FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

New Website Helps Sell Shenandoah Valley’s Manure and Compost

Contacts: 

Becky Barlow, Shenandoah RC&D (540) 248-6080, Litter Hotline 1-800-418-0768

Hobey Bauhan, Virginia Poultry Federation (540) 433-2451

Verona, VA – April 7, 2008 – Harrisonburg-based Virginia Poultry Federation (VPF) and the Shenandoah Resource Conservation and Development (RC&D) Council, based in Verona, just launched a new website for marketing livestock manure and manure-based products. The website, titled Valley Organic Resources (www.valleyorganicresources.com), was developed by the Shenandoah RC&D Council’s Market Maker, Becky Barlow.

The purpose of the website is to provide a virtual marketplace for people buying and selling manure-based products, and to augment the Poultry Litter Hotline which Barlow has operated since January 2007. Visitors to the website will find lists containing contact information for growers with litter to sell, brokers who haul and spread litter, compost suppliers with compost to sell, and buyers interested in these products.  To be listed as a buyer or seller, contact Barlow by email (rebecca.barlow@rcdnet.net), or call the toll-free organic resources hotline: 1-800-418-0768.

The Market Maker position was created in November 2006 through the efforts of the Waste Solutions Forum, a diverse group of public and private stakeholders who work together to identify innovative and practical solutions to managing livestock and poultry manure in the Shenandoah Valley. The position was designed to complement ongoing efforts to support animal agriculture while improving water quality. It is funded by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation.

In addition to serving as a marketplace for manure and compost, the Valley Organic Resources website contains links to information on the appropriate use of these products. In the future, the site will provide information on new products being developed from emerging waste-to-energy technologies, as well as announce events and workshops related to organic resources.

VPF is a nonprofit, trade association founded in 1925. For additional information, please contact the Virginia Poultry Federation, 333 Neff Avenue, Suite C, Harrisonburg, VA 22801, 540-433-2451, FAX 540-433-3256, E-Mail: hobey@vapoultry.com, Website: www.vapoultry.com.

The Shenandoah RC&D Council is a locally-led nonprofit organization that promotes sustainable economic growth and environmental quality, and is an equal opportunity provider and employer. For more information please contact Becky Barlow, Market Maker, 70 Dick Huff Lane, P.O. Box 60, Verona, VA 24482, 540-248-6080, FAX 540-248-5502, E-mail: rebecca.barlow@rcdnet.net . Website: www.valleyorganicresources.com .

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