Spent brewery grains
 

Has anyone used spent brewery grains in making compost? I am thinking about starting a compost pile using spent grains, coffee grounds, wood chips and some extra mushroom compost for the garden. I stopped by a local micro brewery today and they said they would be glad to give me some, as they just throw them away. I am going to ask at some coffee shops about used coffee grounds and I have the wood chips and mushroom compost which is bulk stuff from a local mushroom farm. Does this sound reasonable? Oh, and I have a couple of bails of straw from last year that has been outside since last year.

I have never composted before, so any tips or instructions would be much appreciated.

Has anyone here used spent brewery grains before?

I had a friend that raised around 600 head of cattle and used rice hulls and brewer mash in his cattle feed. He would get semi loads of it, and the piles of it would get really hot, almost to the point of combustion. It's great stuff if you have something to mix it with.

[QUOTE=pmcgrady;729342]I had a friend that raised around 600 head of cattle and used rice hulls and brewer mash in his cattle feed. He would get semi loads of it, and the piles of it would get really hot, almost to the point of combustion. It's great stuff if you have something to mix it with.[/QUOTE]

I have been doing some reading up on using it and have read it gets hot, composts quickly and is a good source of nitrogen and microbes. Worm farmers apparently use it in their worm beds. Apparently it gets very rancid as it breaks down and attracts animals, so the highly recommend covering it well.

I have also read it is a great addition to a compost pile and then used in the garden. I have also read it can be buried in a trench between rows, covered with soil and let the worms do the rest. I plan on going ahead and giving it a try this year and see how it goes. It's free.

Not sure whether you grow organic or not but they found Roundup in 19 put of 20 beers tested.


[url]https://www.cbsnews.com/news/glyphosate-in-beer-wine-pirg-finds-traces-of-weed-killer-in-19-of-20-brands/[/url]

[QUOTE=seaeagle;729385]Not sure whether you grow organic or not but they found Roundup in 19 put of 20 beers tested.


[url]https://www.cbsnews.com/news/glyphosate-in-beer-wine-pirg-finds-traces-of-weed-killer-in-19-of-20-brands/[/url][/QUOTE]

If they tested more things like bread, flour, rice, vegatables (fresh and canned), fruit...
Pretty much anything edible, 90% would test positive.

[QUOTE=seaeagle;729385]Not sure whether you grow organic or not but they found Roundup in 19 put of 20 beers tested.


[url]https://www.cbsnews.com/news/glyphosate-in-beer-wine-pirg-finds-traces-of-weed-killer-in-19-of-20-brands/[/url][/QUOTE]

I try to keep things as chemically free as I can, but I can never be 100% sure. I feel confident my garden produces a much cleaner, healthier product than store bought foods. Beer being contaminated with Roundup is something I had never thought about, but it doesn't surprise me. Thank you for bringing that up. I wonder if the process of beer making removes a lot of the chemicals in the grains?

[QUOTE=pmcgrady;729397]If they tested more things like bread, flour, rice, vegatables (fresh and canned), fruit...
Pretty much anything edible, 90% would test positive.[/QUOTE]

I have little doubt that you are correct.

Yes I use the beer mash in my composter and it is a great addition. It really gets the heap hot real fast.

[QUOTE=velikipop;729915]Yes I use the beer mash in my composter and it is a great addition. It really gets the heap hot real fast.[/QUOTE]

Thanks. It's good to hear from someone who has tried it. And it's something that can likely be acquired for FREE.

Yes, it is free. I get mine from the local university's beer brewing lab. I am sure that some of the smaller craft brewers, if there are any in you area, would be happy to let you have some.

Alex

[QUOTE=SteveP;729431]I have little doubt that you are correct.[/QUOTE]


They spray glyphosate on mature grains to kill the plants, which then dry out uniformly for harvesting. :shock::?::shock:



[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crop_desiccation[/url]

[QUOTE=PhilaGardener;730071]They spray glyphosate on mature grains to kill the plants, which then dry out uniformly for harvesting. :shock::?::shock:



[url]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crop_desiccation[/url][/QUOTE]

Thats scary stuff. Thank you for the link. I feed my garden foods to my family and grandkids and I don't want to risk their health and well being.

I have had luck with recycling mash, the Black Soldier Flies REALLY love it.
sorry for the cheesy music.

[YOUTUBE]0FC6Qj0bi10[/YOUTUBE]

>> Not sure whether you grow organic or not but they found Roundup in 19 put of 20 beers tested.

>> If they tested more things like bread, flour, rice, vegatables (fresh and canned), fruit... Pretty much anything edible, 90% would test positive.

Careful! That sounds like evidence that evil Monsanto may very well be correct when they say Roundup becomes inert and harmless after three days.

Monsanto also says that Roundup doesn't accumulate in organs in the human body, but it is found in chicken eggs. Doesn't that blow their whole scientific theory up?


Anyway the second case is now being tried and Monsanto appears to be losing again.



"The unanimous verdict by the six-person jury in federal court in San Francisco came in a lawsuit filed against Roundup’s manufacturer, agribusiness giant Monsanto. Edwin Hardeman, 70, was the second plaintiff to go to trial out of thousands around the country who claim the weed killer causes cancer."


[url]https://ktla.com/2019/03/19/roundup-weed-killer-was-major-factor-in-norcal-mans-cancer-jury-finds/amp/[/url]

[QUOTE=Soilsniffer;730165]>> Not sure whether you grow organic or not but they found Roundup in 19 put of 20 beers tested.

>> If they tested more things like bread, flour, rice, vegatables (fresh and canned), fruit... Pretty much anything edible, 90% would test positive.

Careful! That sounds like evidence that evil Monsanto may very well be correct when they say Roundup becomes inert and harmless after three days.[/QUOTE]
You're point? I don't get it...

[QUOTE=seaeagle;730196]Monsanto also says that Roundup doesn't accumulate in organs in the human body, but it is found in chicken eggs. Doesn't that blow their whole scientific theory up? [/QUOTE]

Roundup is found in chicken eggs. Therefore, Roundup accumulates in organs in the human body. Sigh. What scientific theory uses that kind of 'logic'?



>> [I] Anyway the second case is now being tried and Monsanto appears to be losing again.
[/I]

Monsanto's claim is that Roundup breaks down in three DAYS. Both cases you mentioned, deals with guys getting soaked with Roundup after three SECONDS.

[QUOTE=Soilsniffer;730220]Roundup is found in chicken eggs. Therefore, Roundup accumulates in organs in the human body. Sigh. What scientific theory uses that kind of 'logic'?



>> [I] Anyway the second case is now being tried and Monsanto appears to be losing again.
[/I]

Monsanto's claim is that Roundup breaks down in three DAYS. Both cases you mentioned, deals with guys getting soaked with Roundup after three SECONDS.[/QUOTE]


The reason I asked the question was to hopefully get an answer. All I got was another question.



I am not an embryologist so I am not sure but I would think using common sense that in order to pass any nutrients or residues to the egg it would first have to be stored in the organs.


Don't have time to do the proper research but found this.


[I]"The chicken has a short digestive tract and can rapidly assimilate dietary nutrients … Fat-soluble vitamins in the diet are readily transferred to the liver and then the egg yolk. Egg-nutrient levels are responsive to dietary change … Other research has demonstrated that all the fat-soluble vitamins, including A and E, and the unsaturated fats, linoleic and linolenic acids, are egg responsive, and that hen diet has a marked influence on the egg concentration."[/I]


Please enlighten me with the facts because I really am curious:)

[QUOTE=seaeagle;730260]The reason I asked the question was to hopefully get an answer. All I got was another question.

I am not an embryologist so I am not sure but I would think using common sense that in order to pass any nutrients or residues to the egg it would first have to be stored in the organs.

Don't have time to do the proper research but found this.

[I]"The chicken has a short digestive tract and can rapidly assimilate dietary nutrients … Fat-soluble vitamins in the diet are readily transferred to the liver and then the egg yolk. Egg-nutrient levels are responsive to dietary change … Other research has demonstrated that all the fat-soluble vitamins, including A and E, and the unsaturated fats, linoleic and linolenic acids, are egg responsive, and that hen diet has a marked influence on the egg concentration."[/I]

Please enlighten me with the facts because I really am curious:)[/QUOTE]

People are rather jumpy when it comes to Monsanto. Put aside politics and gardening preferences for one second, if it's only about science, it's actually possible to reconcile both possibilities.

Chemical/element uptake is highly variable depending on the organism. Just because a compound can accumulate in a chicken doesn't mean it can in human (to a deletrious effect I mean), in a scenario where both are provided the same vegetative feed. You'd have to check with a embryologist, maybe someone in internal medicine familiar with bioacculmulation research to know for sure.

If your homework, it's been well established that chemically, the human body is too stupid to identify the difference between sprayed organic BT and the organic BT compound from GMO-corn products. When it comes to digestion, there's nothing scientific that has even remotely suggested BT-corn is unsafe. Now there are other valid concerns with BT-corn, but that's a completely separate debate.

[QUOTE=Scooty;730482]People are rather jumpy when it comes to Monsanto. Put aside politics and gardening preferences for one second, if it's only about science, it's actually possible to reconcile both possibilities.

Chemical/element uptake is highly variable depending on the organism. Just because a compound can accumulate in a chicken doesn't mean it can in human (to a deletrious effect I mean), in a scenario where both are provided the same vegetative feed. You'd have to check with a embryologist, maybe someone in internal medicine familiar with bioacculmulation research to know for sure.

If your homework, it's been well established that chemically, the human body is too stupid to identify the difference between sprayed organic BT and the organic BT compound from GMO-corn products. When it comes to digestion, there's nothing scientific that has even remotely suggested BT-corn is unsafe. Now there are other valid concerns with BT-corn, but that's a completely separate debate.[/QUOTE]


I really hope Monsanto is right and there are no health concerns with Roundup residues in the food system for the the sake of all of us. Count me as skeptical.


I have given up bread for white Corn Tortillas and now eating organic oatmeal among other things to cut back on my exposure to Roundup.


Monsanto has been poisoning the planet and lying about it for close to 100 years I think.I just don't trust them with good reason.:)


[B]Los Angeles County Bans Use of Roundup Weed Killer[/B]



Looks like the beginning of the end for Roundup anyway.



[url]https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2019-03-22/los-angeles-county-bans-use-of-roundup-weed-killer?context=amp[/url]

Update- I decided not to use the spent Brewery grains and have decided to add Liberal amounts of mushroom compost and Alpaca poo. The mushroom compost has been spread about 4-6" deep in the garden and this evening am picking up 2 55gal drums of Alpaca poo. Once scattered I will till it all in about 6" deep and he ready to plant in about 10 days.

I found a guy about 10 minutes away who raises Alpaca and currently has 12 animals. He said his whole raised beds are 100% Alpaca poo and he said he gets excellent results. I don't plan on going that extreme, but it's nice to find a local source as a yearly amendment.