Thousand Oaks Firm Tests Farm-Waste Recycling Plan

Environmental Products & Technologies Corp. in Thousand Oaks will begin demonstrating its Closed Loop Waste Management System for the reduction of organic wastes at a large dairy farm in Chino that has 300,000 dairy cows in a 4-mile radius.

Additional demonstrations will run at the Ogden Stock Yard in Utah.

The Closed Loop Waste Management System is designed to convert animal wastes into a pathogen-free, nutrient-rich, soil supplement. The system will be marketed to dairy farms, feeder cow operations, the poultry industry, horse breeders and racetrack facilities.

The U.S. Senate is currently studying a bill introduced by Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa) that proposes an appropriation of $2.4 billion over four years to inspect and clean up animal feeding operations.

A report compiled by the Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry states that U.S. cattle operations produce 1.2 billion tons of manure each year, and the 1,600 dairies in California’s Central Valley produce more waste than a city of 21 million people.

Officials for the corporation say that by using its system the cattle industry can convert mountains of waste to a marketable soil supplement. The system will help solve the environmental problem while enhancing the productivity of farming and large livestock operations, the officials said.