A Place for a Scatological Movement

Let’s begin with the late Gene Logsdon, who wrote the book, Holy Shit: Managing Manure to Save Mankind.

Publisher:	Chelsea Green Publishing
Pub. Date:	August 30, 2010
ISBN:	9781603582513

Known as the contrary farmer, Gene Logsdon provides the inside story of manure-our greatest, yet most misunderstood, natural resource. He begins by lamenting a modern society that not only throws away both animal and human manure-worth billions of dollars in fertilizer value-but that spends a staggering amount of money to do so. This wastefulness makes even less sense as the supply of mined or chemically synthesized fertilizers dwindles and their cost skyrockets. In fact, he argues, if we do not learn how to turn our manures into fertilizer to keep food production in line with increasing population, our civilization, like so many that went before it, will inevitably decline.

With his trademark humor, his years of experience writing about both farming and waste management, and his uncanny eye for the small but important details, Logsdon artfully describes how to manage farm manure, pet manure and human manure to make fertilizer and humus. He covers the field, so to speak, discussing topics like:

• How to select the right pitchfork for the job and use it correctly
• How to operate a small manure spreader
• How to build a barn manure pack with farm animal manure
• How to compost cat and dog waste
• How to recycle toilet water for irrigation purposes, and
• How to get rid ourselves of our irrational paranoia about feces and urine.

Experientially, I know a bit about Scat (poop).  For six and a half wonderful years, I have been cleaning up after four to seven goats and ten to a dozen chickens with the intent to compost as much as possible.  It is a messy, stinky task, but somebody must do it.

But this week, Rett decided that the rose garden needed leveling and the vegetable garden needed amended soil, so we turned to Jones Topsoil and purchased 20 cubic yards (enough to fill a large dump trunk). 

 It is difficult to find good neighbors these days, unless you are blessed to live at Merry Mount. On a gorgeous Spring day, after seeing the mountain of topsoil that had been delivered onto the concrete slab in the driveway near the barn, behold, our great neighbors (Lee, Robert, Dave, Keith and Joni) arrived to help “move the mountain”.  Here are a few photos from the day.

Lee and Robert shoveling sh*t

Dave Junk-the back saver

Rett-Master Spreader

Keith and Joni McKenley- depth advisors

Mission accomplished

What would a day of moving scat be (or a blog about scat) without some wipe up?  We all are dealing with the run on toilet paper and, therefore, the next story seems appropriate.  According to the Associate Press:

NCSolutions, a data and consulting firm, said online and in-store U.S. toilet paper sales rose 51% between Feb. 24 and March 10, as buyers started getting uneasy about the growing number of virus cases. But sales rocketed a whopping 845% on March 11 and 12 as states announced lockdowns.

The big three U.S. toilet paper companies — Georgia-Pacific LLC, Proctor & Gamble Co. and Kimberly-Clark Corp. — were already running their toilet paper plants 24 hours a day before the new coronavirus hit. That’s the only way they can make a profit on such a low-margin product.

The companies are trying to increase output by making fewer varieties of toilet paper. They’re also trying to get the product to stores more quickly. Atlanta-based Georgia-Pacific is working with packaging suppliers to get more materials and maximizing the number of deliveries it can ship from its facilities.

My brother Adam tells me that his wife Dalene, who is a logistics person employed by Kimberly-Clark Corp., is working from 5:00 am to 5:00pm (from home) communicating with retailers about when the next shipment of toilet paper will arrive.

Coda:

Some of you may know that Mozart had a foul mouth and actually composed several songs about scat. 

Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart is a dirty old man : the scatological canons and songs. English version by Anne Grossman.

Author:	Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart; Lois Winter; Ben Bryant; Richard Shadley; Thomas Pyle; All authors
Publisher:	New York, N.Y. : Epic Records, [1967?]

And of course, sometime in the early 1990s, at a music festival celebrating Maestro Mozart, I joined three others poops and we performed several song and canons on a concert.

I leave you with this:

There once was a man named Pat,

Who reveled in “chewing the fat”.

He called forth his friends,

To help with amends,

Together they shoveled up Scat.

CPW