It’s a stinky situation but nothing a group of marketing students at Brigham Young University’s Marriott School can’t handle. Cows at the BYU Dairy are supplying the dairy notonly with thousands of gallons of milk but also with mountains of manure each year.
“Manure disposal is a big issue environmentally because of the smell and the weed seed found in the manure,” said BYU Farm Manager, Carl Richie.
A few years ago, management for the dairy decided to invest in equipment that would turn the manure into compost that could be sold to the community for gardening. The equipment worked well, but, instead of having mountains of manure, the dairy was stuck with mountains of unsold compost.
“Last year, we produced a lot more compost than we sold,” Richie said. “We just didn’t know how to get the word out to the public about the compost.”
Dairy management turned to Marriott School Professor Mark H. Hansen’s strategic-management class for help. The strategy class utilized focus groups and other market research to find the best distribution channels for the compost.
“We wanted to find a niche where the compost could provide the greatest value,” said J.B. Rowberry,a senior majoring in business management. “We’ve found several different ways the product can be used in the area for the benefit of the community.”
Management’s decision to utilize the students' research results and suggested strategies and tactics isalready paying off. “We’ve sold in two weeks more than we did all of last year,” Richie said. Now, the problem the dairy faces is running out of its new commodity: BYU-brand compost.
“These students have done so well that there’s more demand than the dairy can supply,” Hansen said.
Dairy management has sold much of the compost to wholesale landscape-supply companies, but management is anxious to provide BYU faculty and people in the community with compost for their personal gardens.
“Now is the time for people to start buying,” said Josh Garner, a senior majoring in business management. “It’s an amazing compost. It looks, feels and smells just like dirt.”
Those interested in purchasing compost should contact the dairy at (801) 423-2200 or visit the farm at 8845 S. 800 East in Salem.
The Marriott School is located at Brigham Young University, the largest privately owned, church-sponsored university in the United States. The school has nationally and internationally ranked programs in accountancy, business management, information systems, organizational behavior and entrepreneurship. The mission of the Marriott School is to educate men and women of faith, character and professional ability who will become outstanding managers and leaders throughout the world. Approximately 3,000 students are enrolled in the Marriott School's graduate and undergraduate programs.
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Writer: S. Wade Hansen (801) 378-1512
