Imperial Valley Reotemp CompostWatch Case Study

Bruce Singh, from Imperial Valley Compost, discusses his composting operation and the challenges they have faced as the leafy green industry has grown. The company mainly composts dairy and steer manure and is Organic Materials Review Institute (OMRI) certified, regulated through the California Department of Food and Agriculture (CDFA), and follows all of Title 14 compliant to California Composting Regulations.

Bruce explains their composting process, which involves bringing in material and composting in windrows which are about 1,300-1,400 feet long. They use piping to wet the material and initiate the composting process. They then flip and turn the windrows and wait for the temperatures to start rising. Once the temperature reaches 131 degrees, they start their composting record keeping.

Reotemp’s CompostWatch Cloud system provides a wireless solution for automatic temperature recording that eliminates the need for handwritten records. Bruce explains that before using Reotemp, they had to walk down and hand record every temperature. This was a time-consuming effort, and their office had to spend a lot of time typing up the records, which took away from other tasks.

With Reotemp’s CompostWatch Cloud system, they now have automated temperature collection, which frees up their staff to do other tasks. They can access the data from anywhere, including their phones, tablets, and office desktop computers. The system updates every 15 minutes, and they receive alerts if there are any issues with the temperatures.

The Reotemp CompostWatch Cloud system has been beneficial for oversight, as they can monitor each bay’s temperature and address any issues that arise. They can also start a batch on every windrow and end the batch as needed. Bruce notes that the system is easy to use, and they have seen cost savings and a reduction in man-hours since implementing it. They plan to install another CompostWatch Cloud system at their second compost facility in the near future.

Between Two Windrows: Imperial Valley Compost

Our first episode in a new Between Two Windrows Series. Bruce from Imperial Valley Compost discusses his composting operations and the regulations related to them with Emilio. He talks about how important it is to ensure that composting is done in a controlled environment, especially when it comes to leafy greens. They discuss the regulations surrounding windrow operations and the importance of maintaining the right temperature. The conversation then moves on to the evolution of composting methods and how technology has progressed over the years. They mention the importance of using wireless technology for temperature readings and how it has revolutionized the composting process. Finally, they discuss how important it is to ensure that temperature probes are not damaged during the turning process and the importance of employee training.