AGRICULTURE IS ESSENTIAL to the health and sustainability of everyone. On the other hand, global agriculture also produces tremendous amounts of waste, accounting for about 14 billion tons of crop straw and 125 million tons of livestock manure per year.
One way to deal with this problem is composting. But traditional composting is not always totally effective when breaking down some of the crop straw and livestock waste. This is because the use of antibiotics in livestock can lead to antibiotic-resistant pathogens that can infiltrate the soil and plant systems when they are used in traditional composting.
Research offers a promising new alternative by introducing a species of mushroom to the composting process. The scientists compared traditional composting against composting with mushrooms and found that the mushroom compost suppressed pathogens while enhancing plant growth.
In addition, it reduced the amount of antibiotic-resistant genes and other organic pollutants in crops. This finding is a potential game changer because the waste from agriculture is contributing to air and water pollution. Any option to reduce the amount of waste while also limiting the spread of pathogens and antibiotic-resistant genes in crops is good for everyone because it means less pollution and healthier food.
The idea of composting waste in the garden is to turn organic material into nutrition for our plants, as well as to provide a well-structured soil for our vegetables to grow. You can thus improve your garden soil, including adding garden compost you made yourself, in many ways. Here are a few options:
Strictly speaking, it’s likely we couldn’t use it because there’s more to “organic” than simply avoiding animal products and chemicals. In order to use manure, you’d need to know that the animals producing the manure were organically fed and were kept in stables that used only organic bedding. This care would prevent accidental exposure to non-organic materials and unwanted chemicals that could be absorbed and processed, transferring them to the animals’ waste products and thus, our food chain.
Probably the best approach for securing organic manure would be to do so through an organic meat producer. You can purchase bagged manure, such as cow manure and chicken manure, that is certified organic.
It might be a long road, and in the end, you might decide that 100% organic is not that important. But as long as you get good, nutritious food you grew yourself, your family will thrive without spending a lot at the grocery store or the market. Making your own compost will give you control over your compost pile. Whether you make hot or cold compost, you will need to be careful of what you put in your compost pile. No matter what you end up doing, I’m sure you’ll enjoy your garden and the food you harvest from it! By Manny Palomar, PhD (EV Mail OCTOBER 6-12, 2025 Issue)
