Mulbarton Compost revolutionises agricultural compost in South Australia

With a mission to produce the best possible compost and improve soil health, Mulbarton Compost is taking the organics world by storm.

What started as a small family venture in Padthaway, South Australia, more than 30 years ago, has grown into a successful business with a focus on soil improvement and education.

Before taking on a range of varied waste streams, Mulbarton Compost primarily worked with local wineries on composting grape mark.

“It was the wineries that introduced us to composting because they wanted us to transform their vineyard waste into compost,” says Phil Giles, Co-Founder of Mulbarton Compost.

“Now we focus largely on biological and nutrient improvement, working with our customers to ensure we are producing a premium product to meet their needs.”

With two sites and a finishing pad, Phil and the team are well equipped to work with viticulturists, farmers and croppers across South Australia and neighbouring states. Phil says distance is not an issue – having run road trains up to 800 kilometres away from the site.

“We focus on quality over quantity and service a niche market by providing the farmers with products they wouldn’t normally utilise,” he says.

Endless possibilities

All waste can be turned into a resource, according to Phil, who says there is an endless scope for turning organic material into useful profitable products.

“So much of the material has the potential, with the right inputs, to be repurposed and put back into the agricultural sector,” he says.

Using natural biological processes and products, Mulbarton Compost works to heal soils that are causing problems for farmers.

“Our team will assist the customer in identifying what the soil needs and develop a tailored solution to suit the goals of the customer,” Phil says.

“Some farmers are told by agronomists to use chemical processes or products to fix certain issues, but we prefer to use a unique blend of natural organic products composted to Environment Protection Authority (EPA) standards.”

Incorporating years of study and development, Mulbarton Compost aims to produce a product with biological diversity and activity that aids soil development and production yield.

Benefits of using the product can include improved soil biology, an increase in weed suppression, improved soil friability, plant health and soil structure, which leads to improved soil performance.

To continue learning about the ever-changing organics landscape, Mulbarton Organics Compost frequently oversees trials on both of its sites.

Currently, the team is working on several compost and biochar trials with Landscape SA.

Comprising eight regional landscape boards and the Green Adelaide Board, Landscape SA works with the Department for Environment and Water to manage South Australia’s land, water, pest plants and animals, and biodiversity.

Phil says these trials will involve planting various multi-species crops into a farming environment, followed by the use of compost and bio-char to improve soils. Plant growth and animal performance will then be measured.

While current trials allow the team to learn about potential new processes, past trials have shown the importance of passing on knowledge to clients.

“One trial we were involved in, using compost in a fertiliser comparison, could have gone better if everyone involved had more information on the process,” says Phil.

“Our trial partner required the fertiliser to go out on a certain day, which happened to be 40 degrees and very windy. This wouldn’t have been a problem if our compost wasn’t full of live biology!

“Unfortunately, the trial had a limited effect initially before ultimately doing really well. But if they had been aware that working with compost is like working with living animals, which need to breathe and have moisture, we could have avoided a lot of damage.”

Education matters

An in-house agronomist on site is part of the company’s holistic approach to providing the best service and educational process.

“We work really hard on educating our customers where possible,” says Phil.

That education comprises several initiatives, including free educational courses and field days.

For five years, the courses and field days have proven a success, earning Phil and the team positive feedback and a returning customer base.

“There’s big potential out there for everyone to branch into the education side, because many people are unaware of what’s involved with the compost process. Most of the time people are willing to learn if it will mean better results,” he says.

“If we can continue to educate our users to recognise that compost needs to be treated differently than fertiliser, everyone will be better off.”

In the future, Phil and the team are excited about doubling the sites to allow for more opportunities and capabilities, as well as installing more equipment and growing the company.

AORA’s support

John McKew, National Executive Officer for the Australian Organics Recycling Association, visited Mulbarton Compost in late August and was instantly captivated by discussions with Phil.

“What stood out for me from the visit with Phil is the focus and commitment to providing bespoke organic solutions to farmers,” says John.

“What started off as a focus on local wineries in the Padthaway region has now expanded to farmers who want a solution to their soil health problems.”

John says the introduction of compost, in application with traditional fertilisers, is important work being undertaken by Mulbarton Compost.

“Compost applications in agriculture is extremely important to the organics recycling sector and to our farmer end-users,” he says.

“Producing quality compost is just the start of the process for Mulbarton; its stance on education and applications in order to find solutions to organics problems will continue to grow.”

For more information, visit: www.aora.org.au