SUTTER, Calif. – The Sutter County (Calif.) Planning Commission recently approved plans to turn 20 acres of empty land into a poultry manure composting facility, according to local news reports.

Jack Spence Inc. applied for a use permit for the facility. The company is a privately owned freight hauling business out of Orland, Calif. Jack Spence plans to take chicken litter from Foster Farms and other poultry operations, mix it with agricultural minerals, sterilize it and sell it to farmers for fertilizer.

The property would store approximately 25,000 tons of chicken manure and 25,000 tons of gypsum and agricultural lime. The business will reportedly employ up to 20 people.