Manure mountain smolders on

[stevedeshazer]

MILFORD, Neb. (AP) - Urban dwellers who enjoy dining on filet mignon at five-star restaurants would probably just as soon not know about David Dickinson's problem.

Bad for the appetite, you know.

But Dickinson, who makes his living in the cattle business, has an environmental problem on his hands that is vexing state officials: a 2,000-ton pile of burning cow manure.

Dickinson owns and manages Midwest Feeding Co., about 20 miles west of Lincoln. It takes in as many as 12,000 cows at a time from farmers and ranchers and fattens them for market.

However, the bovine byproducts from the massive operation resulted in a dung pile 100 feet long, 30 feet high and 50 feet wide that spontaneously combusted about two months ago and continues to smolder, despite attempts to douse it.

http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=1638&u_sid=1320317

[JHB]

1. Sell it as "art"

"Allegory of the Republican Media Machine"

Perfect for a huge, smoking pile of crap

[saltpoint]

18. : )

[Gold Metal Flake]

2. Other ranchers have found a solution...

http://www.cvps.com/cowpower/index.shtml




Articles

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/05/14/BAGJG6LG3R15.DTL

http://www.riverdeep.net/current/2002/03/032502t_cowpower.jhtml

http://www.cnn.com/2005/TECH/science/01/18/cow.power.ap/


edit: articles added.

[stevedeshazer]

15. That's a good solution

As someone who has spent a considerable amount of time standing in, smelling, wiping off, and shoveling cow manure, I'm all for it.

[Gold Metal Flake]

17. Im still get homesick for grandpas ranch when I smell fresh manure

...but within reson.

I can see this system expanded to include waste from larger animal facilities. Now, if Carter were president, we would have an effective goverment plan for developing this. The next Dem President will be "encouraged" to do so.

[CottonBear]

3. Use it for heat or to generate electricity.

I'm sure that is possible. It's a renewable resource.

[ewagner]

4. Methane digesters

to create electricity.......in my last job I had the opportunity to visit a dairy operation that did just that....they generated all the electricity they needed for a 2,000 cow dairy operation, 60 ADDITIONAL HOMES and vehicles used on the farm....don't know what happened to the operation..........

[CottonBear]

5. Wow! Think how much energy could be produced

from all of the livestock in the US. I've got a horse who makes lots of manure. When I move to the country, I'lll have to set up an electrical generating facility!

[ewagner]

6. LOL...

You'll need more than ONE horse.....

The people who set up the digester I saw were trying to sell the system to California where there are HUGE dairy operations and lots of manure....

[LiberallyInclined]

8. but are the two related?

"...California where there are HUGE dairy operations and lots of manure...."

[CottonBear]

9. She is a good source of organic fertilizer!

All natural food in - all natural horse poo out! Plus, I get lots of exercise scooping and hauling the poop.

[troubleinwinter]

7. Stick a flag in it.

http://www.madeyouthink.org

[electropop]

13. OMG! ROTFL That is beautiful! n/t

[depakid]

10. What to do with a 2,000-ton pile of smoldering shit....

Maybe they should just dynamite it into little pieces....

There is precedent for that approach-

http://perp.com/whale/

[JohnyCanuck]

14. Send it to DC and add it to the steaming pile of shit already there.

n/t

[stevedeshazer]

16. Yes, indeed

The Exploding Whale, one fine project.

[Hugin]

11. Ah, darn... Just another thread about the MSM.

Talk about post-modernism... Sheesh. ;)

[electropop]

12. I thought you were talking about the latest Bush BS.

But this mountain would be a molehill next to Bush's pile.