Indiana Hosts North American Manure Expo, Highlights Alternative To Chemical Fertilizer

The North American Manure Expo came to Indiana for the first time this year. Animal waste is increasingly big business in agriculture, and the expo drew hundreds of attendees to the state to learn about safety and application techniques.

Newton County Purdue Extension educator and expo co-chair Andrew Martin says it’s important to find a place that could be easily accessible.

“We chose Fair Oaks, a lot of it is location just because so many states travel to go to this,” says Martin.

The expo also gave vendors a chance to show their products to potential customers.

During one of the field demonstrations, six manure spreaders roll across a field in front of a group of attendees.Newer technologies have allowed many farmers to turn to manure as an alternative to chemical fertilizers. 

Jordan Foltz farms in Humphrey, Nebraska, and also sells manure spreaders. He says manure is worth more than some may think.

“It helps cheapen the cost of farming op, you can reuse the waste instead of buying commercial fertilizer,” says Foltz.

Sales director Chris Druce’s company Bunning is headquartered in England. He says being at the expo exhibit helps tap into the North American market.

"The manure expo gives us excellent coverage in the U.S. market so that people get to see our machinery and we get to talk to end users," says Druce.

The expo also included educational sessions on health, safety and new technology. About 550 people attended the event each day. 

This is the event’s 18th year running with next year’s set to take place in Canada.