Lodging

Overnight accommodations are the responsibility of the attendee and not included in course registration. A block of rooms is available at the Radisson Hotel Ames Conference Center, 2609 University Blvd, Ames, IA, (515) 259-1973. Follow this link here to reserve your room online or call and mention you’re with the “Compost School at ISU” group. Room rate is $103 per night plus taxes. This discounted room rate is available till September 12, 2024.
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Iowa State University Dairy Farm

Registration check-in, classroom sessions and meals will be at the ISU Dairy Farm. The facility features modern, climate-controlled classrooms and restroom facilities. Parking is available in designated areas near the classroom building. Demonstrations and hands-on activities will be at the Compost Facility adjacent to and a short walk from the classroom.

The dairy farm opened in the fall of 2007 and currently ship 29,000 lbs of milk each day to Prairie Farms. Sustainable farming is practiced at all of our farms. This starts at the dairy farm with the manure handling system. The manure handling system separates the solids which are used for animal bedding and compost used on campus, and the liquid portion is stored in a 2 million gallon tank that is emptied a couple times a year. The contents are used as fertilizer for ISU farms.

Address: 52470 260th Street, Ames, IA 50014
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Iowa State University Compost Facility

The University Compost Facility was built in 2008 with the initial purpose of managing manure produced by the ISU Dairy Farm’s 400+ milking cows. In the years since, however, the University Compost Facility has made an ongoing commitment to expand its relationships with other campus entities: ISU Dining began composting food waste from its catering services and residential dining facilities in 2009, while Jack Trice Stadium began composting food waste from its suites in 2010. Although manure still accounts for nearly 80% of the site’s incoming material, the University Compost Facility currently has the capacity to receive up to 10,000 tons per year of animal bedding, landscaping waste, food waste and biomass research waste from ISU Campus Services, Reiman Gardens, Animal Science Farms, Research and Demonstration Farms, ISU Dining, and Biocentury Research Farm.
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