In the US, manure is a “hot commodity” amid fertilizer shortages

For nearly two decades, Abe Sandquist has used every marketing tool he could think of to sell cow manure. After all, the feces need to go somewhere. The Midwestern US businessman has worked hard to lure farmers into his plantation benefits.

Now, faced with a global shortage of commercial fertilizers exacerbated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, more US producers are knocking on their door in search of manure.

“I wish we had more to sell,” said Sandquist, founder of Natural Fertilizer Services Inc, an Iowa-based nutrient management company. “But there is not enough to meet the demand.”

Some livestock and dairy farmers, including those who previously paid to have their animals removed, have found a fertile business, selling them to grain producers. Equipment firms that manufacture manure-distributing equipment known as “wagons” are also benefiting.

Not only are more U.S. farmers hunting for manure supplies for this planting season, some ranchers selling waste are sold out by the end of the year, according to industry consultant Allen Kampschnieder.

“Manure is really a hot commodity,” said Kampschnieder, who works for Nebraska-based Nutrient Advisors. “We have waiting lists.”

The skyrocketing prices of industrial fertilizers are expected to reduce US farmers’ corn and wheat crops this spring, according to US government data. This further threatens global food supplies as domestic wheat stocks are at their lowest in 14 years and the Russia-Ukraine war is hurting grain shipments from these key suppliers.

While manure can replace some of the nutrient deficit, it is not a panacea, agricultural experts say. There is not enough supply to exchange all the commercial fertilizer used in the United States. Transporting it is expensive. And animal waste prices are also rising due to strong demand.

It is also highly regulated by state and federal authorities, in part due to concerns about impacts on water systems.

Manure can cause serious problems if it contaminates streams, lakes and groundwater, said Chris Jones, a research engineer and water quality expert at the University of Iowa.

Livestock farmers say it’s hard work to comply with all government rules and keep track of how manure is applied.

Regardless of the downsides, demand is growing.

In Wisconsin, three dairy farmers told Reuters they had turned down orders to buy manure sent via text messages and Twitter.

North Carolina-based Phinite, which makes manure drying systems, says it is responding to requests from growers as far away as Minnesota, Illinois, Iowa and Indiana.

Smithfield Foods, the world’s largest pork producer, has noticed the shift in the US hog farms that supply its slaughterhouses.

“We are definitely seeing farmers moving towards manure as fertilizer prices rise,” said Jim Monroe, a company spokesman.