AGRICULTURE REPORT - Composting

AGRICULTURE REPORT - October 15, 2002: Composting

By Gary Garriott

This is the VOA Special English Agriculture Report.

Many farmers around the world are composting to improve their soil so they can produce better crops.
Composting is mixing plant or animal wastes so they break down and produce simpler substances.

Farmers add compost to their soils instead of burning plant and animal wastes or throwing them away. Compost
is an example of a natural organic fertilizer. Organic fertilizers help make soils rich so that they produce more
crops for a longer time.

During the growing season, plants take gases from the air such as carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. They combine
these gases with minerals from the soil.

After the growing season ends, many parts of the plant die. Farmers gather a large amount of dead plant materials
into small hills called compost piles. They may add animal wastes.

They must add water so the materials will break down or decay¹. Soon the plants are attacked by insects and
organisms, including worms and bacteria. Oxygen helps the organisms change the plant materials more quickly.
The plants decay into a mixture that can be spread on farmland where crops are growing. The compost returns
needed nutrients² to the soil.

Some rules need to be followed to produce the best quality compost. Good compost piles need water to speed the
process of decay. Yet the piles should not be too wet or the plant material will be ruined. The temperature of the
compost pile should not be too high or too low. The best temperature for a compost pile is between 30 degrees
and 37 degrees Celsius³. You can turn the pile over and over to help cool the material. Turning the compost pile
over adds more oxygen to the mixture. This helps it decay.

Sometimes small animals such as rats and mice like to eat the composting materials. You can prevent this by
adding a thin amount of soil to the top of the compost pile.

Farmers who use compost can increase the amount and quality of their crops. Computer users can find more
information about composting from Volunteers in Technical Assistance or VITA.

VITA is an organization based in the United States that helps people around the world use science and
technology to solve problems. VITA’s Internet address is w-w-w dot v-i-t-a dot o-r-g.

This VOA Special English Agriculture Report was written by Gary Garriott.

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1 decay   

vi.腐烂，衰落；n.腐烂，腐朽，衰败状态

参考例句：

• The vegetables have begun to decay.那些蔬菜已开始腐烂。
• Our powers decay in old age.我们的体力在老年时就衰退。

2 nutrients   

n.（食品或化学品）营养物，营养品( nutrient的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• a lack of essential nutrients 基本营养的缺乏
• Nutrients are absorbed into the bloodstream. 营养素被吸收进血液。 来自《简明英汉词典》

3 Celsius   

adj.摄氏温度计的，摄氏的

参考例句：

• The temperature tonight will fall to seven degrees Celsius.今晚气温将下降到七摄氏度。
• The maximum temperature in July may be 36 degrees Celsius.七月份最高温度可能达到36摄氏度。