removed from a field before they interfere with working the land. A
hard bargainer can often get spoiled hay in exchange for hauling the
wet bales out of the field

There's one local farmer near me whose entire family tree holds a
well-deserved reputation for hard, self-interested dealing. One
particularly wet, cool unsettled haying season, after starting the
spoiled-hay dicker at 90 cents per bale asked--nothing offered but
hauling the soggy bales out of the field my offer--I finally agreed
to take away about twenty tons at ten cents per bale. This small sum
allowed the greedy b-----to feel he had gotten the better of me. He
needed that feeling far more than I needed to win the argument or to
keep the few dollars Besides, the workings of self-applied justice
that some religious philosophers call karma show that over the long
haul the worst thing one person can do to another is to allow the
other to get away with an evil act.

Any dedicated composter can make contacts yielding cheap or free
organic materials by the ton. Orchards may have badly bruised or
rotting fruit. Small cider mills, wineries, or a local juice bar
restaurant may be glad to get rid of pomace. Carpentry shops have
sawdust. Coffee roasters have dust and chaff. The microbrewery is
becoming very popular these days; mall-scale local brewers and
distillers may have spent hops and mash. Spoiled product or chaff
may be available from cereal mills.

City governments often will deliver autumn leaves by the ton and
will give away or sell the output of their own municipal composting
operations. Supermarkets, produce wholesalers, and restaurants may
be willing to give away boxes of trimmings and spoiled food. Barbers