04/27/2026
If my cow's milk and beef contained antibiotics, heavy metals and residual pharmaceutical drugs all deemed "safe" would you still want to drink the milk and eat the meat? If your answer is yes, by all means keep scrolling. For those of you left reading, this message is for you. Especially folks living in the following states: Wisconsin, Maryland, Vermont, Indiana, Oklahoma, Hawaii, Colorado and Texas.
Recently there has been discussion online about the use of "humanure" basically human waste being "composted" and spread, sprayed, or injected into soil as fertilizer for croplands, pastures and forest land. I read one commenter say "compost is compose, what's the big deal? Actually no, compost isn't all the same. Especially when it comes to humanure.
Using human waste (“humanure”) as fertilizer is often promoted as a sustainable, closed-loop solution. But when it comes to grazing land for cattle, the risks deserve serious attention, especially over the long term.
Human waste can contain more than just nutrients. It contains trace amounts of heavy metals (like lead, mercury, and cadmium), antibiotic residues, and other pharmaceutical compounds that pass through the human body largely unchanged. These substances don’t simply disappear during composting.
While proper, long-term composting can significantly reduce pathogens, it does not reliably break down heavy metals, and many pharmaceuticals are only partially degraded. Some compounds persist in the finished compost and can accumulate in soil over time.
Repeated application of humanure to pastures cause heavy metals to accumulate in the soil, where they are absorbed by grasses and forage eaten by grazing animals. At the same time, pharmaceutical residues such as antibiotics can disrupt soil ecosystems and contribute to antimicrobial resistance, with cattle ultimately ingesting these contaminants through the forage or soil they consume.
Over time, this raises concerns about chronic toxicity in livestock, reduced animal health and productivity, and contamination of meat and dairy products.
There have been documented cases in agricultural research where long-term application of treated human waste led to measurable accumulation of contaminants in soil and plants. While not every scenario results in acute harm, the risk is cumulative and often invisible until damage is done.
A friend recently shared a video with me of a man speaking to his local government officials pleading with them to not allow this to be spread. The video referenced a farmer that spread humanure on his pasture and suddenly 70 head of cattle died. Another farmer had stillborn calves that were born appearing perfectly healthy but dead. The dead animal's livers and muscle tissue showed toxic levels of bioaccumulative heavy metals.
The key issue isn’t just what happens after one application, it’s what happens after years or decades of repeated use.
Bottom line is this... Humanure may have a place in certain controlled systems, but applying it to active grazing pasture introduces variables that are difficult to monitor and manage. Without rigorous testing, regulation, and long-term soil tracking, it’s a gamble that can affect both animal health and the food supply.
Folks living in the following states: Wisconsin, Maryland, Vermont, Indiana, Oklahoma, Hawaii, Colorado and Texas, YOUR states have proposed legislation of land application of bio solids to be spread on land. However this is soon to effect every state in the USA. Don't delay, contact your state legislature (both the House and Senate) and the governor’s office. They set state laws and regulations on agriculture, environmental protection, and land use. Tell them humanure isn't worth the risk.
