Throughout the year, the Knott County Agricultural & Natural Resource (ANR) Agent, conducts several different programs with a various range of audiences. During these meetings and interactions with clients they complete a survey to give their thoughts on how to improve the current program and give ideas for new programs. The agent gains a numerous amount of feedback from these surveys. After reviewing past surveys and verbally discussing with clients on what they would want for a program, several suggested they would like a class on backyard composting that included solid research-based information. Being such a high demand interest for the clients, the agent began planning a program on backyard composting. The Backyard Composting Workshop was hosted in the Fall of 2017. While planning the workshop the agent contacted and received several resources from partnering land grant universities across the United States.

 Composting is a form of recycling organic materials such as: leftover food products, grass clipping, and woody materials that will breakdown to make a rich soil full of nutrients. Once the compost decomposes and turns into soil it then can be used to help support the growth of other plants. The Backyard Composting Class covered several important basic factors for this type of composting which included but was not limited to: different types of containers to utilize during composting, knowledge on what is the best composting conditions to obtain the optimal breakdown of organic materials, and the process of how to make sure that the compost has good aeration system to assist the material in decomposing. 

At the conclusion of the class, the participants who completed their workshop survey reported that they gained a lot of knowledge in backyard composting, and that they would now be able to start their own composting area at their homes. The final results showed that over half the class was planning to begin composting within the next month. Backyard composting not only reduces waste to our landfills, but it also gives back to our natural resources and provides a great source of nutrients to plants grown around one’s home.