Green Acres Farm – Goodrich, Michigan
28 horses on sawdust bedding
This 3-bay aerated compost system utilizes a top-down design that optimizes a limited space very efficiently. By taking advantage of gravity to deliver raw materials into the bays, it minimizes the amount of labor required for daily operations. Because this system is built into the hillside, it also worked extremely well throughout the very cold wniter months of 2007.

Liberty Bell Farm – Snohomish, Washington
16 horses on sawdust bedding
This is a recently completed "Top-Down" compost system. The back wall is constructed using ecology blocks and the remainder of the structure is post and beam construction. Aeration is supplied independently to each of the three bays to the right (with front boards). The bay to the left is for curing and storage. This project was partially funded through the EQIP (Environmental Quality Incentive Program) grant through the Snohomish Conservation District.

Patterson Creek Stables – Redmond, Washington
22 horses on wood pellet bedding
In an attempt to compost horse manure from their 22 stall barn, the previous owner of Patterson Creek Stables assembled a series of bunkers using stackable concrete blocks (i.e. "Ecology Bocks"). Once full, it became obvious that there was more to composting than stacking up the manure and wait to see what happens.

O2Compost was asked to design an aerated compost system to convert this waste into a high-quality, saleable product. The ecology block walls were dismantled, the manure was removed, and crushed rock was brought in to the site to establish a firm base. The blocks were then reassembled in an orderly fashion (as shown) and a concrete pad was constructed. The aeration system was incorporated into the concrete pad and a slatted floor was placed to allow the air to flow up through the fresh manure.

Bains Farm – Mint Hill, North Carolina
26 horses on sawdust bedding, plus events
Still under construction in May 2007, this system includes a raw manure receiving area (right), three aerated compost bays, and a compost curing and storage area (left). The compost will be utilized on site for two to three years followed by off-site sales to the neighboring community.

Woods Creek Farm - Monroe, Washington
My neighbor, Daryl Parker, heard from a friend that I was experimenting with composting, so he called me to see if I would help him with his horse manure pile. Using an existing building, we constructed a simple aerated static pile system and within 3 months, we had converted a $750/month expense into a $500/month profit center for his farm. As Daryl said, "Before, I had a manure problem... now I don't seem to have enough horses."

Myers Performance Morgans – Binghamton, New York
20 horses on sawdust bedding
This system utilizes a top-down approach, wherein the manure is wheeled from the barn to the backside of the facility and dropped down into one of the three bays. Once the bay is full, finished compost is placed over the top and the airflow is started. When finished, the compost is removed from the bay on the front (downhill) side and placed in an adjoining curing and storage area.

City of Redmond – Farrell McWhirter Park
8 horses + variety of other farm animals (cows, goats, sheep, chickens, rabbits)
This is a 4-bin aerated compost system with 6 months' storage. It was constructed in 2006 to remediate surface water contamination in a nearby creek. This facility will serve as a demonstration site for O₂Compost training classes beginning in the summer of 2006.

BEL Farms – Wayzata, Minnesota
28 horses on wood pellet bedding
Nichole Harguth is the Lead Trainer and Head Composter at BEL Farms. Manure is placed in one of three bays, with the aeration pipes laid directly on the concrete slab. Pile temperatures have been excellent, even through the cold winter months. When the active phase of composting is complete, the pipes are pulled out of the pile to provide easy access for compost removal. Nichole is now selling all of the compost in bulk to a local nursery.

Haute Ecole – Issaquah, Washington
18 horses on hem-fir shavings
Each compost bay is constructed with concrete (Ecology) blocks and provides a volume of 50 cubic yards each. The aeration system consists of pipes on grade. The compost produced by this system is sold to local large tree nurseries, flower and organic vegetable farms, and berry farms.

Lulham Acres – Graham, Washington
16 horses on alder sawdust
Each aerated bay accommodates ~25 cubic yards. Material is loaded in from the top and removed from the bottom. It is a retrofit of an NRCS design that did not include aeration and was ineffective at managing the volumes generated on the farm. Compost will be sold to landscapers.