A Green Goat Farm Thrives in the Negev Desert
Against all odds, Anat and Daniel Kornmehl started a goat dairy in Israel's Negev Desert 14 years ago. With an aim to improve the land, and conditions for their animals they've worked with experts to find a "green" way to dispose of the high-fat-content waste water produced by the dairy. Adam Dickter has the story:
The solution they found involves an 18-foot square artificial wetland. Waste water is filtered through plants, then through a layer of coarse sand and another layer of gravel, all about two feet high. The emerging water is then collected and used, for now, to water shrubbery on the grounds.
When the four-year-old project is expanded next year, the Kornmehls hope the recycled water will be used to irrigate the grazing field for their herd. It will not be clean enough, however, for human or animal consumption.
