Join us at Santa Cruz Farm in Northern New Mexico for a crash course on compost!

The importance of compost for improving soil health is well known, but when it comes to application, many farmers have questions. What makes a good compost and how can we know? What’s the difference between a nutrient amendment and biologically active compost? How best to use soil amendments and compost on the farm and to what purpose?

To help answer these questions, we’ll do some simple in-field soil health assessments together and use microscopy to look at different types of compost. After a delicious lunch provided by Trujillo Family Farm, we’ll get hands-on experience applying compost in a few different ways: inoculating cover crop seeds, making a compost extract and side-dressing tomatoes.

This workshop will be offered in English and Spanish.

Acompáñanos el miércoles 19 de abril, 2023 (9am–3pm) al norte de Nueva Méjico para un curso intensivo en compostaje.

La importancia del compost para mejorar la salud del suelo es bien conocida; sin embargo, cuando se trata de aplicar estos conocimientos, muchos agricultores se encuentran con dificultades y muchas preguntas al respecto de este proceso.

¿Qué es un buen compost y cómo saberlo? ¿Cuál es la diferencia entre enmendar el suelo con nutrientes y compost que es biológicamente activo? ¿Cómo utilizarlos al máximo en la granja y con qué propósito?

Para ayudar a contestar estas preguntas, haremos juntos simples asesoramientos de la salud del suelo en el campo y usaremos microscopía para observar a los diferentes tipos de compost. Después de un delicioso almuerzo proveído por Trujillo Family Farm, nos pondremos manos a la obra aplicando compost de diferentes formas: inoculando semillas de cultivo de cobertura, preparando un extracto de compost y aplicándolo de forma directa sobre plantas de tomate.

Este taller de capacitación se dará en inglés y en Español. 


Presenters:

Joshua Weybright is a regenerative farmer and Certified Lab Technician with Dr. Elaine Ingham’s Soil Food Web organization.

Navona Gallegos is an ecologist and permaculture designer from Northern New Mexico. She works and educates on the intersection of water, biodiversity, food sovereignty, and health: soil.’

Lina Alegre is a practicing ecologist and her work on land has been recognized by the NACD as a Soil Health Champion. A nature observer, her focus is on sustainable living, closed loop systems and microbiology.

Itinerary:
9am – 10am Introductions
10am – 10:30am Compost microscopy
10:30 – noon In-field soil health assessments
12:00pm Lunch
1pm – 3pm Compost applications • Extract • Seed coating

What to wear and bring:
Work clothes, gloves and sturdy boots
Water bottle

Sorry, no dogs on the farm…



This field day is hosted in partnership between the Seeding Regenerative Agriculture Project, NM Healthy Soil and Santa Fe Farmers Market Institute.


  • When: Wednesday April 19, 2023 at 9am – 3pm MT
  • Where: Santa Cruz Farm, 830 El Llano Rd, Española NM 87532
  • This field day is at capacity.