Tennessee State Fair organizers are planning to take unsual steps to save money this year, by literally turning “poop into power.”  They have found a way to generate their own power while eliminating animal waste.State Fair Director of Marketing Chrysty Fortner says the fair generates 560 tons of manure from all the livestock shown at the event each year.  The fair will take the manure, along with wood shavings and switch grass, and mix them with methanol, all on site.  The mixture will become biodiesel which will power the entire midway, along with other equipment that runs on diesel.  Officials hope to make about 30,000 gallons of fuel.

The fair decided to use the manure to power the midway because it was too costly to continue to shovel the mess to the landfill.   Fair officials say the byproduct from the used fuel actually makes a fertilizer, and they plan on giving that away to anyone who wants it.