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 From the Top of the Pile
In the summer of 2022, the USCC became aware of the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS)’s new Soil Carbon Amendment 336, which if passed would replace the interim Standard 808. In June 2022, with the support of 516 compost advocates, through the USCC’s Compost Action Center, this practice was adopted.
Fast forward to early 2023 when the USCC onboarded our newest staff member Matt Ball, Director of Industry Development. Fresh off COMPOST2023 and still in his first month at the Council, Matt set out to make the new conservation practice accessible to Compost Manufacturers and their clients and partner farms. The USCC’s NRCS Code 336 Resource Hub was created to assist in this process. Additionally, the USCC hosted a Webinar on April 20 with staff from the National NRCS office which detailed how farmers and ranchers can work with NRCS to create a conservation plan that includes compost application and how that qualifies participants for reimbursement through the Environmental Quality Incentives Program (EQIP). Attendees of this webinar received recordings, and anyone interested in viewing this content may contact Matt Ball at mball@compostingcouncil.org.
CPS 336 must be adopted at the state level so more compost can be considered in conservation planning and made eligible for reimbursement through NRCS conservation programs.
The USCC needs your help again to encourage your state conservationists to adopt 336 and encourage the opening of state-level Conservation Innovation Grants to refine technical guidance and increase knowledge and understanding of compost use on working lands. State NRCS offices are considering making a Conservation Innovation Grant federal funding request at this very moment.
Please send the message in the link below, or write your own in the space provided, and let your state Conservationist know that you support the adoption of CPS 336 and want to see federal resources dedicated to its success.
USCC NEWS
NEW this year is different session delivery formats that will increase your opportunities to speak, including round table discussions, workshops, Master mind, Tool box, and more! Don’t forget that the "Quality of written content and Demonstration of significance to the field" is very critical for an abstract to get selected.
The USCC's Annual Conference and Tradeshow is the premiere professional meeting for composting, organics recycling, and related topics. The 2024 USCC Annual Conference is coming with a variety in education session delivery format. Please choose what type of session format your abstract will best fit into. Each presenter can submit up to three abstracts either in one or multiple session delivery formats. A video guide is available that shows how to submit an abstract in our speaker portal.
The different formats are: ♦ Concurrent Sessions ♦ Workshops ♦ Round Table Discussion ♦ Tool Box Talk ♦ Mini Workshop ♦ Master Mind ♦ Research Track for CREF All events are IN-PERSON ONLY. Submission Deadline: July 1, 2023.
Compost facilities around the country are utilizing innovative technology and new forms of data collection to drive their operations, increase efficiencies, and add value to their products. In this webinar, we will feature expert panelists who will speak on remote monitoring systems used to capture temperature and other variables in compost piles, drones for remote sensing, volume calculations and inventory monitoring, and the latest in DNA sequencing technologies that allow a producer to account for the beneficial microbiology in their compost and its further impact on the landscape.
 USCC has created a new infographic to celebrate the first three years of achievements catalyzed by the support of the Corporate Compost Leadership Council.
The CCLC’s members—Club Coffee, The Clorox Co., Clif Bar, Chick-fil-A, Dart, Delaware North, EcoProducts, Georgia Pacific, Mars Inc., Natureworks, Printpack, Rubicon, and Sabert—have supported key projects accomplished by the USCC to the tune of more than $200,000. Click the button below to learn more about these projects.
Hear and see 67 talks from the COMPOST2023 conference at your leisure, wherever you are. COMPOST2023 Recordings are structured as a digital resource and serve as a great start for continuing education on CompostU™. Like all the resources in CompostU™, once purchased you will have access to them for three years.
Here’s to building your skills, and in turn, building a strong composting industry!
Winton Manufacturing – Compost Works is a new facility that became operational in the fall of 2022. Despite the infancy of our facility, we have personnel with experience in the compost industry and understand the significance of the STA program through the USCC. 
ADVOCACY AND PUBLIC POLICY BRIEFS
Please join Happy Trash Can Curbside Composting; Missouri Organic Recycling; City of Philadelphia Department of Prisons; Schenectady County Compost Facility; Maryland Environmental Services; Big Lake Organics, LLC; and Spotsylvania County Utilities in hosting a congressperson at YOUR site. To get involved, fill out the form here: https://www.compostingcouncil.org/page/MemberPortal
We’ve been working on the COMPOST Act for 2 years now—and we have a shot at having its provisions moved into the Farm Bill—but Congress must hear from us quickly!
Refresher: The COMPOST Act provides $200M per year for 10 years in hardware for infrastructure—equipment, pads, engineering, gravel—and if it passes, it can be accessed through grants to the public sector (governments and non-profits) and low-interest loans to the private sector.
This month, your senators and congresspersons need to hear from you, and you can make your voice heard by spending just five minutes in our Compost Action Center, where a pre-written letter can be tweaked to your personal feelings and zipped off to your representative.
Click below to Make Noise for the Compost Act to your federal legislators!
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENTSTATE CHAPTER NEWS Join the Florida Composting Council for the inaugural 2023 Conference and Exhibition. This year’s day event will take place on June 21 in Bonita Springs in partnership with the Recycle Florida Today, Inc. Annual Conference and Exhibition. Experience two professional events in one great location.
The FLCC is organized exclusively to promote the composting industry and the reduction, reuse and recycling of the organic component of Florida's waste stream through support of infrastructure development, quality control and ethical operations, operator training, legislative and regulatory advocacy, and general public education.
Composting and organics professionals from local and state governments, private and non-profit sectors, program managers, principal engineers, directors, managers, consultants, regulators, and those interested in the business and development of the composting and organics industry are welcome.
The NC Composting Council is all about creating healthy soils. Join us on June 15, for our 2023 Annual Members and Supporters Meeting at The Plant in Pittsboro. You'll hear about the latest science of soil health and how it effects climate change, find out what the NC Composting Council is doing to teach and expand the manufacture and use of compost in agriculture, and how we're promoting composting industrially, in communities, and at home.
After the meeting, take a tour of The Plant, shop at the Farmers' Market, enjoy some delicious food and raise a glass for the10th Anniversary of Sustainable Spirits.
Sustainable Spirits is from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. and includes tours of Copland Springs Farm and Fair Game Beverage Company's distillery. Sustainable Spirits is a gathering of great people who care about the environment and get together for networking and fellowship.
Member Benefits Thank you for your continued support of the US Composting Council. This letter is a reminder that your membership expires July 1! We want to be sure you don’t lose any of the benefits that can help your success and the expansion of our industry.
I wanted to take a moment to express my gratitude for your continued support and membership in the U.S. Composting Council. The promotion and advancement of composting is only possible through you and your membership. I’m writing to let you know about what your membership dollars have accomplished this year and about a new dues policy tied to the Consumer Price Index (CPI).
This year we have hosted nine webinars, published 12 newsletters, and hired additional staff to provide more services such as the career center and expanded Compost U. We held our largest-ever gathering of the compost industry anywhere in the world (COMPOST2023); lobbied Congress for the bills that would include compost infrastructure, federal data collection and assessment of our industry, and scientific research on PFAS. On the back of this letter, you will see a timeline of industry accomplishments over the past 12 months.
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YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
Meet Sarah Lavallee, the USCC Young Professional making waves in the state of Rhode Island! As the program coordinator for Clean Ocean Access's (COA) Healthy Soils Healthy Seas Rhode Island compost initiative, Sarah is passionately working towards increasing participation in residential composting through educational workshops for local community groups.
This event was made possible thanks to our generous sponsors, Hammond Farms Landscape Supply and MyGREEN Michigan. Their support allowed us to create a networking venue where solid waste and composting industry leaders can make valuable connections and engage in interesting conversations around growing compost infrastructure in Michigan. We look forward to organizing more events in the future to facilitate networking and knowledge-sharing among young professionals and compost industry leaders. If you have any suggestions or want to get involved in our upcoming initiatives, please reach out to youngprofessionalsgroup@compostingcouncil.org.
Are you a passionate Young Professional looking to connect with like-minded individuals in the composting industry? Look no further! We invite you to join our vibrant and engaging Slack community. By joining our Slack, you'll have the opportunity to:
♦ Connect with fellow Young Professionals across the country
♦ Share ideas, insights, and resources ♦ Network with industry leaders and experts ♦ Stay up-to-date with the latest news, events, and opportunities ♦ Participate in dynamic discussions and collaborative projects It's easy to get started. Simply click the button below to join our Slack community and start connecting with fellow Young Professionals today!
SOILBUILDER'S BLOG
By: Chris Wood
We have good days and bad at Moonshot. Startup life ain’t for the faint of heart. In social media, the draw is certainly to call attention to the good stuff. And I’m really an optimist, so I tend to focus on the positive, anyway. It’s just my nature.
That said, I do want to pause and reflect a little on the hard stuff. The lack of a road map. The sense that no matter how hard you try, you are letting someone down. I literally just remembered I owed someone an email response two days ago. And I vacillate constantly. About everything. The next time my thought process follows a straight line, it will be the first time. I could do this for paragraphs.
Then there’s also the questions from outside my own head. When are you going to raise money? Are you profitable? Why are you in more than one city? Why isn’t your service free? Why does composting cost more than trash service? Doesn’t composting just release methane like landfills? A steady diet of legitimate questions. Well, some more than others. ;)
OPPORTUNITIES, JOBS AND GRANTS
In this position, you will identify, design, implement, and evaluate research-based educational programs that meet current and projected outreach needs related to agricultural, commercial, and municipal compost systems. Current knowledge in one of these compost system areas is essential, and a willingness to work with experts in the other areas to develop programming and skills to complement current composting knowledge will be crucial to your success in this position. Through your leadership, you will act as a subject matter expert related to composting and other organics processing technologies, regulatory development and compliance, environmental impacts, feedstock diversity, processing methods and technologies, and end-product marketing. In coordination of outreach and Extension-related compost education activities, you will collaborate with academic and service units on the campus of Michigan State University regarding education and training related to compost systems. You will be responsible for the development and delivery of training in compost system operations, best management practices, and standards required by state and federal programs.
CREF NEWS
Yes, we all said goodbye to Cary Oshins when he retired earlier this year, but don’t worry, he hasn’t completely stopped sharing his knowledge to help the compost industry. In fact, he is scheduled to be one of the trainers during the upcoming Compost Operations Training Course (COTC) in New Jersey starting the week of July 31. Also presenting is USCC Executive Director, Frank Franciosi. Frank, a native New Jerseyan, will be going back to his home state to be part of this COTC. It’s a great lineup of industry leaders and professionals sharing their diverse expertise during the five-day course. There are still some spots available, and the Early Bird discount rate will be offered until June 19. You can learn more about this training and/or register HERE. The scholarship created to honor all Cary Oshins did to encourage compost education is now available and accepting applications. The Cary Oshins Training Scholarship offers assistance to people who might find attending a COTC a financial burden. They will be awarded for each COTC scheduled throughout the year and around the country. To find out more about this scholarship and how to apply click HERE. CREF is still raising funds for this scholarship program. Money raised will go to supporting the scholarships. Donating is a great way to support more people in the industry who will benefit from attending a COTC and as a way to thank Cary for all he did for the industry. You can donate HERE. IN THE HEADLINESUpcoming Events
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Already, we have SEVEN AMAZING MEMBERS working on Compost Facility Tours for their congressional/state legislators to help us win support for the Compost Act, the Recycling and Compost Accountability Act, PFAS research and protections, and the general understanding of our business! In case you didn't hear, Congress is on vacation for the 4th of July Holiday and all of August, and we're asking members with facilities to invite their Congresspersons and legislators with this 
We have updated the Young Professional webpage to give it a fresh new look. You can check it out here: 
The USCC Young Professionals, in collaboration with the Michigan Organics Council, hosted an in-person reception and happy hour at the 2023 Michigan Recycling Coalition Annual Conference in Kalamazoo, MI. The event took place May 10 at the Beer Exchange in Kalamazoo, MI, and it was a great success with over 50 participants in attendance.
Next month, right after the 4th of July holiday, the Young Professionals Group is teaming up with the Nebraska Chapter of the U.S. Composting Council to host our virtual happy hour event. Join us for an engaging discussion on a very important topic: convincing farmers to embrace sustainable farming practices and increase their use of compost.
