One hundred tons of Perdue AgriRecycle’s Microsoft Compost will help the Food Bank of Delaware transform a once neglected and empty lot in the Pencader Corporate Complex into a farm producing nutritious food for the community.
PerdueAgriRecycle delivered the first 50 tons of organic compost recently to the Corteva Agriscience Farm at the Food Bank of Delaware’s future home in Newark, Delaware. An additional 50 tons will be delivered in Spring 2019.
“The land that this farm occupies comes with unique challenges, said Patrick Eggleston, the food bank’s farm manager. “Before the food bank’s work began here, it was an empty lot in the corner of an industrial park. The site was covered in structural fill and littered with construction debris. The process of taking this land from a forgotten, neglected parcel to a site capable of producing food for our communities is a tough one, but one that we’re proud to be part of. Acts of generosity like that of Perdue’s compost donation are the types of things that help make our vision of a full production far a reality.”
The compost is produced at PerdueAgriRecycle facility in Blades, Delaware and provides an environmentally friendly way to recycle nutrients from poultry production and processing. The compost donation will help the food bank more rapidly improve growing conditions on the farm by enhancing chemical, physical, and biological soil characteristics of the site. The addition of this material will also help reduce erosion and supply a healthy does of organic matter.
“We are pound to support the Food Bank of Delaware through this donation and their efforts to educate the public on the benefits of composting and their vision of supplying healthy, nutritious fruits and vegetables to the surrounding municipalities,” said Scott Raubenstine, vice president of Agricultural Services for Perdue AgriBusiness.
