Re: [compost_tea] MICROBIOLOGY TESTING of COMPOST TEAS

From: butch ragland <wilddog_202_at_yahoo.com>
Date: Wed, 22 Dec 2004 18:54:21 -0800 (PST)
I can follow all of the what ifs but statistically it
is so unlikely that it seems silly to worry about it.
--- Ted Peterson <ted.peterson_at_tcsn.net> wrote:

>   ----- Original Message -----
>   From: butch ragland
>   To: compost_tea_at_yahoogroups.com
>   Sent: Wednesday, December 22, 2004 4:39 PM
>   Subject: Re: [compost_tea] MICROBIOLOGY TESTING of
> COMPOST TEAS
>
>
>   What is the signifience of traces of e coli such
> as a
>   random bird droping on a pile of compost.
>
>
> Think of aerobic and anaerobic conditions.  You have
> a compost pile or windrow you have carefully
> nurtured from greenwaste only, no animal feces used
> in the compost.  It sits outside and a couple of
> birds fly over and leave droppings.  Now, most birds
> are carnivores; they eat insects and worms along
> with berries and nuts and stuff.  But their
> digestive systems, in general, are capable of
> digesting meat, or protein from animals.  That means
> they have the bacteria in their digestive systems to
> handle these inputs.  A bird's digestive system is
> anaerobic which means that anaerobic bacteria thrive
> there.  There are some switchers but it's more of a
> case where they can tolerate O2 as opposed to
> requiring O2.  There are e coli, and other
> pathogens, associated with bird equivelant of a
> colon.
>
> When these birds evacuate (Remember, birds do not
> have urinary tracts like humans.  You don't see
> birds running sound lifting their legs on bushes and
> branches.) all the material goes including bacteria
> feeding on the stuff being ejected.  This hits the
> compost pile and along comes Joe Composter and turns
> the pile over.  Now these bacteria are at the bottom
> or near the center of the pile with little air.
> It's an environment they like so they start
> multiplying.  Leave it long enough and keep your
> pile anaerobic enough and you can generate pathogen
> levels that are unacceptable by EPA standards for
> compost.  Remember also that bacteria don't
> generally taxi so you have to turn the pile around
> to spread the stuff throughtout the whole pile.
> Even then, pathogens near the surface will be less
> because of O2 and UV.  UV actually kills them and
> they can be digested under certain circumstances but
> I wouldn't count on digestion as a way to control
> pathogens.
>
> That's how it can happen. Now, lucky for us, e coli
> are very sensitive to UV and O2 so if you keep your
> pile turned and oxygenated enough, you can keep the
> pathogen levels quite low.  Also, lucky for us
> ostrich's don't fly.
>
> Now I don't know if you have ever raised a crow but
> I have (three to be exact) and let me tell you, they
> produce a healthy load.  It's almost directly
> proportional to the amount you feed them which makes
> me wonder if anything they eat, which is quite a
> lot, actually gets digested.
>
> Ted Peterson
> SOE

=====
Butch Ragland
Conflict is as addictive as
cocaine, alcohol, cigarettes,etc
I'm sorry to report that
cooperation is not


           
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Received on Thu Dec 23 2004 - 01:27:01 EST

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