# How to dispose of spent grains?



## trq

As the title says.

Currently, I have been dumping my spent grains into our green waste bin, but the main issue with that is that it is growing some sort of crystal-like green mold/fungus, and it also seems to attract tiny little fruit flys or something.

Worried that the mold/fungus might cause other dramas in the brewhouse which is probably only 5-7meterss away from said green waste bin.

So, what the heck do I do with this stuff? We don't really have a garden I can dump it on or access to anything I can feed it to ;p


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## homebrewnewb

that is fiber for: cows horses dogs chickens, anything that eats with teeth basically.
so there's that.
a lid on your bin should be fine or you can try and cover it with grass clipping or something.
know any farmers locally?


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## Rocker1986

Well I just dump mine in the garden and spread it around a bit, but without a garden makes it difficult. 

You could use it to make dog biscuits.


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## mtb

The possums in my backyard have diabetes thanks to all the grain I dump there


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## homebrewnewb

mtb said:


> The possums in my backyard have diabetes thanks to all the grain I dump there



partygyle for shame, still you would need an extra FV for that wouldn't you

i know i've feed a few and i suspect rats... need a bigger cat.


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## Pnutapper

Put it out on your front nature strip with a "for sale" sign on it. It will disappear within minutes.


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## laxation

Home brew shop where i buy my grain has empty grain bags for free. I grab a few when I'm there, keep them at home to chuck the spent grains in, then straight into the bin. Stops the mould growing from just dumping them in the green bin. The smell from the few times I did that was out of this world...

If you chuck it on your garden, do they end up growing plants from the grains?


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## homebrewnewb

cmon man those seeds have been cooked, twice.
i tell you what though the spent grist holds moisture in pretty well so if you are throwing them on hops or some plants that might be prone to fungus, keep that in mind.
i think composting it first is probably best.


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## laxation

I'm no biologist... i've had capsicum plants pop up from cooked seeds! (the capsicum were shit...)


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## homebrewnewb

fair enough, people have harvested coffee beans from civet shit, so it always pays to check first hand i guess. growing your own grain would require a bit of space im tipping.


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## evoo4u

My neighbour's chooks usually get mine, but last weekend they weren't home, so next morning I tipped it in the paddock, and for days after, the resident wallabies reckon it's just the duck's nuts!


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## koshari

iam sure a neighbor would appreciate them, makes a good mulch. as rocker said, i spread it out and put it round our raspberries etc.


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## Schikitar

I give mine to my folks and my brother, they all have chickens and then I get eggs in return!

You could make some bread (it doesn't use much of the grain but still) - http://www.geniuskitchen.com/recipe/spent-grain-beer-bread-417899


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## Matplat

When I had chickens, the fuckers wouldn't even touch it. The dog isn't interested either, fussy bastard.


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## Pnutapper

If your nearest farmer or community garden is already inundated in spent grain, innovation is the watchword, and Alaskan Brewing Co. found just the right solution. By developing “a first-of-its-kind biomass steam boiler,” fueled entirely by their spent grain. Ashley Johnston of ABC estimates that “The new boiler will completely eliminate the brewery’s use of fuel oil in the grain drying process, and displace more than half of the fuel needed to create process steam for the brewing process.”

In turn, this boiler will lead to “more than a 60 percent reduction in fuel oil use in the first year, and, with moderate growth assumptions, this translates to a fuel savings of nearly 1,500,000 gallons of oil over the next 10 years,” Johnston states. “As the brewery grows, so does our fuel source, leading to even more savings.”

With this technology, ABC is taking sustainability to a new level, using their raw material waste to power their day-to-day brewing operations, thus creating a perpetual loop that conserves energy, saves money and is readily available. Of course, not all craft breweries can afford to invest in such technology, but necessity is the mother of invention, and ABC’s solution is a model reminder of what can be done in the realm of alternative fuels.

Copy / pasta from: https://www.craftbeer.com/craft-beer-muses/sustainable-uses-of-spent-grain


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## Bribie G

When I lived in a flat in the UK I used to flush it down the toilet a bit at a time. 

Nowadays it goes into the compost bin and comes back to me as veg and tomatoes.


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## mtb

Bribie G said:


> When I lived in a flat in the UK I used to flush it down the toilet a bit at a time.


Ever get a stuck sparge?

ed: Maybe you're the culprit - should've chucked in some rice husks http://abcnews.go.com/Weird/wireStory/uk-engineers-launch-sewer-war-giant-fat-blob-49789807


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## Dae Tripper

I put mine up on the local facebook sales board for free, goes very quickly. Guess that is the plus side of semi rural living. I won't give away mash hopped stuff but, not good for dogs and unsure on anything else. It goes to the compost.


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## evoo4u

Matplat said:


> When I had chickens, the fuckers wouldn't even touch it. ...



Ladle it out to them on the side of an axe!

EDIT: - Err - that's the cure if they won't lay!!!


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## Lionman

I turn it into the soil of the garden bed. Composting nicely.


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## Batz

Chooks and compost.


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## Batz

Matplat said:


> When I had chickens, the fuckers wouldn't even touch it. The dog isn't interested either, fussy bastard.



Fussy chooks mate, mine know the tub I carry it in and come running when I take it down the chook yard.


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## wide eyed and legless

Batz said:


> Chooks and compost.


+1 for the compost, was throwing mine in the green bin but lately have been throwing in the compost the sugar left in really gets the worms active, noticed the same thing when I was asked to try out a molasses based feed for plants, don't think the plants were interested but the increased worm activity made it worthwhile.


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## unwrittenlaw

Chooks and compost for me too


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## rossbaker

I'm lucky enough to work at a school that has a few chooks. They destroy it.


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## Mikeyr

Dog biscuits..... affectionately known as poo biscuits. Lotsa good fibre and makes " clean up" a whole lot nicer. Treat biscuit not food.

Couple of US websites with heaps of recipes. Dog and human, going to have a crack at a few others.


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## BrosysBrews

My wife who is a teacher takes it to school to feed her chickens


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## manticle

I was giving mine to compost but more recently I've been giving it to the rats. Bought an electronic rat trap so hopefully back to just compost again very soon.


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## DJ_L3ThAL

Mikeyr said:


> Dog biscuits..... affectionately known as poo biscuits. Lotsa good fibre and makes " clean up" a whole lot nicer. Treat biscuit not food.
> 
> Couple of US websites with heaps of recipes. Dog and human, going to have a crack at a few others.



I've made some biscuits before and a double batch of the biscuits supplies my dog for 6months and that's only 8 cups of grain! lol I do give to friends etc but it would be impossible to not become a commercial dog biscuit manufacturer if I was to get rid of all my spent grain that way. Doggo does love then I must say!!


I've bought a large cheap plastic plant pot with drainage holes and a saucer that I let dry out over the 2-3 days between my brew day on weekend and our bin day. I then either put it in regular waste or organics if it's organics week...


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## Danscraftbeer

Only thing I can add is if you spill it around your garden and lawns, even the compost I avoid tossing it around at night when the grist is still fresh hot and steamy because its ability to attract every rodent in the neighborhood. I let it sit in the tun and spill it around the next morning cool so dries out through the day and doesn't act like burly for rats etc.


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## LiquidGold

+1 for chooks and compost.
I sometimes dry a heap of it out on flyscreens to store dry for chook feed instead of dumping the majority on the compost.


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## scooterism

Just a thought, could the spent grain be made into fire bricks for heating?


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## timmyf

Made some biscuits this weekend. Dog loves them.


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## Moad

Gumtree!


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## Mardoo

scooterism said:


> Just a thought, could the spent grain be made into fire bricks for heating?


That's a very interesting thought! Briquets!


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## wynnum1

Pnutapper said:


> If your nearest farmer or community garden is already inundated in spent grain, innovation is the watchword, and Alaskan Brewing Co. found just the right solution. By developing “a first-of-its-kind biomass steam boiler,” fueled entirely by their spent grain. Ashley Johnston of ABC estimates that “The new boiler will completely eliminate the brewery’s use of fuel oil in the grain drying process, and displace more than half of the fuel needed to create process steam for the brewing process.”
> 
> In turn, this boiler will lead to “more than a 60 percent reduction in fuel oil use in the first year, and, with moderate growth assumptions, this translates to a fuel savings of nearly 1,500,000 gallons of oil over the next 10 years,” Johnston states. “As the brewery grows, so does our fuel source, leading to even more savings.”
> 
> With this technology, ABC is taking sustainability to a new level, using their raw material waste to power their day-to-day brewing operations, thus creating a perpetual loop that conserves energy, saves money and is readily available. Of course, not all craft breweries can afford to invest in such technology, but necessity is the mother of invention, and ABC’s solution is a model reminder of what can be done in the realm of alternative fuels.
> 
> Copy / pasta from: https://www.craftbeer.com/craft-beer-muses/sustainable-uses-of-spent-grain


Sounds like one big wank to make out how environmentally friendly and green there beers are. Why would anyone brew beer in Alaska to sell in United States what are the freight costs and would think its worth more as animal food then fuel .These boilers that burn strange fuel have a habit of being expensive to repair and unreliable.


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## wide eyed and legless

There are a few breweries disposing of their spent grain this way, a greener option than coal or gas. There are also a few breweries who turn it into methane to fuel the boilers and water treatment, there is actually a good documentary about Dog Fish Head Brewery and their methane plant.


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## wynnum1

wide eyed and legless said:


> There are a few breweries disposing of their spent grain this way, a greener option than coal or gas. There are also a few breweries who turn it into methane to fuel the boilers and water treatment, there is actually a good documentary about Dog Fish Head Brewery and their methane plant.


They all tell you how clean it burns and there is no pollution but with the spent grain what is its value as animal food and what value as fuel if fed to animals the shit also has value and can be used to fertilize the grain field or turned into methane.


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## wide eyed and legless

The burned spent grain still has its uses on the land, I am sure I read somewhere they run power stations in India on burning rice hulls. The residue left is then put onto farmland.


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## wynnum1

Rice hulls do not seem to have high food value .


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## Garfield

All of the above for me:

step 1. add armful of grist to bread dough plus whatever yeast I'm pitching
step 2. rehydrate the rest with a little water and yeast
step 3. distil one week later and age spirit on dark oak
step 4. throw to chooks once cooled
step 5. rake up what they leave add to compost
step 6. fertilise cascade plants with compost with a generous scoop of wood ash
step 7. Vermont IPA time!


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## Bellyup

I made the mistake of using them like compost around my young trees - killed a Blackwood and made a couple of others sick. They seem to rot with mildew and become sour. I just spread it around on the grass now for the birds to eat.


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## wide eyed and legless

wynnum1 said:


> Rice hulls do not seem to have high food value .


No food value whatsoever, even composting takes time because of the high silica, probably better of burning.


Bellyup said:


> I made the mistake of using them like compost around my young trees - killed a Blackwood and made a couple of others sick. They seem to rot with mildew and become sour. I just spread it around on the grass now for the birds to eat.


High acid content, better off composting down to a safer level for the garden.


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## Brewno Marz

Dog treats: 4 cups drained spent grain: 2 cups flour: 2 eggs: 1 cup unsalted peanut butter. Form into little biscuits and place on a scone tray. Heat 30min at 180degC and then turn oven off and leave treats in the oven until cool (at least 2 hrs)
We used coconut flour yesterday and it seemed to absorb the moisture of the wet grain better. A bucket goes to neighbour's chooks and the rest ends up in the compost / rat food.
Dog treat in action:


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## spog

Recycling grain. I’ve scored work for Viterra for the harvest season here in Port Lincoln, I asked a bloke today about disposing of the grain dust, he told me it goes to various farms for disposal/ dumping. He also told me of one farmer who uses it to build up the soil in a shitty area of his farm and is getting good results from it. Win win.


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## Nullnvoid

I just recently had to get rid of 150kg from a collaboration brew. 

Stuck it on a buy swap sell site on Facebook and it was gone in minutes. People went bat shit crazy. Thinking I need to sell it next time!


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## SnailAle

Brewno Marz said:


> Dog treats: 4 cups drained spent grain: 2 cups flour: 2 eggs: 1 cup unsalted peanut butter. Form into little biscuits and place on a scone tray. Heat 30min at 180degC and then turn oven off and leave treats in the oven until cool (at least 2 hrs)
> We used coconut flour yesterday and it seemed to absorb the moisture of the wet grain better. A bucket goes to neighbour's chooks and the rest ends up in the compost / rat food.
> Dog treat in action:
> View attachment 109341
> View attachment 109342


Beautiful dog on the right mate. 

My gsp eats spent grains straight from the bucket if if don't watch her


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## Bribie G

Bellyup said:


> I made the mistake of using them like compost around my young trees - killed a Blackwood and made a couple of others sick. They seem to rot with mildew and become sour. I just spread it around on the grass now for the birds to eat.


Thaks for the tip, I'll be mixing ag lime in with mine then compost it.


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## technobabble66

Lol. Is it just me or do the faces of the dogs look a little like "Wtf's the deal with just 1 shitty biscuit?!?"
I'm not sure they're selling it well, dude [emoji6]. 
Or I suppose they could be more thinking "C'mon dude, take the goddamn photo, we're starving here!!" 
Very funny. Gotta love dogs! [emoji41]


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## Engibeer

Find some nearby neighbours with chickens! People a few houses up have chooks so I take mine up there b


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## Garfield

Bribie G said:


> Thaks for the tip, I'll be mixing ag lime in with mine then compost it.



Compost bacteria likes an acid environment. Add lime (or wood ash) after it has composted down


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## Doctormcbrewdle

I put them straight onto the garden. A little bit gets to sit and the rest is eaten by birds


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## peteru

Throw some around your hydrangea plants to acidify the soil and make them go blue. It's about the right time of the year for it.


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## Logan932

I have 2 large dogs and usually buy 8kg bags of dog food. I just keep the bags once I'm finished with them and Chuck my used grain in that, tape it up and put it in the bin. No flies, no smells, no wuckas!


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## Whistlingjack

Batz said:


> Fussy chooks mate, mine know the tub I carry it in and come running when I take it down the chook yard.



Our chooks start to line up when they get the whiff of mash in.

WJ


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## Coodgee

I put 5kg on the garden once and my labrador ate the lot over the course of a few days. Then distributed it around the lawn in little piles of 90% undigested grain.


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## Garfield

Whistlingjack said:


> Our chooks start to line up when they get the whiff of mash in.
> 
> WJ


My neighbours do a similar thing really


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## Garfield

Santa left me a book on sustainable brewing for Christmas. It's an interesting read and has a few suggested recipes for spent grain. 

My favourite experiment was to turn it into baking flour by drying in a warm oven and grinding in a food processor.

Is there any better disposal than your own gut?


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## Talnoy

I'll feed the winter-hungry deers with my spent grains. Here is a picture from my back yard some weeks ago. They discard the potatoes but just love my spent grains.


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## MHB

Are they Roe deer? (they look remarkably tasty 
Probably the best sort of recycling.
Mark


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## Talnoy

MHB said:


> Are they Roe deer? (they look remarkably tasty
> Probably the best sort of recycling.


I'm not sure about the English name for these animals, Google translate do say Roe Deer, not too far from the Swedish word "Rådjur". And yes, they are tasty, too bad I lack the shooting rights


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## t2000kw

homebrewnewb said:


> that is fiber for: cows horses dogs chickens, anything that eats with teeth basically.
> so there's that.
> a lid on your bin should be fine or you can try and cover it with grass clipping or something.
> know any farmers locally?



Please be aware that spent grains with hop residue in it (if you add any hops in with the mash itself) can kill dogs, in particular greyhounds, though apparently it's somewhat toxic to all dogs. Greyhounds have a small liver compared to their body size, so they don't detoxify some things very well.

http://www.petpoisonhelpline.com/poison/hops/

Not many of us use hops in the mash itself (I don't), but it's still good to be aware of where you throw your hop residue. When we had a Greyhound, I was careful of where I put my spent hops, and they only went in the garbage. The grains went on a compost pile.


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## pirateagenda

is there a way to get it to not stink if i want to save it few a few weeks to give to livestock?


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## wide eyed and legless

I doubt it without freezing them, I have noticed they start to decompose almost immediately in the compost, within a couple of days it has reached a fairly high temperature.


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## Monkeyguts

I'm no expert, but because the grain is still damp wild yeast would start a fermentation process in your bin if you have no lid. Probably counts for the smell.


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## wide eyed and legless

Every little microbe will have a go at breaking down the cellulose, but being as tough as it is everything else will get consumed and only time will break down the outer casing, thats why it is good in the compost, the sugars left in and the casing will give good aeration and moisture retention in the garden.


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## Jack of all biers

pirateagenda said:


> is there a way to get it to not stink if i want to save it few a few weeks to give to livestock?


Yes. I have done it a few times. You need an old screen door or similar fine meshed tray large enough to spread the grains out in a thin layer less than an inch. Prop that up off the ground high enough that good airflow gets underneath. Put in a sunny place (hopefully breezy, but not too breezy) and turn the spent grains occasionally to dry. I must admit though that my chook only pecks at it a bit and most gets spread around or ignored, as I think most of the goodness is extracted away by us. It probably tastes about as appetising to the livestock as gruel is to us. Maybe once dry, mix it with something the livestock want to eat to bulk it out a bit.

Doesn't work too well in winter though (or wet season I suppose).


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## wynnum1

If you look at how to make a cake has oil sugar and flour and a raising agent could try using spent cooking oil or fat with molasses as the sugar carrot or pumpkin and the spent grain and feed that to the livestock the other option is to do a no chill and boil up and put in a cube to store.


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## wide eyed and legless

Watched a doco about Dog Fish Head Brewery spent grains are used to help power the brewery through their own Bio-gas plant, they also recycle the water used in the plant.


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## wynnum1

wide eyed and legless said:


> Watched a doco about Dog Fish Head Brewery spent grains are used to help power the brewery through their own Bio-gas plant, they also recycle the water used in the plant.


Gardening Australia showed a Bio-gas plant in South Australia and they where putting cans of coopers beer in it seems that the alcohol can be converted to Bio-gas


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## wide eyed and legless

I made a simple bio-gas plant when I was 14 or 15, with a couple of drums the chicken shite from the run, straw and water, and just let the microbes turn it to gas, a bit like fermenting really.


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## wynnum1

wide eyed and legless said:


> I made a simple bio-gas plant when I was 14 or 15, with a couple of drums the chicken shite from the run, straw and water, and just let the microbes turn it to gas, a bit like fermenting really.


There are a few of these systems coming onto the market for homes would be a good why of getting rid of sewerage have seen where a farmer in India using his cow shit to power the house stove could be cheaper then buying gas to brew.


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## wide eyed and legless

wynnum1 said:


> There are a few of these systems coming onto the market for homes would be a good why of getting rid of sewerage have seen where a farmer in India using his cow shit to power the house stove could be cheaper then buying gas to brew.


They also use human shit and rice hulls to heat up the boilers to power the the turbines in India.


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## wheat and hops

I visited the BeerFarm near Margret River recently and spoke with the onsite brewer , I think his name was Josh. Their spent grains get fed to the Farm cows and the cows get fed to the customers....

Great place to visit, onsite brewer Josh happy was happy to run through a detailed tour. Also brilliant beer and food. Highly recommended place to visit if you are down that way.


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## BestBeer

Can you make loaves of bread with it? This is real food porn for the home brewer. https://www.thebreadshebakes.com/2014/08/baking-traditional-real-german-pumpernickel-bread/


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## wide eyed and legless

BestBeer said:


> Can you make loaves of bread with it? This is real food porn for the home brewer. https://www.thebreadshebakes.com/2014/08/baking-traditional-real-german-pumpernickel-bread/


Paul Hollywood, made a bread using spent grains in an episode of, 'Paul Hollywood's Bread' though it was only used to cover the top of the loaf.


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## BestBeer

Oooooooooooooooooo a pile of pumpernickel style bread with chutney, curry, sauces and lamb chops - and a gallon of GOOD beer... Oooooooooooooo Yum.


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## yankinoz

Talnoy said:


> I'm not sure about the English name for these animals, Google translate do say Roe Deer, not too far from the Swedish word "Rådjur". And yes, they are tasty, too bad I lack the shooting rights



The English name is indeed roe deer. Americans call them elk. What the Brits call elk are moose to Americans. Dunno about Canadians, who have a lot of all the above.

One person's taste: I don't like venison much, but do like roe deer by any name and elk/moose too, but the prince of all meats is reindeer or caribou.


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## t2000kw

I actually had a work friend give me a large amount of frozen ground elk (American elk) and some Virginia whitetail deer meat. I've been given deer for the last few years so I haven't had the need to go hunting, but the Virginia whitetail are plentiful where I live. You just sit still in a wooded area, sometimes a few days, near where deer travel through the area and you'll be within shooting range within a few days. I now use a muzzleloader since I only need one shot, and a muzzleloader rifle is more accurate than the typical shotgun used here. I have a shotgun, too, and you're permitted to have 3 shells in the tube, but I am accurate with the muzzleloader. (You might refer to them as muskets, but they are the type of rifle that you put in your black powder, then your bullet or sabot and bullet, and use a priming cap behind the powder charge. I use the almost smokeless powder and it works well. A low power large diameter optics scope rounds out the rifle.I'm not a trophy hunter, so I'll take the first thing that comes along. Once I had mercy on a wounded deer and put it out of its misery. It had a lot of meat to it. I'm not looking for great stories to tell, so all I am really interested in is the meat, though one year even my wife said I should get the head mounted, so we did. It sits in our foyer with a fedora on it with its head turned to the front door. Pretty cool, I think. We even got the glass eyes that have the slotted pupils like real deer have. Lots of meat from that monster!


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## Drewgong

Sorry it's in seppo


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## t2000kw

No need to be sorry about it being in seppo (yes, I'm familiar with the reference, strange combination of words to get there, though). 

Not everyone here thinks the US is the only country in the world. But probably most think it's the only one that matters. Not so here (me). I figure it's an international community and more here should see it that way. That's why I'm part of this forum. Homebrewers in your country in particular came up with some clever and useful brewing techniques. I may try the cube cooling technique myself someday. I like its simplicity.


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## Yuz

Having done a few BIAB's now, I'm also interested in this topic, for a couple of reasons.
One of them - is it possible to use the used grains as a medium for growing mushrooms?
I'm guessing compacted used grains would make a good base for mushies to spawn?
I looooove mushrooms, probably one of the best superfoods out there, and they're a fascinating eco entity  Alot to learn about them still but I'm over the bunnings cup mushroom kits lol


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## wide eyed and legless

Yuz said:


> Having done a few BIAB's now, I'm also interested in this topic, for a couple of reasons.
> One of them - is it possible to use the used grains as a medium for growing mushrooms?
> I'm guessing compacted used grains would make a good base for mushies to spawn?
> I looooove mushrooms, probably one of the best superfoods out there, and they're a fascinating eco entity  Alot to learn about them still but I'm over the bunnings cup mushroom kits lol


I have wondered about this as when my spent grains have been on the compost heap for about 2 days it gets what looks like mycelium growing on them. What sort of mushroom are you after?


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## Yuz

Hey WEAL, 
At the moment I've got a log with Shiitake mushies but it's being very lazy to start up... maybe not the right time / season / temp?
I bought a Swordbelt kit too but it's sitting in the fridge for now - until the time I know what I'm doing 
Ideally I'd love to have a spawn of Chanterelle variety, but apparently they're not allowed in Aus.


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## wide eyed and legless

The best time for mushrooms is a dry summer and wet autumn which we haven't had usually I would have a load by now but I have hardly seen any.


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## fdsaasdf

For the last couple of years I've been using various amounts of spent grain in bread loaves and rolls. It's easy enough to substitute 10-20% of the flour and water mix in simple bread for fresh or spent grain. I've found sourdough loaves to be more sensitive to wet grain, and generally stick to less than 10% added at the end of the mix as otherwise the loaf seems to dry out too much in the bake.

Everything else usually goes in the compost. Make sure you cover it well unless you want to attract bugs, rodents and birds. If I had a rural block I'd probably be happy to leave it uncovered far away from the house.

On the odd occasion I've found someone with stock to take it there usually aren't any issues getting calves, pigs and goats to eat it even after day or two at ambient temps; however chooks seem to only be interested if it's under a day old.


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## Amber

Ask a neighbour who has gardens if they want it, my fruit trees love it!


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## jonclark2000

Not sure if anyone posted this link but a lot of ideas here - I've added to bread at about 30% just to a regular dough seems to work great 

https://brooklynbrewshop.com/blogs/themash/tagged/spent-grain


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## Hpal

Mine goes to mine and the neighbours chooks. Put it on fb/gumtree once and it went quick as a flash. The stuff smells putrid after sitting for a day or more though.


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## wynnum1

Hpal said:


> Mine goes to mine and the neighbours chooks. Put it on fb/gumtree once and it went quick as a flash. The stuff smells putrid after sitting for a day or more though.


You need to put in freezer .


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## hoppy2B

Oyster mushrooms are easy to grow. You would be best to mix the spent grains with some mulch. Alfalfa mulch from Bunnings would be best because of its high nitrogen content.

A 44 gallon drum works well for sterilisation. Put the medium into (suitable) plastic bags of some sort and cook it in the drum with some water in the bottom and the lid on loosely and some holes to allow steam pressure to escape. You will need to cook it 3 days in a row to sterilise it properly. (A couple of hours each day should be sufficient to heat the bags into their centres) Make sure the bags don't touch the metal so that they don't melt. Some blocks of wood may be useful for this.

Once cooled you can inoculate with a piece of mushroom stem from an oyster mushroom bought from somewhere like Woolies or a fruit and veg store. You might need some cotton in the top of the bags for air and CO2 exchange. 

You should be able to find plenty of info online.


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## Malinda

hi I am a farmer who will happily take grains away to feed my livestock 
I can collect in Melbourne suburbs (Moorabbin, Berwick and up past Warragul.

This is a great resource for me and it will be much appreciated. I am struggling to find spent grains for my animals.

The more the better 
[email protected]


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## Sidney Harbour-Bridge

I give mine to a mate for his sheep, when he butchers them he gives me the goodies for haggis.


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## altone

hoppy2B said:


> Oyster mushrooms are easy to grow. You would be best to mix the spent grains with some mulch. Alfalfa mulch from Bunnings would be best because of its high nitrogen content.
> 
> A 44 gallon drum works well for sterilisation. Put the medium into (suitable) plastic bags of some sort and cook it in the drum with some water in the bottom and the lid on loosely and some holes to allow steam pressure to escape. You will need to cook it 3 days in a row to sterilise it properly. (A couple of hours each day should be sufficient to heat the bags into their centres) Make sure the bags don't touch the metal so that they don't melt. Some blocks of wood may be useful for this.
> 
> Once cooled you can inoculate with a piece of mushroom stem from an oyster mushroom bought from somewhere like Woolies or a fruit and veg store. You might need some cotton in the top of the bags for air and CO2 exchange.
> 
> You should be able to find plenty of info online.



I know this is sort of off topic but I have done this before with a mix of spent grain, sawdust (untreated timber of course) and coffee grounds.
But always used some inoculated mushroom starter too.
I simply put a dampened mix as above in a microwave for 2 mins to sterilize it. obviously in batches until I'd got enough to some plastic ziplock bags.
Once cool I'd add about 10% of the bought starter to each and mix around before cutting holes in the bags.

Now, my questions to you were - why the 3 day process for the medium and secondly any links to how to inoculate with mushroom stems?
I'm internet challenged atm. 7yo laptop and using my phone as a hotspot - no internet connected here yet.

Tks


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## wide eyed and legless

I bought one of those mushroom kits from Bunnings, nothing really happened, tipped the whole lot into my compost, a few weeks later the compost was full of mushrooms.


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## Tricky Dicky

Malinda said:


> hi I am a farmer who will happily take grains away to feed my livestock
> I can collect in Melbourne suburbs (Moorabbin, Berwick and up past Warragul.
> 
> This is a great resource for me and it will be much appreciated. I am struggling to find spent grains for my animals.
> 
> The more the better
> [email protected]


Is it safe to feed to chooks?


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## FarsideOfCrazy

Tricky Dicky said:


> Is it safe to feed to chooks?


I give it to my neighbour who has 4 chickens, 4-5kgs spent grain gone in 20 minutes. They love it. When they see the green tub they start getting excited.


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## mongey

well after reading this have put an ad on gumtree looking for chicken owners who want free grain

am currently dumping straight into our wheelie bin .which right now smells slightly worse than satans asshole .I think its doing its own turbid mash over summer


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## altone

mongey said:


> well after reading this have put an ad on gumtree looking for chicken owners who want free grain
> 
> am currently dumping straight into our wheelie bin .which right now smells slightly worse than satans asshole .I think its doing its own turbid mash over summer



Actually that gives me a thought... will swap grain for chook poo - win win!


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## mongey

I already have 2 replies on gumtree that they will take grain.


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## Rocker1986

We're in our new house now, put a post up in the local community page and got a couple of replies. Said I was brewing Saturday just gone and crickets. I'll try again next brew day... in the meantime it's getting dumped in the front garden (we don't really go out there much).


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## RobinW

Plastic bag and into the wheely bin. 
Bin pickup is Wednesday so Monday/Tuesday is brew day else it really stinks and leaks.
My nephews have chooks and they don't want it. Rancid rubbish is hard to palm off.


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## altone

mongey said:


> I already have 2 replies on gumtree that they will take grain.



Why wouldn't they. It's free feed so long as they can get it before it goes stinky and moldy (I guess rural chook owners would still be ok with it)
A friend of a relative keeps a few chooks in his suburban back yard and I always take a tub of spent grain when we visit if I've brewed in the past couple of days.
He repays me with a few nice eggs 

The rest goes into my compost tumbler. 
As I'm building a new garden I need all the compost I can make and then some.


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## Matto-FNQ

+1 for the chooks. 

I took 10kg of grain across the road for my neighbour after I brewed last, they loved it. I figure I'll just keep doing that - it's a win for him (Free chook food) and a win for me (get rid of it without throwing it out). 

Cheers,
Matt


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## mongey

so I had 4 replies to my gum tree add. on brew day last Sunday sent a few messages when I started my mash and 1 of them came and got the grain the next day ,

so kept the stinking grain out of my bin . and since he got it the day after it was starting to stink. but he still wanted it. chooks arnt fussy I guess


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## wide eyed and legless

mongey said:


> so I had 4 replies to my gum tree add. on brew day last Sunday sent a few messages when I started my mash and 1 of them came and got the grain the next day ,
> 
> so kept the stinking grain out of my bin . and since he got it the day after it was starting to stink. but he still wanted it. chooks arnt fussy I guess


Get any egg's?


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## mongey

wide eyed and legless said:


> Get any egg's?


nah . the guy was a baker though and was coming from work so bought some cookies which my preggo wife demolished


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## yankinoz

Use spent grains with care as feed. Because of the very high fibre content it is often recommended to mix them with two or three times their volume of feed grain, to prevent diarrhoea. If one has only two or three chooks you might not go through them that way before they get moldy.

They are also very high in protein, therefore in nitrogen, but not nearly so rich in other plant nutrients. As such they make a good fertiliser to fire up compost heaps or to use as is on salad plants, edible greens or grass. Scattering them on a lawn attracts a few birds. No worries, they don't stink that way.

Because of the nutrient imbalance heavy applications may discourage flowering and fruiting, but that depends on the plant and the soil. Out my window Moby Zucchini seems to be thriving and producing heavily in ground enriched by pale ales past. I have had poor yields of tomatoes that way.


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## wide eyed and legless

To much pee on the compost will lift the nitrogen levels also, keep mixing in some ,layers of straw to keep the carbon nitrogen balance right.


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## altone

wide eyed and legless said:


> To much pee on the compost will lift the nitrogen levels also, keep mixing in some ,layers of straw to keep the carbon nitrogen balance right.


Are autumn leaves as good as straw? Don't have any money to spend on the garden atm.
And what green/brown ratio do you normally aim for?
I'm doing roughly 1 green to 3 brown by volume, but wish I could make compost quicker


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## wide eyed and legless

3 to 1 is good, leaves not so good they can take a while to break down, I have used sugar cane mulch in the compost, (I like to think there is probably sugar left in there) but that can be slow to break down too. As long as it is kept damp, you will have a beautiful rich compost full of worms.


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## S.E

wide eyed and legless said:


> 3 to 1 is good, leaves not so good they can take a while to break down


WEAL, try dumping really dry leaves on the lawn then run the lawn mower over them and collect the (almost) dust in the grass box. They break down in no time, especially if mixed with a little spent grain.


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## wide eyed and legless

S.E said:


> WEAL, try dumping really dry leaves on the lawn then run the lawn mower over them and collect the (almost) dust in the grass box. They break down in no time, especially if mixed with a little spent grain.


I do that with my corn stalks, nver thought of doing it with leaves, do you wet them to prevent them blowing away?


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## S.E

wide eyed and legless said:


> I do that with my corn stalks, nver thought of doing it with leaves, do you wet them to prevent them blowing away?


No I get them as dry as I can and they seem to swirl around in the mower and chop up really finely. Then mow the lawn and mix the leaves with grass and spent grain.

I just chopped up corn stalks with the mower today as it happens.

Edit: I use the mower on the highest cutting setting for leaves/corn etc.


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## Reg Holt

Not a gardener but I do love the fresh corn from the garden, my dad would always run the mower over the stalks before sticking them in the compost. Chicken and corn one of the best pairings ever.


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## wide eyed and legless

S.E said:


> No I get them as dry as I can and they seem to swirl around in the mower and chop up really finely. Then mow the lawn and mix the leaves with grass and spent grain.
> 
> I just chopped up corn stalks with the mower today as it happens.
> 
> Edit: I use the mower on the highest cutting setting for leaves/corn etc.


Ah you use the catcher, I haven't used the catcher for years maybe I should rethink my methods Sean.


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## S.E

wide eyed and legless said:


> Ah you use the catcher, I haven't used the catcher for years maybe I should rethink my methods Sean.


I only really use it for leaves and a patch of lawn over a fallen dead tree roots that grows faster, longer and greener than the rest along with a ring of mushrooms.

Also I should have mentioned that my mower will blow leaves out the right hand side if I try to pick up too much at a time so I spread out the pile a bit and approach it from the right and very little blows away.


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## wide eyed and legless

Yes I use the right hand side of the mower to clear the cuttings off the pavement, well my wife does, saves me having to get the blower out for her.


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## altone

wide eyed and legless said:


> Ah you use the catcher, I haven't used the catcher for years maybe I should rethink my methods Sean.



I actually do that too!
There's a little walkway with walls both sides at my place where I slash all the leaves/twigs into the catcher.
Still makes a bit of a mess but easy to clean up after.

edit: back on topic ish.
I'm actually building a temporary 1 cubic metre hot compost bin as I need a huge amount for the new place.
I'll fill it with a mix of autumn leaves, spent grain, sawdust, horse manure garden trimmings and kitchen waste.
Hopefully it will be a good way through composting before the cooler weather hits.


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## Lindsay Dive

I do 150 litres brewing in a single day, so I make sure I brew on Tuesdays as the vegetation bin goes out on Wednesday morning.


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## Ballaratguy

yankinoz said:


> Use spent grains with care as feed. Because of the very high fibre content it is often recommended to mix them with two or three times their volume of feed grain, to prevent diarrhoea. If one has only two or three chooks you might not go through them that way before they get moldy.
> 
> They are also very high in protein, therefore in nitrogen, but not nearly so rich in other plant nutrients. As such they make a good fertiliser to fire up compost heaps or to use as is on salad plants, edible greens or grass. Scattering them on a lawn attracts a few birds. No worries, they don't stink that way.
> 
> Because of the nutrient imbalance heavy applications may discourage flowering and fruiting, but that depends on the plant and the soil. Out my window Moby Zucchini seems to be thriving and producing heavily in ground enriched by pale ales past. I have had poor yields of tomatoes that way.


How do you tell if a chook has diarrhoea?


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## Ballaratguy

Being a fisherman (err someone who marinates bait in salt water). I’m about to go out today with my spent grain with tuna oul added
Be interesting to see if it attracts the fish


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## wide eyed and legless

Ballaratguy said:


> Being a fisherman (err someone who marinates bait in salt water). I’m about to go out today with my spent grain with tuna oul added
> Be interesting to see if it attracts the fish


It will, when I have been out snapper fishing I have used a large cage feeder and stuffed it with bread and cat food, same on the Maribyrnong with smaller feeders. Never thought about using the grain, should work though.


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## S.E

If you have room in your freezer just freeze the grain in large blocks (or a plastic bag) with a bit of rope attached so it stays fresh till you need it. Then just tie off the other end of the rope and chuck the frozen block overboard and let it defrost and disintegrate in the warm sea water.

To attach the rope to the grain tie a short length of stick or something to one end and place it in the middle of the block/bag before freezing it.

Edit: obviously remove the plastic bag before chucking the block overboard.


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## GordonB

Mikeyr said:


> Dog biscuits..... affectionately known as poo biscuits. Lotsa good fibre and makes " clean up" a whole lot nicer. Treat biscuit not food.
> 
> Couple of US websites with heaps of recipes. Dog and human, going to have a crack at a few others.


So this a good idea. I read earlier "if you have a property" and realised my ex brother in law has 2.5 acres at Red Hill, in the NE of WA metro area and has chooks and also kangaroos close by. I asked, he agreed and now he's got chooks, kangaroos and pink and grey galahs lining up. Problem is though supply may not be able to keep up with demand


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## falcoah

I used to give mine to the chooks...but then found that the sheep were breaking into the chook pen to get at it...so now I spread it out in the paddock so everyone can have a crack.

The sheep (one in particular who was originally a potty lamb) know it’s brew day when I carry my RO water from the house to the shed and yell at me for hours until I tip the grain over the fence.


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## TheSumOfAllBeers

The spent grain is fantastic in my compost heap. You have to mix it through though.

Unlike livestock, the compost heap microflora don’t care if it’s export porter day.


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