BUCKEYE, AZ — Being a good steward of the earth is more important than ever, and as a grower of organic baby lettuces and greens, kales and herbs, Duncan Family Farms is recognizing key ways its operations can reduce waste: by expanding its innovative composting program from its Goodyear, Arizona, location to include all of its Arizona, California, Oregon, and New York growing operations.

"We’re very passionate about our composting program because it has such a positive impact on the communities where we grow, on our operations, and for the customers we serve," said Jeremy Vanderzyl, Technical Services Manager, in a recent press release. “We’re keeping material out of landfills, turning it into a wholesome soil amendment protecting our operations from potentially disruptive third-party compost shortages, and giving consumers the highest quality produce on the market."

Diverting roughly 8,000 tons of green waste from Goodyear and another 2,000 tons from Santa Barbara Country in California, the composting initiative turns a variety of materials otherwise destined for the landfill into a nutrient-rich soil amendment. Naturally-based and made from municipal tree trimmings, farm animal manure, and pre-consumer food waste, Duncan Family Farms will be using the compost to enrich the soil on the acreage that it farms.

"Our composting program continues to expand and has really become a pillar of our organic growing operation," added Vanderzyl. "From providing organic sustainability for our existing acreage to helping us rehab fields we’ve acquired that were previously depleted of critical soil fertility, the compost we produce is delivering some truly remarkable results for our company and our customers."

Duncan Family Farms develops the compost and incorporates it into parcels of land in a prescriptive manner by matching the makeup of the material to the specific needs of the soil. The company intends to leverage the on-site nature of the composting program to give it a competitive advantage in working acreage in areas that might be considered too remote by other growers.

To learn more about Duncan Family Farms’ sustainability and compost initiatives, visit duncanfamilyfarms.com.

Keep up the good work, Duncan Family Farms!

For more on environmentally conscientious programs in the produce industry, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow.

Duncan Family Farms