Does this pioneer have to get scalped?

In Sussex County, where companies produce more broiler chickens than in any other county in the nation, there’s an old saying: “You can’t make chicken salad out of chicken manure.”  That’s not exactly how it usually rolls off the tongue, but you get the picture.

Bruce Blessing, who farms in the northeast corner of Sussex, sees himself as a pioneer in an emerging and rapidly changing industry attempting to shoot holes in that saying. He has partnered with the chicken industry to help convert chicken manure, and other nonrenderable waste products from chicken processing facilities, into valuable compost.

The compost recipe includes mixing waste products with other bulk materials, like yard waste, and allowing them to cook in the heat that the breaking-down process generates. The resulting compost doesn’t only grow the colorful flowers that Blessing sells from his stand along Route 1, it is also in high demand from golf courses, parks and landscapers who need nutrient-rich soil conditioners.

Blessing sees chicken waste as one of Sussex County’s greatest resources.

The poultry industry, for which waste disposal is a chronic problem, would like nothing better than to see Blessing wildly successful in converting their problem into a successful and sustainable industry. With the poultry industry contributing mightily to the state’s economy, Delaware officials also know how important it is to come up with a viable solution to the waste problem.

Blessing’s composting operation, with its great opportunity, also holds great environmental challenges. He’s feeling the pressure from neighbors who don’t want to suffer from the pollutants that can arise from handling such wastes.  In turn, he’s feeling pressure from new regulations designed by the state to protect those neighbors and the natural environment.

The state is right to hold Blessing accountable for an environmentally responsible operation, and he is pledging to meet the demands.

His work can make this a cleaner and greener world while turning waste into a valuable product, but this innovative farmer won’t be able to truly declare success unless he can also make his own part of the world clean and green.