School music booster club to sell alpaca manure

[April 20, 2010]  ST. CHARLES, Ill. (AP) -- The music booster club at Central Community Unit School District 301 in St. Charles isn't bothering with bake sales and car washes this year.

Instead, it's selling bags of something promoters call "paca poo." Minus the cute name, the product is alpaca manure.

Booster club secretary Gudrun Dorgan said it is a great garden fertilizer, and it comes in little pellets that are easy to work into the ground.

Parents, students and teachers will be scooping and selling droppings on Saturday at Inspiration Farm Alpacas. A 30-pound bag will cost $10.

Farm owner Jeff Koehl has been raising alpacas for four years and usually sells manure for profit. He said alpacas digest their food more efficiently than most farm animals, so their waste doesn't smell too bad and doesn't require lengthy composting.

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Information from: Chicago Tribune, http://www.chicagotribune.com

[Associated Press]

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