Manure at Agribition, not just a pile of dung

Considering there are about 2,500 head of livestock amassed in Regina for Agribition, one may wonder what happens to all the manure the animals produce. CBC News reporter Adrian Cheung picked up a microphone and a shovel to find out.

"It can smell pretty ripe in here sometimes," Cheung noted in his report Thursday.

He learned that Agribition organizers work with the city and a nearby farmer to ensure the waste doesn't go to waste.

"We have a relationship with the city and we work with them at the landfill," Marty Seymour, CEO of the Canadian Western Agribition, explained to Cheung. "It's biodegradable material so it's very useful."

The local farmer, Seymour added, uses the manure as a fertilizer. Cow dung is rich with nutrients.

The volume of dung produced varies, depending on the breed of animal and its size. According to some calculations, published online, one cow or steer can generate 20 to 50 kilograms of manure per day. Multiple that by 2,500 animals at Agribition for the course of a week, and it's quite a pile of ... well, you get the picture.

For cattle rancher Bryce Moreland, it's not about the cow patties but the beef patties the animals become.

"Right now cattle prices are at an ultimate high," Moreland said. "So when you see 'em pooping, you know you're making money."

Another rancher, Cory Ducherer, noted that dealing with manure is just part of the business of agriculture. Even when animals do their business at inopportune times.

"If you're headed to the show ring, sometimes you just have to take your bare hand and wipe it [away]," Ducherer said. "So you take your hand and wipe it on your jeans and keep on going."

Manure at Agribition

10 years ago

Duration 1:59

CBC's Adrian Cheung learns more about the business end of a cow.