Poop-Boom: Manure Supplies Tighten As Fertilizer Prices Soar

Manure has become a hot commodity. U.S. farmers hunting for organic fertilizer come as chemical fertilizers are in short supply or at sky-high prices. According to Reuters, soaring demand for manure has unleashed a poop shortage.

“Manure is absolutely a hot commodity,” said industry consultant Allen Kampschnieder, who works for Nebraska-based Nutrient Advisors.

Kampschnieder said cattle feeders selling waste are sold out for 2022. “We’ve got waiting lists,” he said.

Farmers quickly switched to animal manure, a mixture of animal feces and straw, because the prices for industrial fertilizer jumped since the European natural gas crisis in the winter of 2021 and Western sanctions on Russia for invading Ukraine in March.

This week, Canada-based Nutrien Ltd., the world’s largest fertilizer company, warned that fertilizer disruptions “could last well beyond 2022.” If so, this could drive even more farmers into spreading poop on fields. – READ MORE