Interview with the Evanston Valley Enterprises Founders (conclusion)

Q: So how do we get that next generation that's coming up to understand the benefits of using compost, using the extracts, things of that nature, versus continuing what we're doing as current farming habits.

Robin: Well, I think that's also a part of what EVE is all about is the educational impact. We are in a rural area, we're in a farming area, and our company is not only making a product, but just in the past couple weeks, I was up in northern Indiana, and they've already got farmers starting to practice regenerative farming techniques. They're seeing the benefit of taking the compost and going back to sustainable practices and I would like to have that focus come into this area. I think it would be beneficial, and I think it would also be in the farmers’ best interest not to use all their profit on chemicals.

Doug: I think we're going to have to get into the education system somehow.  We need to do compost farm tours, talk to the schools, and bring vocational agricultural kids out here.  We need to have some test plots, things like that, where we can show exactly how our product works; how you apply it; and what a difference it makes.  People are just beginning to get used to using composts.  It takes a while to wean your ground off of chemical fertilizers.

Sometimes you still have to use some chemical fertilizers, at least the experts say that you still have to use some chemical fertilizers, and slowly wean your ground off of it as your soil rebuilds.  The idea is to use less and less because the continued use of chemical fertilizers simply kills the life in the soil. That's not even a second guess. That's just absolutely the truth.  But, as a business, we need to keep in mind that folks have to make a living off the crops they’re producing. We just can't go out there and charge $1,000 an acre and say, "Here, do this, and get rid of all your chemicals,” because the first year, or maybe the first couple three years, it's going to take time to build the soil back before it starts producing better crops and begins outperforming the chemical fertilizers.

So, education is the only way. I mean, we're going to have to educate the public somehow.

Q: So, where would you like to see EVE go from here?

Robin: I want to see EVE grow. I want to see our production being, maybe, 40 acres worth of compost being built.  I want to see it being developed into an extract.  I want it to be used in farmlands around here and have our crops being healthier and that's what I see us turning into.

Doug: I'd like to get into the compost extract market.  I'd like to be able to sell like a farm store, where people can come for a one stop shop for anything related to soil health.  They can get their seed here for planting cover crops.  They can get their compost here. They can get compost extract for sprayer applications.  They can get information on how to plant a variety of plants as a cover crop, and to be able to learn how certain plants have different types of minerals that they'll put back in the soil when they're crimped, and how you seed through the cover crop once it is crimped down.  Then the crimped cover crop breaks down and helps to put back into the soil what the plant needs from the soil; what is needed to grow the plant healthier.  And the only way you can do that is to run a special soil test under a microscope where you can look at the microbes and to count them and to find out what exactly is in the soil.  Then you can adjust the compost extract to support that particular plant you're trying to grow.  Identifying what that soil needs and how you need to design your composting program to fit that crop and make it really grow.  I would like to see us go there. 

Like I said, I do the compost.  I'd like to see us further down the road, be able to offer our own service where we're not compacting the soils with heavy equipment.  We can spray right over the top using a drone sprayer.  Like I said, a one stop shop.  Can we do it?  Yeah! We’ll say, “here's what we got.”  We'll show you how it works and how to use it.  We'll build them a program and we'll help them go from there.