. Half the time people conjure up images of throwing raw manu=
re in a barrel for 30 days.
________________________________
From: Matthew Graeff <phishphan12_at_comcast.net>
To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
Sent: Wednesday, February 1, 2012 11:47 AM
Subject: Re: [compost_tea] What I think is important
Tad,
Wasn't your Dad head of the ICTC (International Compost Tea Council) a few =
years back? Whatever happened with that?
I think a certifying council is a great idea, and SFI was supposed to be th=
e be all end all of that, I think. It seems they were corrupted along=
the way, and that may stop newer brewers or people that got burned for tho=
usands of dollars in tests to be very skeptical of certification of any kin=
d.
No, there doesn't have to be a competition, but that may attract more flies=
than just another convention. Have an ACT brewer category, extractor=
, hybrid (both ACT and LCE). I would compare it to a beer festival. =
You know not everyone's going to win, most people are just there to c=
atch a buzz. :) I think it would be cool to get there and get down to=
the nuts and bolts of ACT versus explaining it to everyone and their siste=
r that walks up to you the basics of ACT (unless you enjoy that of course).=
Getting the standards down for testing I think would be the biggest hurdle,=
other than getting everyone in the same room.
I could be totally off on all this, but I think it sparked a discussion wit=
hin the group.
Matt
On Feb 1, 2012, at 1:33 PM, Tad wrote:
>I've been following the recent posts regarding a competition between comme=
rcial tea brewing units. With the right controls in place (it sounds like t=
hey were not there according to Steve at the Texas event), it could have so=
me benefit.
>
>However, rather than a competition, I think a certifying agency or some in=
dustry standard would be far more beneficial to ACT as a technology. There=
are many different designs that make acceptable tea, meaning they extract =
the organisms into the liquid medium and provide adequate aeration to keep =
dissolved oxygen levels above 6 mg/l. Granted, some will be more efficient=
, cost-effective, or more aesthetically pleasing, but provided the above co=
nditions are met then a brewer design could potentially qualify.
>
>An agreed upon definition about what ACT is and isn't, what it's purposes =
are, main benefits, and what claims can be made that are proven to be accur=
ate and not based on conjecture or anecdotal evidence/opinion.
>
>How many brewer manufacturers actually own and use a microscope and dissol=
ved oxygen meter to test their tea quality, and base their recommendations =
upon that data? I see crazy claims all the time. Some companies claim you=
can refrigerate your ACT for up to a week (Vermicrop), or brew continually=
as long as you want, adding compost and foodstocks, but never actually tes=
ting the tea with a microscope.
>
>If we want to legitimatize our industry, we need to establish conventional=
methodology that is supported by accurate data and direct microscopy. Oth=
erwise, all we have is some bubbling brown liquid, with no idea if it conta=
ins the proper sets of organisms, with good diversity and biomass.
>
>I think once we have some standard for our industry, the next step would b=
e to collaborate on the subject that Bobby eluded to: How can we improve ou=
r ACT (based on brewer design and inputs) to maximize plant growth across a=
variety of media and environmental conditions?
>
>I'm sick of hearing that ACT doesn't work because people use a 10 gallon a=
quarium pump and airstone from Petco, or listen to claims that are unsuppor=
ted by any data or microscopy.
>
>My 2 cents,
>Tad Hussey
>www.kisorganics.com
>
>
Received on Wed Feb 01 2012 - 15:53:37 EST
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