Member Spotlight
Stemilt World Famous Compost
Written by: Patrick Jordan, SWFC & SORC Operations Manager
In 1893, the Mathison family homesteaded 160 acres of land on
Stemilt
Hill in Wenatchee, Washington. In 1914, Stemilt's orchards began with apples, pears and cherries. Over the next few decades, several other generations of Mathison’s added to the orchards in size and variety.
In 1964, Stemilt Growers, a fruit packing business, was started by Tom Mathison. In 1989, Tom launched the Responsible Choice program which aimed at reducing pesticide use. Subsequently, some of the Stemilt World Famous Fruit apple orchards were converted to organic production. The ladybug found on Stemilt's logo is a sign of the company's commitment to the environment.
In 2005, Kyle Mathison, Tom's son who is a fourth generation Stemilt grower that has been involved in the farming since the 1970s, started making
Stemilt World Famous Compost
(SWFC) to improve the flavor of Stemilt crops and the health of the soil. Stemilt's waste, from leaves and branches to culled fruit is used in the compost. Other feedstocks include cow and horse manure. Yard waste is also collected from the community at the
Stemilt Organic Recycling Center
(SORC)
. There, the yard waste is ground and then transported to the compost facility site on Stemilt Hill.
SWFC's operation is always evolving and improving. Traditionally, the windrow method of compost production has been used. Windrows up to 750 ft are turned, watered and monitored for a period of about 3 months. More recently, SWFC has transitioned to aerated static piles. The aerated static pile method has taken compost production time from about 90 days to 40 days.
SWFC takes in about 60,000 cubic yards of waste and yields about 30,000 cubic tons of finished compost annually. Compost is applied to the orchards and vineyards twice a year during the spring and fall months. Our goal is to provide healthy rich soil, flourishing with microorganisms to produce the highest quality of fruit.
