By CHAD THOMAS
Williamson County Sun

Most people don’t want to take crap from anyone.

But for the Georgetown-based company, Miracle Moo, Inc., it’s just the opposite. They say bring it on.

The fledgling company, now in its fourth month of operation, is doing exactly that: Taking and making the most of manure, in turn making a buck while saving the Earth, one cow patty at a time.

Last fall, Berry Creek neighbors Leslie McClinton and Dave Hulett decided to take a gamble on a product that most would think reeked of risk. But so far, their bet has shown signs of paying off.

Miracle Moo’s signature product, Cow Wow — an organic cow manure compost liquid concentrate — recently became available to commercial buyers. Within the next six weeks Cow Wow will be available for consumer purchase at lawn and garden centers in the Central Texas area. And from early testing, the product appears to be a miraculous mixture for horticulturalists, both professional and part-time.

Working with local nurseries that have conducted side-by-side testing on various garden items ranging from flowers to tomatoes, plants exposed to Cow Wow have shown faster growth and bigger blossoms and fruits than untreated plants, Ms. McClinton said.

Mr. Hulett said the product is successful, expanding upon time-tested knowledge.

“Manure has been around for 5,000 years. Civilizations were built on it,” Mr. Hulett said. “All we’ve done is figure out how to liquefy it and put it a container that’s easy to transport.”

While using manure to improve plant growth is no new concept, Cow Wow is a modern twist on the classic fertilizer. Miracle Moo works with a Texas dairy, taking manure produced by the 1,800 dairy cows on site, eventually running it through what the company dubbed the “poo squisher.” The thousands of gallons of liquid rendered from the manure is then processed from three to five weeks, depending on the time of year, to refine it and remove any pathogens. Finally, Cow Wow makers add the “secret sauce” that gives the liquid concentrate its proper balance of elements such as nitrogen, phosphorous and potassium. They also add botanicals that cover the manure smell. Once bottled, Cow Wow is ready to be sprayed on lawns or potted plants via the garden hose.
According to Mr. Hulett, Cow Wow is the realization of two and a half decades worth of work. Former Georgetown resident Dean Holz began developing the technology to produce a liquefied manure concentrate in early 1980s. But by the time the product was ready for commercial and consumer sales, Mr. Holz passed away after a battle with cancer. The company last August then fell into the hands of a close friend — Mr. Hulett — and it wasn’t long before Ms. McClinton came on board and began heading up the promotional duties for Miracle Moo.

For the two founders of Miracle Moo, the company’s mission goes beyond making a mere fertilizer. Both Ms. McClinton and Mr. Hulett said the goal was to have a positive impact on the environment by making good use of an abundant pollutant. Chemicals in manure, most notably methane, can negatively affect air quality and ground water. Ms. McClinton said one study that the company reviewed reported the average dairy of 2,500 cows annually produces as much waste as a city of 411,000 people. Miracle Moo has the ability to process more than 80,000 pounds of manure during its Cow Wow processing times, keeping that waste from affecting air, soil or water conditions.

“That’s what sets us apart: Our environmental impact,” Ms. McClinton said. “And if you look at it one way, we’re a waste management company whose product just happens to be cow poo.”

In addition to the environmental benefit, Miracle Moo’s efforts also do dairy farmers a favor, removing waste at no charge. Ms. McClinton said it can cost farmers hundreds of dollars per cow each year to remove the thousands of pounds of manure they produce.

Mr. Hulett said the U.S. has nearly 9 million dairy cows, and anything Miracle Moo can do to reduce the negative impact those cows have on the environment is a good thing.

Miracle Moo will also donate a percentage of its net profits to non-profit environmental projects and causes.

For more information on Cow Wow, visit www.cowwow.net.