Cow Pots

“It’s a strange world when [cow] poop is more valuable than milk.”

Each cow produces 120 pounds of manure daily. Why not grow flowers and tomatoes from cow flops? It took eight years’ development, a $72,000 federal grant secured through Connecticut’s Agricultural Businesses Cluster, and countless grim experiments. Now their manure-based CowPots — biodegradable seed-starting containers — are being made on the farm and sold to commercial and backyard growers who prefer their advantages over plastic pots.

Molded of dried, deodorized manure fibers, CowPots hold water well, last for months in a greenhouse and can then be planted directly into the ground, sparing the seedling transplant shock and letting tender new roots penetrate easily. As the pots decompose, they continue to fertilize the plant and attract beneficial worms.

... big snip ...

Last June, milk was selling for nearly $20 a hundredweight. Mr. Freund expects that to drop to $12 by next year — far less than farmers’ expenses to bring milk to market. He says that the Agriculture Department’s cost-of-production calculations average $26 per hundredweight in New England states. Though he is pleased with the modest success of his value-added product, he muses, “It’s a strange world when poop is more valuable than milk.”