Kestrel Ridge Pellet Is Using Wool to Fertilize Gardens
Kestrel Ridge Pellet Co is using sheep wool as an entirely natural fertilizer – a first of its kind in Nebraska.
Inspired by research being conducted at the University of Vermont, the company has developed a method of processing low quality wool to produce high quality fertilizer. This process takes advantage of the natural landscape of Nebraska’s sheep farms. These sheep are bred for meat and have low quality wool which, until now, has been burned or buried.
Kestrel Ridge Pellet Co., a first generation sheep farm, was looking for potential use cases for their accumulating low grade wool when they came across the research conducted by the University of Vermont on wool pellets. In this research, field trials were conducted on fruit and vegetable farms using wool pellets. It was found that wool pellets can absorb, hold and release water and nutrients over time, fertilizing those crops with “generous” nitrogen and then safely incorporating into the soil.
The company developed their own pelleting process to turn their leftover wool into pellets, first shredding and fleecing before pelleting in a mill. Throughout this process, the company has found the wool needs to be used within 1 year to maintain its efficacy.
Kestrel Ridge Pellet Co has reached their maximum production capacity with their existing equipment and pans to scale up in the future as demand grows.
Are you developing new technology for an existing application? Did you know your development work could be eligible for the R&D Tax Credit and you can receive up to 14% back on your expenses? Even if your development isn’t successful your work may still qualify for R&D credits (i.e. you don’t need to have a patent to qualify). To find out more, please contact a Swanson Reed R&D Specialist today or check out our free online eligibility test.
Who We Are:
Swanson Reed is one of the U.S.’ largest Specialist R&D tax advisory firms. We manage all facets of the R&D tax credit program, from claim preparation and audit compliance to claim disputes.
Swanson Reed regularly hosts free webinars and provides free IRS CE and CPE credits for CPAs. For more information please visit us at www.swansonreed.com/webinars or contact your usual Swanson Reed representative.
