October 30, 2019

US farmers in Nebraska look to turn cow paunch into compost

Cow paunch is the material left in the stomach and intestines of slaughtered livestock. The creators of Smart Soil say it is a viable business for Nebraska as well as a sustainable revenue stream, KSNB reported.

The product will be environmentally responsible, as less waste will go to the landfills.

City officials toured the test plots on October 28.

"I think this product has great potential to be a great soil amendment and help out the city with JBS's waste and other waste we create, it should be good for the economy," said Dave Boehle, Howard County Commissioner.

The initial process takes 21 days to convert to raw materials, and another three to four weeks to cure.

"It's like any recipe, the more you do the better it gets. The ph contents is helping us cook the material faster to have less of it on-site and it creates less odours," said Andrew Woitaszewski, Smart Soil.

The goal is to turn about 80,000 tonnes of waste into valuable compost every year. Another exciting part of the new venture is the community partnerships.

There will have a public hearing in December and if all goes well, Smart Soil will be the first paunch manure facility.