Composters Just Want to Have Fun

If this headline resonates with you, you are already on your way to “getting” USCC's Core Values. (See the About Us page).
 
Several years ago the USCC Board of Directors realized that putting down on paper the things that make your organization unique would give us additional sightlines into how our community approaches challenges and victories. They debated, discussed, and established a group of values that make our industry—and USCC—who we are. 
 
At their 2025 Strategic Planning Retreat, your board reflected on and refined the core values: keeping FUN, Growth Through Learning, and Delivering Member Value and adding CULTIVATING COMMUNITY.

You're getting a refresher on the USCC Core Values because they are the heart of our Annual Conference, also known as the Compost Family Reunion (CFR 🙂), which will be held in California in just 81 days. This event is where the exuberance of composters shines through: old friends gathering to compare their year and new friends coming to learn. Everyone leaves feeling refreshed and renewed. Fun indeed—in an industry as hardworking and committed as ours, fun, joy, and sharing are ingredients as necessary as the bacteria and fungi in our piles.

We don't want you to miss this one, or any one, for that matter. The people who supply us with equipment have gone to great lengths this year in the face of budget-busting tariff times to bring the latest technology; this will be the year of some of our highest caliber speakers ever due to a record number of abstracts submitted last summer. 
 
New and special things we're bringing to COMPOST2026: 

• A Pre-Demo Day Pit Stop for 50 fortunate compost operators to come out to the Demonstration site the day before Demo Day to wander among the equipment after a morning of trade show and operator-specific education (click here to investigate)
• A quiet Serenity Room if you need a moment away from the hustle bustle of the busy conference  hosted by our Composting for All Committee; AND, if sponsorship allows, American Sign Language (ASL) translation of our opening and closing plenaries (check out these affordable sponsorships)
• Our Gather and Grow space for pre-approved small group networking (interest groups only, no sales etc meetings-click here for information); click here to request the space!
• Our first-ever on-site Certification Test! Click here to submit your Industry Certification application to be eligible for the on-site test.

Don't miss our Compost Family Reunion this year and help celebrate two of our Core Values—Fun and Cultivating Community—with the Golden State of Compost!