Missouri, other states look for best way to use poultry litter

SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- State officials are trying to sort out the best plan to deal with poultry litter, after hearing several ideas from researchers.

Oklahoma, Arkansas and Missouri officials met last week in Siloam Springs to talk about the best way to dispose of excess litter from chicken farms in their area.

The issue is of particular importance in light of Arkansas and Oklahoma's fight over water quality standards.

Oklahoma enacted a phosphorous standard of 0.037 milligrams per liter for scenic rivers, including some that flow from Arkansas. Arkansas officials say that limit will hurt economic development in the growing northwest region, which has many poultry farms. Many see the poultry industry as the culprit in polluting the rivers.

Some researchers say electricity is a good method for handling leftover poultry litter. But they differ on what process would be the best and cheapest.

Other potential uses include turning it into low-quality natural gas and a cleaning solvent or pelletized fertilizer and heat for chicken houses.

Some researchers' ideas could be fully developed in a few months and cost as little as $50,000 on a small scale. Others would take years to implement, would likely cost tens of millions of dollars but, researchers say, would be a good use for thousands of tons of litter each year.

"We need to think about what they said, get together and discuss it with the other states," said Earl Smith, chief of the Arkansas Soil and Water Commission's water resources management division. "I'm not ready to throw any of them out. In the time to come, there may be a place for each one of them."

Jim Wimberly, president of the Foundation for Organic Resources Management in Fayetteville, said the most efficient way to turn litter into electricity is to feed it into a boiler and burn it. The steam could be turned into electricity. A company with plants in England already uses this process.