Philadelphia-New Pennsylvania regulations prohibiting use of excess manure where it is produced have prompted introduction of the manuretrader.org website, which promotes online exchanges among many of the state’s 55,000 farms, according to conservation officials. “The Manure Trader website will give our farmers quick access to needed manure and will help facilitate the movement of manure throughout the state,” reported Karl Brown, State Conservation Commission executive director. Brown said the commission partnered with Pennsylvania Small Business Development Centers to adapt the centers’ Material Trade website, which assists users in exchanging other waste materials. He said the commission realized that with an excess of as much as 4.4 million tons and only 24 percent of the state’s eligible cropland currently using manure, there was a need to get the word out to other potential users. Manure Trader does just that by creating opportunities for traditional farmer-to-farmer exchanges for crop fertilization, as well as opportunities to encourage innovative manure uses as varied as soil reclamation, algae production, and even building materials. Manure listings may also serve to further alternative energy research such as manure-to-methanol, anaerobic digestion, and co-firing. Visitors to the site can browse available and wanted listings or log in to create a confidential listing. Manure Trader allows users to sort listings by type, price, quantity, and date listed. Registered users can sign up to be alerted when new listings in a desired category are posted. The site also includes broker and hauler directories.
Transparency Across the Fertilizer Value-Chain