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THE BUSINESS operates with a simple compost concept: One man, one backhoe loader, hiring heavy equipment when needed, mixing low-value materials, adding seafood by-products and marketing the end product directly. Started by a desire to increase soil fertility in a personal garden, Downeast Organics has grown into one of the foremost compost producers in Maine.
Rick Duerr is owner of Downeast Organics, located on Frenchman's Bay's Schoodic Peninsula in South Gouldsboro, Maine. Duerr has been composting since 1977, when he and Will Brinton apprenticed at the nearby farm of Marjorie Spock. Spock was an avid supporter of biodynamic agriculture, which stresses the importance of microorganisms in composting. Brinton went on to establish an international reputation in compost consulting, heading up Woods End Research Laboratory in Mount Vernon, Maine. Growing up on farms and with a background in construction, Duerr leaned to the practical side of composting.
SOLVING WASTE MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS
Prior to founding Downeast, Duerr's main business was growing and retailing Christmas trees with additional sales from forest products. In 1994, he was composting seaweed and fish to bolster the soil fertility in his vegetable and flower garden on the tree farm. That summer, Stinson Seafood Company had a problem with summer weather turning herring renderings bad before they could be sold as lobster bait. Stinson is...