Imagine turning manure into water, and then drinking it.
Wisconin dairy farmer John Vrieze has been working on a project that he says takes his cow manure, which is 90% water, extracts the nutrients, and turns the rest of the waste into clean, clear drinkable water.
Vrieze uses the waste's nitrogen and methane for energy, fertilizer, bedding for his cows, and the rest he says he turns into water.
He's been waiting for the last 30 months for the Department of Natural Resources to grant him a permit to use the recycled water on his fields.
Without that permit, the water has to go into a lagoon with the other waste.
"Everybody I talk to says this is really great technology the dairy industry needs to change the way they handle liquid manure and this is the biggest change I've ever seen in my life, and it'll really impact the industry," said Vrieze.
