Matthew FreundApril 2, 2015

Making Manure More Valuable

Than Milk

“and it doesn’t even stink”

CowPots Factory

200 acres pastureland400 acres add’l cropland200 acres forestland

Blac

kber

ry R

iver

Barns and Farm house

Route 44

Lagoon

Farm Market

Neighbor

Neighbor

Freund’s Farm, Inc.A family farm since 1949

The Dairy Situation

Reduce input costs:

–Rotational Grazing/Cropping

–Energy efficient lights/coolers

–Recycling

–Renewable Energies-methane and solar

Increase farm income:

–Diversification

–Forest management

–Value added production

Adjusting the price/cost ‘gap’ on our farm

Manure on our farm

Renewable•100 lbs/cow EVERYDAY

Recycled•Collect and burn methane•Apply separated liquids as fertilizer•Use solids for value added production– Additional solids used as cow bedding

Reducing our carbon hoof print

• Northeast SARE

• CT Department of Energy & Environmental Protection

• CT Department of Agriculture

• USDA NRCS EQIP

• USDA Rural Development

• USDA SBIR

Turning cow pies into CowPots with grant funding from:

Proven Winners

• Adding value to dairy byproduct for a profit

• Managing excess nutrients• Green alternative for growers

Benefits of Growing in CowPots

•Root penetration

•Air pruning

•3 month shelf life

•No tearing or crushing

•No plastic waste

Cont’d…Benefits

• Peat Free

• 100% Renewable

• American made

• Zero-waste stream manufacturing facility

12 CowPots sizes + custom

The Proof is in the Poo

"At the end of the season, manure-based containers had nearly completely degraded (88 percent), while straw, wood fiber, soil wrap, peat, coir, and rice hull degraded 18-47 percent."

And, how do you sell $#!*?

Growing production of CowPots

Questions?mfreund@snet.net

www.cowpots.com