--- title: High Capacity Composting description: Testing a new high-capacity composter to improve slurry management and make it easier for farmers to use organic matter to improve soil. image: https://thearc.farm/hubfs/Website%20images%20-%20farming/Compress%20nutrient%20touch.jpeg --- [Skip to content](https://thearc.farm/newsandupdates/high-capacity-composting#main-content) [![Main Logo Colour](https://thearc.farm/hs-fs/hubfs/Logos/Main%20Logo%20Colour.png?width=2000&height=778&name=Main%20Logo%20Colour.png)Homepage](https://www.thearc.farm) - [Research Model](https://thearc.farm/research-model) - [Explain](https://thearc.farm/explain) - [Evidence](https://thearc.farm/evidence) - [Experiment](https://thearc.farm/experiment) - [Exchange](https://thearc.farm/exchange) - [Projects](https://thearc.farm/projects) - [ADOPT](https://thearc.farm/adopt) - [Network](https://thearc.farm/network) - [ARC Innovators](https://thearc.farm/innovators) - [News & Updates](https://thearc.farm/newsandupdates) [Connect](https://thearc.farm/contact-us) - [Research Model](https://thearc.farm/research-model) - [Explain](https://thearc.farm/explain) - [Evidence](https://thearc.farm/evidence) - [Experiment](https://thearc.farm/experiment) - [Exchange](https://thearc.farm/exchange) - [Projects](https://thearc.farm/projects) - [ADOPT](https://thearc.farm/adopt) - [Network](https://thearc.farm/network) - [ARC Innovators](https://thearc.farm/innovators) - [News & Updates](https://thearc.farm/newsandupdates) [Connect](https://thearc.farm/contact-us) ![](https://thearc.farm/hs-fs/hubfs/Website%20images%20-%20farming/Compress%20nutrient%20touch.jpeg?width=1280&height=853&name=Compress%20nutrient%20touch.jpeg) ADOPT Project Soil Health # High Capacity Composting ![Leo Townsend](https://thearc.farm/hs-fs/hubfs/1718306428178.jpeg?width=48&height=48&name=1718306428178.jpeg) Leo Townsend May 31, 2026 Managing farmyard manure (FYM) is one of the biggest challenges for UK livestock and mixed farms. Strict regulations under NVZ rules and the Farming Rules for Water limit spreading periods, require large storage capacity, and demand nutrient planning. Raw manure can cause nutrient losses, weed spread, and pathogen risks, while also creating compliance headaches. Composting offers a better way by stabilising nutrients, reducing volume, improving soil health, and cutting emissions. But uptake in the UK is low because suitable machinery is either too expensive or too slow. This ARC project will trial a new British-built, high-capacity compost turner designed to process 50% more material than comparable machines, with fewer moving parts and legal highway mobility. Alongside machinery testing, a 24-month field trial will compare compost against raw manure application to assess economic, agronomic, and environmental benefits. ## Composting can support better outcomes on farm - **Improve** crop yields and soil health, structure, and biology. - **Reduce** synthetic fertiliser use and emissions, and spreading costs versus raw manure. - **Enhance** farm resilience to input price volatility and climate extremes. - **Support** net zero goals through carbon sequestration and reduced ammonia losses. > "When you spread manure on a field most of the carbon disappears up into the atmosphere. But by composting you are stabilising it. So, when you put it on the soil you are literally raising the organic matter levels in the soil." > > **Simon Cowell, farmer** ## The challenge Raw manure management is costly and complex. It increases environmental harm, creates heavy compliance requirements, and leads to nutrient losses through volatilisation and runoff. It can also introduce weed seeds and pathogens, create odour and variable application rates, and increase soil compaction risks. Composting solves many of these issues, but farmers need affordable, high-throughput equipment and evidence that composting pays off. ## The solution - **New Compost Turner:** British-built, trailed, and road-legal, offering 50% higher throughput than similar machines, with fewer wearing parts and lower maintenance costs. - **Field Trials:** Compare compost vs raw manure vs no application across multiple crops and soil types. - **Economic Analysis:** Quantify labour, fuel, and spreading costs alongside crop performance and soil health improvements. This project is designed to test whether high-capacity composting can deliver practical value for farmers and stronger evidence for wider adoption. ## Who is involved? ### Lead farm – Will Grant of JW Grant Co. Lincolnshire arable farm cropping 2,200 acres of wheat, sugar beet, oats, and oilseed rape. Experienced in hosting trials and soil carbon projects. ### Phil Gilbert of P. Gilbert Livestock Ltd. Supplies consistent raw manure for composting trials. In a regular muck-for-straw agreement with Will Grant. ### Simon Cowell – farmer and innovator Brings 20 years of composting expertise, guiding best practice and quality control, and assisting design of the compost turner. ### Timmins Engineering Ltd. Provides the engineering input to build the new composting machine. ## Share this post [mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fthearc.farm%2Fnewsandupdates%2Fhigh-capacity-composting](mailto:https%3A%2F%2Fthearc.farm%2Fnewsandupdates%2Fhigh-capacity-composting) ## Keep reading ### [![](https://thearc.farm/hs-fs/hubfs/AdobeStock_339458814.jpeg?width=5739&height=3831&name=AdobeStock_339458814.jpeg) ADOPT Project Soil Health Static Compost](https://thearc.farm/newsandupdates/static-compost) ### [![](https://thearc.farm/hs-fs/hubfs/AdobeStock_1838007274.jpeg?width=5321&height=3547&name=AdobeStock_1838007274.jpeg) ADOPT Project Nutrition Smart Slurry](https://thearc.farm/newsandupdates/smart-slurry) [![Main Logo Colour](https://thearc.farm/hs-fs/hubfs/Logos/Main%20Logo%20Colour.png?width=2000&height=778&name=Main%20Logo%20Colour.png "Main Logo Colour")](https://www.thearc.farm) © 2026 ARC Agronomic Sciences. All rights reserved. [Privacy Policy](https://thearc.farm/hubfs/Official%20Documents/ARC%20Privacy%20Policy.pdf) [Terms & Conditions](https://thearc.farm/hubfs/Official%20Documents/ARC%20Terms%20and%20Conditions.pdf) ```json { "@context" : "https://schema.org", "@type" : "BlogPosting", "author" : { "@type" : "Person", "name" : "Leo Townsend", "url" : "https://thearc.farm/newsandupdates/author/leo-townsend" }, "dateModified" : "2026-09-25T12:27:14.725Z", "datePublished" : "2026-05-31T23:00:00.000Z", "headline" : "High Capacity Composting", "image" : [ "https://thearc.farm/hubfs/Website%20images%20-%20farming/Compress%20nutrient%20touch.jpeg" ], "mainEntityOfPage" : { "@id" : "https://thearc.farm/newsandupdates/high-capacity-composting", "@type" : "WebPage" }, "publisher" : { "@type" : "Organization", "logo" : { "@type" : "ImageObject", "url" : "https://thearc.farm/hubfs/Logos/Main%20Logo%20Colour.png" }, "name" : "ARC Agronomic Sciences" } } ```