Perdue: Composting facility in Blades nearly doubles poultry litter recycling

Perdue Farms announced Friday that a $12 million investment in a composting facility in Blades, Del. has increased the company's capacity to handle surplus poultry litter.

Perdue says this composting facility, known as AgriSoil, can compost poultry litter, nutrient-rich agricultural byproducts like treated biosolids from poultry plant wastewater and other organic material such as soybean stems.

Perdue officials say AgriSoil will help the company nearly double the byproduct material they can recycle to approximately 80,000 tons a year.

"Our company depends upon farmers, and we all want to protect the bay," Perdue Farms Chief Operating Officer Randy Day said. "The $80 million we've spent so far on nutrient recycling demonstrates our commitment to supporting the economic and environmental sustainability of agriculture and family farms on Delmarva."

Blades already is home to Perdue AgriRecycle's organic fertilizer plant, part of Perdue's existing $68 million investment in Delmarva nutrient recycling.

Perdue AgriRecycle has handled more than a billion pounds of poultry litter over the last 15 years, according to Perdue.

Perdue says their composting process will result in a product high in organic matter that will be sold for commercial use and lawn and garden products.

By using agricultural byproducts to create new products, Perdue is able to reduce the amount of nutrient-rich byproducts like poultry litter that are land applied, a process that contributes to run-off issues in the Chesapeake Bay.

"We commend and want to support the efforts of Perdue in their new AgriSoil and existing AgriRecycle initiatives," Executive Director and Miles-Wye Riverkeeper Jeffrey Horstman said. "These efforts, investments and new technologies will reduce water pollution from excess nutrient on the Delmarva, which is very much in line with out mission."