CowPots are the invention of necessity. Brothers Matt and Ben Freund are second generation dairy farmers in the northwest hills of Connecticut. In the dairy industry one of the most challenging jobs is to manage the nutrient stream in an environmentally sound manner. The brothers have tried very hard to follow in the footsteps of their father who started the farm in 1949. Eugene was always on the cutting edge of new technologies, especially in areas related to efficient nutrient management. Freund’s Farm was one of the first in the state to store manure to apply in a timely fashion to optimize crop nutrient uptake.

The brothers continue to look for maximum benefit from new technologies. Since 1997, they are one of only a few farms across the United States to have continuously run a methane digester. This is a process in which the raw manure from the cows is heated and stored in a large tank. The methane gas is collected and burned. At the end of this process the solids are separated from the liquid. The liquid goes back to the field to grow next year’s crops which feed the cows. The solids continue composting. It is this composted manure that is weed-seed free, and is used to mold CowPots.

CowPots are a patented, environmentally friendly product made from the nutrient rich manure and exported to your garden. Plus the CowPots reduce the nutrient load on our farm.

Farmers and gardeners have always considered cow manure a wholesome organic soil amendment for their gardens. The challenge was to find a new and better way to get manure to these gardens and be of true value to consumers. This is why CowPots were born.

They started by looking at manure in a different way. Matt experimented with different ways to make a durable but biodegradable pot. He realized two things; one - this was a really good idea and two - he needed to find financial support to adequately develop this pot to meet commercial standards. He contacted the U.S. Department of Agriculture and received enthusiastic support through a number of grant programs.

Matt went back to the kitchen where he started experimenting with the manure fibers, drying the pots in his wife’s toaster oven. This didn’t do much for his marriage, but it allowed him the ability to share his vision with other people. After many trials and tribulations, the brothers found a process in which allows them to mass produce pots of limitless sizes and shapes at an economical cost. These pots can withstand months in the greenhouse, but within 4 weeks of being planted in the ground they dissolve and continue to feed the plant. The benefits in the production and use of CowPots are two-fold. This product helps farmers reduce the nutrient load on their farms which directly contributes to a better and cleaner environment and they have been proven to grow bigger, better plants for the consumers who have no plastic to discard and overload our landfills. The ideal product for farmers and growers.