Even though poultry litter is rich in nutrients, it has often been blamed for elevating nitrogen levels in the Chesapeake Bay and has also been suspected as one of the causes in the Shenandoah River fish kills.

To be eligible, farmers in Rockingham and Page County have to ship to other farms outside of the Shenandoah Valley. Right now, there is a strong demand for poultry litter because commercial fertilizer prices have risen in the past couple of years.

"Hope that it will be an incentive for farmers in these areas to get a nutrient management plan if they don't already have one and to use this valuable nutrient source on their farm fields. Hopefully it will be beneficial agronomically and environmentally," says Hobey Bauhan, the president of the Virginia Poultry Federation.