For many years, animal manure was a common ingredient in our compost.
It makes sense. Manure is rich in nitrogen, which helps fuel the microorganisms responsible for composting. For decades, it has been widely used in compost production around the world.
So why doesn't Soilutions use it?
Beginning in 2024, we made the decision to stop accepting animal manure as an ingredient in our compost.
The reason wasn't because of pathogens.
It was because of persistent herbicides.
What Are Persistent Herbicides?
Farmers who grow hay, alfalfa, and pasture grasses face the same challenge every gardener does:
Weeds.
To produce cleaner, higher-quality forage, many growers use selective herbicides that eliminate broadleaf weeds while leaving grasses largely unaffected. This results in a more productive hay field and higher-quality feed for livestock.
Many of these products work extremely well—which is exactly why they've become so popular.
The challenge is that some of these herbicides are intentionally designed to remain active for a long time.
The Composting Process Can't Destroy Everything
A properly managed thermophilic composting process like ours is incredibly effective at destroying pathogens like E. coli, Salmonella, and other disease-causing organisms. But heat isn't a cure-all.
Persistent herbicides are different.
These chemicals are designed to survive exposure to sunlight, rain, and natural environmental conditions. Some can remain biologically active for months—or even several years—depending on the specific product and environmental conditions.
Even after livestock consume treated hay or forage, traces of these herbicides can pass through the animal's digestive system. If that manure is composted, the herbicide may still remain active because composting temperatures do not break down these chemical compounds.
Time—not heat—is ultimately what allows these herbicides to degrade.
Why Gardeners Should Care
Persistent herbicides are particularly damaging to certain garden plants.
Some of the most sensitive include:
- Tomatoes
- Peppers
- Potatoes
- Beans
- Peas
- Lettuce
- Spinach
- Dahlias
- Grapes
Even small amounts of persistent herbicide contamination can cause noticeable injury.
Common symptoms include:
- Twisted or curled new growth
- Cupped leaves
- Narrow, strap-like leaves
- Distorted stems
- Poor flowering or fruit production
- Stunted growth
These symptoms are often mistaken for disease, insect damage, or nutrient deficiencies.
Why Soilutions Made the Change
When reports of persistent herbicide contamination became more common across the composting industry, we took a hard look at our own ingredients.
Our compost is made for gardeners. Gardeners expect healthy plants.
We decided the best way to protect our customers was to eliminate the potential risk altogether.
That's why, beginning in 2024, we stopped accepting animal manure as a nitrogen source in our composting process.
Instead, we rely on recycled food waste to provide the nitrogen our composting microbes need.
It's a cleaner, more predictable ingredient that allows us to produce the high-quality compost our customers have come to expect.
Quality You Can Count On
In addition to carefully selecting our ingredients, we routinely submit our compost for independent laboratory testing to verify its quality and safety.
It's one more way we ensure that what goes into our compost—and what comes out—is something we'd proudly use in our own gardens.
The Bottom Line
At Soilutions, every ingredient matters.
We believe the healthiest compost begins with the healthiest inputs.
That's why we've never used biosolids.
That's why we stopped accepting animal manure in 2024.
And that's why we continue investing in cleaner ingredients, rigorous testing, and careful manufacturing practices.
Because healthy gardens start with healthy soil—and healthy soil starts with clean ingredients.
