Farmers who until recently had to pay for the cleaning of their stables suddenly see the dung of Augeia turn to gold.
Due to the global shortage of fertilizers exacerbated by the Ukrainian crisis, demand for manure is now exceeding US production.
"I wish I had more to sell," Abby Sandquist, founder of Organic Fertilizer Company Natural Fertilizer Services Inc. in Iowa, told Reuters. "There is not enough to meet demand."
"Dung is definitely a sought-after product," adds Allen Kampsner, a consultant at Nutrient Advisors in Nebraska. "We have waiting lists."
Industrial fertilizers, which contain mainly nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, are energy-intensive in their production. Prices began to rise last year due to reduced production, as high gas and coal prices forced some plants to close or shut down. Bad weather and pandemics also affected supply chains.
Digested manure can simply be dumped in the field (Reuters)
High fertilizer prices are expected to limit the sowing of corn and wheat in the US, according to government data. Stocks are at their lowest level in 14 years, and the Russia-Ukraine war, two of the world's largest producers, is pushing up prices.
Western sanctions have also reduced fertilizer exports from Russia and Belarus, which is expected to further crop crops. The two countries accounted for 40% of world potassium exports last year, according to the Dutch bank Rabobank.
Industrial fertilizer prices hit a record high in March, with nitrogen prices quadrupling by 2020 and potassium and phosphorus prices tripling.
Even in US states with large herds of farmed animals, manure is not enough to fully replace industrial fertilizers.
In Iowa, the largest producer of maize and pork, the 53 billion tonnes of manure produced each year is enough for only 25% of maize crops.
In a few months manure could become more expensive, as increases in feed limit animal husbandry.
The number of farmed pigs in the United States is at its lowest level in five years, and bird flu has killed 22 million poultry.
The only good thing is that the dead birds can be composted and used as fertilizer, according to the Iowa State Department of Agriculture.
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