January 25, 2012

 

 

US legislators, state agencies and poultry farmers are looking for new uses for chicken manure to get ahead of potential federal regulations that could further restrict land use.

 

Though discussions are still in the very early stages, Rep. John Atkins, D-Millsboro, said farmers are "very excited" about the possibilities.

 

"What forever has been looked at as waste is now becoming a resource," Atkins said. "Places all over the country, and even out of the country ... don't have a lot of fertiliser."

 

Atkins, Delaware Department of Agriculture Secretary Ed Kee and several farmers took a recent trip to Arkansas to visit a poultry litter baling operation, which allows manure to be shipped farther with less nutrient runoff. Nutrient runoff is the main source of manure-related pollution.

 

"There's potential there," Atkins said. "For years, the Delmarva Poultry Industry was treated as a misconception from the environmental groups. This could be another step forward to show the environmentalists the poultry industry is alive, it's not going anywhere."

 

In the last five years, environmental regulations have restricted land use and hampered the farming industry on Delmarva. But Bill Satterfield, executive director of DPI, said there's still a manure shortage.

 

"Alternative uses for manure are not being pushed by chicken growers, they're being pushed by environmental groups that claim there's too much manure on Delmarva," he said. "Historically, the number of corn farmers wanting chicken manure far surpasses the amount of chicken farmers wanting to get rid of it."

 

The spectre of further regulation looms large over the poultry industry. According to a report published this month by the Chesapeake Bay Commission -- a 21-person legislative body made up of members from Maryland, Virginia and Pennsylvania - the 11 most "animal-intensive" counties in the Chesapeake Watershed, including Sussex and Wicomico, produce approximately 3.8 million tonnes of excess manure a year.

 

In a joint 2007 study, the USDA, the National Institute of Food and Agriculture and the Land Grant Colleges and Universities determined Sussex County produces up to 2,500 tonnes of excess phosphorous per year from manure that isn't used by crops. Alternative uses for manure include burning it or anaerobically digesting it, a process in which bacteria breaks down manure and converts it to renewable energy.

 

Poultry manure transporter Ray Ellis said anaerobically digesting it would be his preferred method if regulations change.

 

"There are a lot of new ideas out there," he said. "Right now, all the manure could be used under the current regulations, but we want to make sure we've got that door open just in case a new regulation comes. I've got a family operation. I'm looking to my sons' future just as I am mine."