Hi, my name is Leo Hoffman and I’m a Communications
major/Marketing minor at Salisbury University. However, this blog site is not
about me. It’s all about the current trends that are taking place in the
Delmarva area. I am presently taking a trends news class at school, and will be
creating four news stories on the current issues of the area. The topics I do
my stories on could literally be about anything. This opens an exciting door to
me. I get to pick whatever I want to cover, whatever interests me. I can assure
you the topics will be interesting and I won’t be afraid to get my hands dirty.
As a matter of fact, I may get very dirty working on my first project for this
class. I have decided to do my first story on a new manure filtration system
that is being implemented by a farm in Berlin, Maryland. The company is called
Planet Found Energy Development. They are the first to be trying out this
prototype, and they’re right here on the Eastern shore. A proprietary
nutrient-capture system removes the phosphates entirely from the manure. This
system could theoretically completely change the farming industry. Why? Well
farms and farmers have long been pointed at as a main source of pollution. The
insecticides and runoff from their manure are often damaging to the nearby
waterways they may find. However, if the phosphates are entirely removed from
the manure, then it can’t damage the health of local rivers, creeks, etc. It
also means farmers would need to use less manure, since they can take the
extracted phosphates and use them solely and accurately where needed. This can
save the farmers and ultimately consumers money. If this system works, it could
potentially catch on in the farming industry very quickly. I’ll be monitoring
whether other farms in the area begin to implement the same equipment. Delmarva
could be the first place to be using the potentially breakthrough technology. I
think that’s what so exciting about this story. It’s always exciting to be at
the forefront of any technology or opportunity. I’m looking to get interviews
with an executive at Planet Found Energy Development as well as the farmers who
are currently putting it to use. I plan to learn more details about how the
system works and its possible effects on the community. I will be taking a P2
camera with me to record everything that I see. In two weeks, I will have
completed a 1 minute 30 second video on exactly what’s going on in Berlin. Is
it the start of a brand new poultry industry trend, originating right here in
Delmarva? I’m going to find out.
