By Shelby Shank
Field Editor

Texas students learned about composting through Texas Farm Bureau’s (TFB) Farm From School program.

Kindergarten through fifth-grade students across Texas virtually “meet” with a farmer or rancher once a month through Farm From School on a video conferencing app.

In February, BJ Schilling, production manager for Back to Nature, Inc., taught the students about composting.

“This visit gave students a firsthand look at how cotton burrs are transformed into nutrient-rich compost,” said Jordan Bartels, TFB associate director Organization Division, Education Outreach.  “They gained insight into the composting process, the equipment used, and how sustainable practices benefit the lawn and garden industry.”

During the 30-minute virtual session, Schilling taught students how composting is a natural process and demonstrated how cotton burrs are composted to be made into nutrient-dense fertilizer that is added to the soil.

“If you’ve ever wandered through the woods and noticed the leaves and branches on the ground slowly turning black, you’ve witnessed composting in action,” Schilling said. “Bacteria and microorganisms break down these organic materials, recycling them back into the soil to nourish surrounding plants. It’s nature’s very own recycling process.”

Compost is a natural fertilizer that supplies essential nutrients for plant growth and adds organic matter to the soil. This organic matter, rich in carbon, serves as a vital food source for the plants.

The cottons burrs are collected from local cotton gins, where the process of separating the cotton fibers from seeds and other plant materials takes place, leaving behind the burrs, which can be composted.

Then laid out in long rows, spanning 1,000 feet, the composting process begins as the cotton burrs are sprayed with bacteria.

For these bacteria to work their magic, they need moisture and oxygen.

The rows are irrigated to keep the cotton burrs moist. Then, a turning machine moves through the rows, flipping the material to reintroduce oxygen.

The process takes about 45 minutes per row and is repeated once every 10 days. Each row of cotton burrs is flipped about eight times, and steam rises when the rows are being turned over.

“It actually is steam rising from the rows, because during the composting process, the middle of these rows gets really hot,” Schilling said. “While the bacteria are chewing up the cotton burrs and working, they generate heat, and it gets super hot inside the rows.”

The internal temperature of the rows can reach as high as 160 degrees Fahrenheit.

The composting process takes about five months, and once it is complete, they will run the finished compost through a screener machine to remove any large chunks from being bagged.

Then, the compost is taken through an automated bagger where the bags are filled, sealed and carried onto a conveyor to be placed onto pallets.

The use of an automated bagger has revolutionized their operation, allowing them to produce 120 pallets a day, with each pallet containing 52 bags.

“We produce 600 truck loads of cotton burr compost a year, and that’s about 12,000 pallets,” Schilling said.

Schilling’s family has been producing agricultural compost since 1979, and in 1982, they began supplying bagged cotton burr composts and blends to the lawn and garden industry.

“My favorite part about working in the industry is getting to work with my family,”
Schilling said. “It’s like a family reunion when I get to work, and I love getting to work alongside those that I love.”

Spring sessions
The spring 2025 program will continue through May.

The remaining sessions will focus on pickles, crawfish and ice cream.

More information
Click here for more information about the Farm From School program.

Visit texasfarmbureau.org/aitc for more information and the latest announcements on TFB’s Ag in the Classroom activities.