About the Highfields Center for Composting

Highfields Center for Composting began as The Highfields Institute, founded in 1999 by former dairy farmer Tod Delaricheliere. After successfully composting dairy manure on his family’s farm for four years, Tod was inspired to help other local dairy farmers manage manure through composting and experience its many benefits.

For the next decade, Highfields focused on supporting dairy farmers, promoting on-farm composting as a sustainable manure management practice. Staff conducted farm visits and surveys to assess composting potential, farmer interest, and technical needs. They provided hands-on assistance, established a Compost Demonstration Site in Greensboro, Vermont, and launched a working composting operation using materials typically found on dairy farms. This site served as a model where farmers and agencies could learn about composting practices in action. Highfields also began offering workshops to farmers and agricultural professionals to share knowledge and build composting capacity.

As the organization grew, so did its mission. Highfields began integrating food scrap diversion into its programs, broadening its reach to include fruit and vegetable growers, food service providers, refuse haulers, Solid Waste Districts, and local schools and colleges.

Recognizing the need for additional solutions in agricultural waste management, Highfields expanded into composting slaughter waste and livestock mortalities. These efforts brought new topics into their educational workshops and expanded the scope of their technical services.

By 2004, Highfields had relocated its Compost Demonstration and Research Site to Hardwick, Vermont. There, they deepened partnerships with policymakers, government agencies, farm associations, and university extension programs. That same year, they supported the Central Vermont Solid Waste Management District in developing the Montpelier Commercial Composting Program.

In the years that followed, Highfields continued to design new food scrap composting programs, grow its educational offerings to include soil health and related topics, and expand its direct services to farmers. The Hardwick facility evolved into a hub for education, research, and innovation in composting.

While the original vision centered on providing technical composting assistance to the farming community, Highfields’ mission grew to embrace a broader goal: advancing soil security across Vermont. Composting—of manures, food scraps, and other organic materials—remained at the heart of their work to regenerate agricultural systems and build resilient, climate-smart communities.