Manure prices are on the rise in Tulare County
PIXLEY, Calif. (KFSN) -- The commodity is growing in popularity and value as commercial fertilizer become more expensive.
Tulare County is number one in the nation for agriculture production. The latest crop report shows the 2013 top commodities were valued at nearly $8-billion dollars.
Milk was the Tulare County's number one product, but at the Airoso Dairy in Pixley, it's another commodity that has sold here that is gaining strength -- manure.
"I think manure is making a comeback, or becoming more popular, because it's really one of the best things to develop soil and it's natural," said Joey Airoso, Airoso Dairy.
Airoso says the manure from the 3,000 cows on his farm is processed, composted, and dried out to make a fluffy manure. Airoso sells about 20% of what he produces, and the rest he uses for crops and to provide bedding for the cows.
"It's not a big income, but it kind of supplements our costs in what it takes us to dry our manure and spread our manure," said Airoso.
In the recently released 2013 Crop Report for Tulare County, manure saw a big increase in value -- gaining $8 million in just one year. While some of the growth was from cow manure, a majority of it came from one mystery farmer.
Agriculture officials can't name the type of animal that produces it, because it would give away too much information about the business. "This producer of a different species was able to bump up the value per ton by three times just with that commodity," said Marilyn Kinoshita, Tulare County Agriculture Commissioner.
Kinoshita says the farmer likely sold the animal's 100-percent organic manure to homeowners growing backyard farms -- looking to let their gardens flourish the natural way. "It's not meant to be intrigue but it's just something that is relatively new for our county and highly successful," said Kinoshita.
Another reason manure is growing in popularity, the cost of commercial fertilizer has been on the rise, so manure is a more natural and less costly option.
