KCCI EIGHT NEWS AT FIVE, NEW AT FIVE. A FARMER AND IOWA STATE UNIVERSITY RESEARCHERS FOUND A WAY TO CUT DOWN SYNTHETIC FERTILIZER USE. KCCI CHIEF INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER SUZANNE BENKE IS HERE TO EXPLAIN WHY THIS MATTERS. FOR AGRICULTURE. YEAH, LAURA, THIS IS A 12 YEAR EFFORT BY FARMER BRYAN SIEVERS. HIS GOAL WAS TO FARM HIS BEEF CATTLE AND CROP OPERATION NEAR STOCKTON AS SUSTAINABLY AS POSSIBLE. HE AND IOWA STATE RESEARCHERS WORKED TOGETHER AND PUBLISHED A STUDY RECENTLY. THEY BELIEVE WHAT THEY LEARNED COULD BE USED ELSEWHERE. FARMING IN IOWA COMES DOWN TO DIRT AND HOW HEALTHY IT IS. A NEW STUDY SHOWS HOW FARMER BRYAN SIEVERS IS IMPROVING HIS. WE HAVE TWO BUCKETS WITH SOIL FROM FARMS, AND IN THIS CASE, THESE TWO SOILS IS ONE OF THE SOILS IS WITH A LOW CARBON LEVEL IN THE SOIL AND THE OTHER ONE IS WITH A HIGH CARBON LEVEL IN SOIL. THIS PROJECT STARTED 12 YEARS AGO. SIEVERS PUT IN SOMETHING CALLED AN ANAEROBIC DIGESTER. IT’S BASICALLY A GIANT COMPOSTER THAT USES MICROORGANISMS TO BREAK DOWN ORGANIC WASTE. I JUST KNEW THAT IT WAS A WAY TO TAKE YOUR MANURE, PROCESS THE MANURE, AND MAXIMIZE THE VALUE OF THAT RESOURCE. THIS RESULTS IN BIOGAS, A SLURRY, AND A SOLID CALLED DIGESTATE. THE MATERIAL THAT COMES OUT IS IS REALLY NATURE’S BEST FERTILIZER. SIEVERS USED IT JUST THAT WAY. HE, FERNANDO MIGUEZ AND SEBASTIAN VILLARINO COAUTHORED A STUDY IN THE JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURE AND FOOD RESEARCH. THE REPORT SAYS HOW DIGESTATE MADE THE SOIL BETTER FOR SIEVERS. IT’S CLOSE TO REPLACING MAN MADE FERTILIZER. HE SEES A FUTURE FOR THIS. FOR OTHER FARMERS. THAT’S POTENTIALLY ONE OF THE BIGGEST REWARDS FROM THIS APPROACH IS THAT IF YOU HAVE FARMERS, NEIGHBORING FARMERS WHO DON’T EITHER HAVE THE DESIRE TO BUILD AN ANAEROBIC DIGESTER OR THE OR THE CAPITAL, OR THE LIVESTOCK, OR, YOU KNOW, THE RESOURCES THAT IT TAKES TO TO BUILD A DIGESTER. THEY CAN STILL BE A PART OF THIS. THE IOWA STATE SCIENTISTS SEE GREAT POTENTIAL TO, IN MY OPINION, A SIGNIFICANCE OF THIS STUDY IS THAT WE’RE SHOWING THIS AT A COMMERCIAL SCALE, WHICH IS NOT VERY COMMON, RIGHT? THERE COULD BE OTHER BENEFITS FROM THIS PRACTICE, SUCH AS IMPROVED WATER QUALITY. BUT THE RESEARCHERS TELL US THAT MORE SCIENCE, MORE DATA WOULD NEED TO BE COLLECTED.