Scientists believe that processed and sterilised cow manure could take the place of sawdust in making fibreboard, which is used to make everything from furniture to flooring to store shelves.

Although the resulting product is odourless, there is skepticism over consumer acceptance.

"Is this something you're going to bring into the house?" asked Steve Fowler, an economist with the Composite Panel Association, a trade group representing building material manufacturers.

As the dairy industry expands, farmers find themselves with more manure than they can handle.

"Farmers are having to put more and more money into dealing with manure," said Tim Zauche, a chemistry professor at the University of Wisconsin-Platteville. "This is a huge cost to farmers."

Under pressure from Government, more farmers are installing expensive manure treatment systems known as anaerobic digesters.

The digesters heat treat the manure to deodorise and sterilise it, whilst capturing methane gas produced to generate electricity. The systems also separate out a phosphorus-laden liquid fertiliser from the semi-solid plant residue.

The resulting solids have already been used as animal bedding and potting soil. Agricultural scientists would like to find more uses for something that is seen as waste.