Eryka Reid

Wood ash has been used by farmers to improve soil and crop production for centuries. However, wood ash was not available as a commodity for large-scale use until the 1980s when several wood-fired electrical-generating power plants were built throughout the Northeast. The benefits of these wood-fired power plants were two-fold: the production of local, clean, renewable energy, and the other product generated – organic wood ash. Wood Ash is the perfect product for Northeastern soils because it is a natural, local fertilizer that has the added benefit of fast-acting lime.

Right now, wood ash and Biomass Plants throughout New Hampshire are facing a challenge. HB 225 is threatening to repeal NH’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) program which is essential in keeping Biomass Plants throughout New Hampshire operating. It also supports solar, hydro, geothermal, wind and other renewable technologies.

Yesterday, Shelagh Connelly and Charley Hanson from RMI, along with 50 other people testified, while over 125 people traveled to the Concord State House to support the RPS. RMI supplied informational handouts and sample bags of Wood Ash from local Biomass Plants to the committee who were thrilled to see the product close up.

Spread the word and read more about HB 225 and NH’s Renewable Portfolio Standard (RPS) program below:

http://gencourt.state.nh.us/bill_status/billText.aspx?sy=2017&id=327&txtFormat=html

In 2002, The International Union of Soil Sciences proposed that the 5^th of December be World Soil Day (WSD) and should be dedicated to celebrating the importance of soils. Under the leadership of the Kingdom of Thailand and within the “Global Soil Partnership”, the Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) have turned WSD into a worldwide platform to connect people with soils and raise awareness on their critical importance in our day-to-day lives. The FAO held a conference in June 2013 that focused solely around World Soil Day and in December of 2013 the 68^th UN General Assembly officially declared December 5^th as the World Soil Day!

Head over to our Facebook page to be entered to win an “I Heart Soil” T-shirt and to spread the word!

For more information about WSD head over to the Food and Agricultural Organization website here! 

 

Public Outreach

Partnering with Concord, NH to spread the biosolids love!

Welcome Steve Nurme to RMI!

RMI is pleased to welcome Steve Nurme to our team as the Sales Manager. Steve holds a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from Plymouth State University and has over 20 years of sales experience. Steve is excited to lead the RMI Sales Team as we grow and reach out to more and more customers across the northeast.

His goal is to provide solutions for Building Healthy Soils.  Steve has a strong Sales Team covering all types of customers including farmers, gravel pit owners, golf courses, topsoil purveyors, compost facilities, road construction crews, athletic fields, and even a few landowners that want specialized food plots to attract deer on their woodlots.

Steve and his wife Jen along with their three boys and two dogs reside in New London, New Hampshire.  When he is not with his family or working at RMI, Steve can be found coaching ice hockey or playing guitar in a local band. He is an eclectic guy.

Contact Steve:

steve.nurme@rmirecycles.com

603-748-6356

Littleton Goes Green

The Town of Littleton, NH has shifted from disposal to recycling of their biosolids.  On August 1^st they began a partnership with RMI which is a more environmentally-friendly and sustainable option for managing the solids from their wastewater treatment facility (WWTF).  And by shifting to recycling the Town is expected to save $17,000 annually!

The biosolids from the Littleton WWTF are transported to the RMI facility in New Hampton and are processed with wood ash from biomass power plants. The biosolids and wood ash are blended together and the final product is sold to farmers for spreading on corn and hay fields to meet their nitrogen and potassium fertilizer needs.  Biosolids replenish the soil and provide important nutrients for improving crop yields.

Biosolids recycling is a win-win for municipalities and the farmers that choose to use this valuable fertilizer.  The Town of Littleton is committed to sustainability and this expansion of recycling demonstrates their triple net bottom line for benefitting the environment, community, and the economy.

Planning Ahead for Spring

“Taking a soil sample is an important step in determining what your fields need”

The health of your soil will de-termine how successful your crop will grow. RMI wants to ensure hardy crop growth based on balanced soil fertility and organic matter. Make sure your fields are sampled and analyzed to get the most out of your soils. If you are planning to order any Heart & Soil Agri-cultural Products from RMI, then let us get your fields sam-pled so we can help you deter-mine what is needed for your cropping plan.

Get ready for the planting and growing season the right way and have RMI take a soil sample of your fields! Our qualified Field Services Team will come out to your farm and take soil samples. RMI sends the samples to an inde-pendent lab for analysis, and then will supply you with a nutrient management recommendation for each field. This recommendation can be used to determine which products will work best for your soil health and crop yields.

 

Spreader Rentals!

To help with you application needs RMI has 4 spreaders that can be rented when purchasing Heart & Soil® Ag. Products:

• Adams Pull Type Hydraulic Driven Litter Spreader with a 20 ton capacity
• Two 2016 Stoltfuz Bulk Material Spreaders with 8 ton capacity
• 2015 Stoltfuz Spreader with 4 ton spreading capacity

 

 

New Logo Coming Soon!

RMI has been building healthy soils since November 1994. After 22 years we are changing things up just a bit. So next time you see us we will have a whole new logo! Here’s a sneak peak at the future of RMI!

 

Biomass power plants have been a staple in New England electricity generation for the past thirty years. In addition to producing local, clean, renewable energy, these biomass power plants create thousands of tons of wood ash – which is good news for farmers! RMI has partnered with these biomass power plants to supply thousands of tons pH+Plus Green wood ash to farmers throughout New England each year.

The success of this partnership is based on the commitment to quality and environmental stewardship shared by both RMI and the biomass plants. Today we recognize two biomass Plant Managers that have been great partners with RMI and our farmers – and we wish them well on their next adventures!

Russ and John have been good friends to RMI and we thank them for their contributions to the wood to energy world!

Russ Dowd is retiring after 24 years as Plant Manager from the Pinetree Power biomass plant in Tamworth, NH. Russ has been zealous in his commitment to the biomass industry, and is particularly noted for his support of the NH Timberland Owners Association. Russ will likely be skiing and traveling a lot more, and spending time with his grandkids!

John Irving is retiring as Plant Manager after 31 years with the Burlington Electric Department in northern Vermont. John’s steady leadership and thoughtful management has kept his team together operating the 50 megawatt McNeil Station with an excellent track record. John will be enjoying his retirement by hopping on a sailboat and heading down the coast to the Caribbean in October.

It is safe to say that the summer of 2016 has been a tough summer for farmers throughout New Hampshire. In a Concord Monitor article posted on August 30, 2016, New Hampshire’s agriculture commissioner Lorraine Merrill states that “19 of the state’s 120 dairy farms have closed this year” due to low milk prices and the ongoing drought. And Bill Yeaton, of Yeaton Farm in Epsom, guesses that “7 or 8 more dairies in New Hampshire would close by year’s end.”

As you can see from the picture below extreme drought conditions persist in the southern portion of the state, while abnormally dry conditions continue through the central and northeast portions of the state. According to the NOAA Climate Prediction Center this drought is expected to continue until the end of November. With no end in sight farmers are looking for options.

Looking for ways to combat these struggles and to help farms stay afloat, New Hampshire farms are hoping for funding from the state’s milk farmers’ emergency relief fund. Thanks to Gov. Maggie Hassan farmers can now apply for emergency relief loans from the US Farm Service Agency. 

While these may be immediate fixes, what can be done to help solve these problems in the future? That is where biosolids come in!

For years farmers have reported that soils that use biosolids, as a soil amendment, appear to be more drought resistant than crops that received other soil amendments. Biosolids add organic matter that help absorb and store moisture which in turn improves the soil structure and the soils water holding capacity making it naturally drought resistant.

An example of corn grown in biosolids can be seen on the right. This corn is from a farm in Tunbridge, Vermont and as you can see their soil looks healthy and their corn looks even better!