Wes Spencer with the finished compost product produced by the family business at Kotupna.
Three brothers are behind a Goulburn Valley business geared towards rejuvenating agricultural soils and lifting plant production.
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The Spencer brothers have established a facility to turn green waste generated in metropolitan Melbourne into a mature compost for Goulburn Valley soils.
Wes, Jeremy and Lincoln Spencer are spearheading the business, with the wholehearted support of their father Colin, and mother Heather, who have been interested in regenerative farming for years.
Prior to the switch to grazing (with Speckle Park cattle), Colin developed an organic certified dairy farm.
The brothers have developed their business, Back 2 Earth Composting, on a corner of their parent’s grazing property at Kotupna.
Wes takes a holistic approach to soil improvement and says it’s not just about switching from conventional fertilisers to compost.
Rows of mature compost prepared at the Kotupna business.
“Good compost will give you a range of outcomes; improving microbial activity, water retention, and capturing nutrients.
“Compost not only provides a source of microbes, but it also feeds your underground workforce, building soil organic matter and therefore, soil carbon.”
The Spencers take a truck-load of ‘pasteurised’ green waste out of Melbourne daily and further cultivate the waste through a process that takes up to four months.
Dairy farmers, horticulturists, vineyard managers and flower farmers are among their customers.
Tammy and Bert Frazzetto run a boutique flower farm near Nathalia, and have been top dressing their clay-loam soils with the compost for more than 12 months.
Tammy sings the praises of the product because of the impact on their flower production and the positive effect on the soil.
“We’re moving towards regenerative farming, so we are interested in seeing how we can improve the soils without the need for tilling.”
Colin and the three brothers have been considerably influenced by the regenerative farming movement, and people like the agro-ecologist David Hardwick, who places a heavy emphasis on soil health.
The processed compost has a deep, rich look about it.
They like the idea of turning a waste product into a valuable resource for growing food.
They also appreciate that thanks to the practice of streaming, the green waste is being diverted from landfill.
The one irritating preoccupation with the green waste supply (and one common to the whole industry) is the problem of contamination.
Capitalising on Wes’ trade background as a mechanical engineer, the Spencers have refurbished a 400-horsepower, six-metre-wide compost turner and built a trommel; basically a machine that helps filter and screen heavier green sticks, tin, stones, steel and plastic out of the compost.
It’s astonishing to see the amount of plastic that householders toss into the green waste, and Wes appeals to residents to be more cautious in what ends up in the green bin.
“It costs a lot in resources to separate the junk, so people wanting the streaming (and/or source separation) to succeed and improve should think a bit more about what goes in their green waste bins.
“This is a good example of how householders who do the right thing and take the time to separate plastics and contamination from their green waste are contributing to the ongoing success of these types of businesses,” Wes said.
“Which in turn goes on to produce more nourishing, healthy food. It’s good for the climate, too.”
Jeremy Spencer with the heat-treated material that comes into the facility, before it is processed and screened.
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