2012 Wrap Up and Heads Up for Next Meeting

        Well the Maryland Horse Council Farm Stewardship Committee had a good year.  We held wonderful meetings at the lovely farms of Carolyn Krome and Steve Darcey, made new contacts, clarified our mission and gave the Maryland Horse Council a more powerful voice in the political world of agriculture and the environment.  Our mission of getting recognition for our well-managed horse farms is off to a strong start with the help of  Gerald Talbert, Project Leader of the Maryland Farm Stewardship, Certification and Assessment Program (FSCAP) who explained the program to meeting participants and took the initiative to print a program brochure highlighting our horses.  As of mid-December, we can celebrate the fact that FIVE horse farms with a total of 430 acres are now "Certified Agricultural Conservation Stewards."

Congratulations to Persimmon Tree Farm and Carolyn Krome,  Edgewood Farm and Steve Darcey, Bloomsbury Forge and Karla Stoner, Graden/ Rover’s Content and  Milly Welsh, and Wyndham Oaks and Lori Larson.


In our mission to keep connecting horse farms with the technical and financial resources available to them, we have posted a resource list on the website, provided a forum for presentations from Maryland Soil Conservation Districts and our vice-chair, Amy Burk, has presented information on the many programs available through the University of Maryland system, especially in the area of pasture management.  We will continue to seek out and disseminate information on these resources.

In cooperation with the Maryland Horse Council legislative gurus (mainly vice president Jane Seigler), we have provided information on the laws and regulations governing land use, including sending out notices about opportunities to provide comments on draft laws and regulations.  This effort led to modification of some rules to make them more practical and user-friendly to our horse community.  

In our examination of farm stewardship issues, we have identified the need to clarify options for composting horse manure on your own farm and at commercial facilities.  An issue for discussion at the first meeting of 2013 will be whether to compile a list of quality haulers and composters for use by new horse farm owners and those considering the composting options.  

So, hats off to all of the people who helped move the farm stewardship programs forward and to our president Stueart Pittman for his support.  Thank you.  

For next year, we are off to a great beginning with the Winter Farm Stewardship Committee Meeting set to be held at Wyndham Oaks in Montgomery County from 3:00 to 5:30 pm on Monday, February 18 (Presidents' Day).  I am delighted to report that Lori Larson, the owner of Wyndham Oaks, has agreed to not only host the meeting at her beautiful dressage barn club room but also speak about her experience with the Farm Stewardship Certification Program.  In addition, we will have the pleasure of tour and presentation of the barn's design by its architect, John Blackburn, who specializes in barns designed for healthy horses and the use of natural light and ventilation.  Amy Burk will fill out the program with information on new University of Maryland programs for equines and on the renovated teaching farm on the university campus. 

Thanks to everyone for your positive energies and efforts in improving and celebrating our horse farm stewardship.

Happy Holidays !!!!!!!!!!!

Jane 

Report on the Second Meeting

Maryland Horse Council Farm Stewardship Second Meeting, October 8, 2012

It was a chilly autumn afternoon at beautiful Edgewood Farm, the home of Steve and Bonnie Darcey.  Steve is a conservation engineer with the Prince George’s Soil Conservation District and Bonnie is an accomplished show hunter equestrienne. 

Our group of about 20 gathered in the indoor arena.  Jane Thery, Chair of the MHC Farm Stewardship Committee, opened the meeting with thanks for the Darceys for hosting the meeting and a round of introductions of those present.  The group ranged from farm management experts to those looking for information on the latest environmentally-sound horse farm management ideas. 

Steve Darcey began his farm tour with thanks to the event sponsors, Colonial Farm Credit and the Prince George’s Soil Conservation District.  The group clambered up onto his hay wagon for the tour.  The first stop was to see a drainage system and row of warm-weather grasses.  The drainage system included an underground pipe, plantings to hold the soil and rubble to protect from erosion.  As Darcey said, the point of the system is to “wear out the water” by running it around until is slowed way down.  This is an essential element of keeping sediment and nutrients out to the Chesapeake Bay watershed.  The grasses are planted to improve wildlife habitat and hold the soil.  Both of these farm improvements received significant funding from state and local programs.  The second stop was at the composting area.  Darcey composts the manure and bedding from his own horse operation and hauls in horse manure from about ten nearby farms.  The compost is turned regularly, situated well away from water courses and is sold in bulk, primarily as potting soil.  

On returning to the indoor, Gerald Talbert, Project Leader of the Maryland Farm Stewardship, Certification and Assessment Program (FSCAP) explained the process of farm certification which includes having a nutrient management plan, a conservation plan and meeting all state and county requirement for nutrient management.  He noted that both the farm community and the environmental community support the program.  To date, there are four certified horse farms with several others in the process of assessment. 

Eileen Beard, the Maryland Department of Agriculture Equine Specialist, explained that she and her colleagues at the Soil Conservation District offices are ready to help horse farms review their farm stewardship needs, provide technical assistance at no cost and identify state and federal sources of financing. 

Jane Seigler, Vice President of the Maryland Horse Council, gave an update on the Maryland nutrient management regulations, noting that input from the horse community did make the final regulations more user-friendly to horse farms.  The regulations include setbacks to keep livestock and manure spreading away from streams, keeping manure stacks away from waterways and limiting winter manure spreading.

Amy Burk, Maryland Horse Council Farm Stewardship Committee Vice Chair and University of Maryland Equine Specialist,  provided information on the university pasture management project and the fact sheets produced by the Maryland Department of Agriculture Horse Outreach Workshop (HOW) on topics ranging from composting to horse health. 

Information on the winter meeting of the MHC Farm Stewardship Committee meeting will be forthcoming.  Any questions?  Contact Jane Thery, Committee Chair, at theryjane@gmail.com

Second Farm Stewardship Meeting: Contributing to Healthy Horses and a
Healthy Environment in Maryland

Monday, October 8th
3:00-5:30 pm

 Farm Tour, Presentations, Networking and Refreshments at Steve
Darcey's Edgewood Farms

Speakers:
** Gerald Talbert: Project Leader Maryland Farm Stewardship
Certification and  Assessment Program (FSCAP) on Progress Bringing in
Horse Farms **
** Steve Darcey: Owner of FSCAP Certified Edgewood Farm on the
Certification Process**
** Jane Seigler, Vice President, Maryland Horse Council on
Environmental Legislation **
** Amy Burk, Vice Chair, MHC Farm Stewardship Committee and University
of Maryland Equine Specialist on Pasture Management
** Eileen Beard, Maryland Department of Agriculture Equine Specialist
on Resources for Horse Farms


Edgewood Farms
2506 Richie Marlboro Road
Upper Marlboro, MD  20774
(Directions and Farm Information Attached)

 RSVP to Jane Thery:
theryjane@gmail.com,  202-527-2145
Please cc to Margaret Rizzo at the Maryland Horse Council:
admin@mdhorsecouncil.org


The program is free for members of the Maryland Horse Council. Others
wishing to attend are encouraged to join the Maryland Horse Council to
take advantage of programs and resources in support of our horse
community!

Funding Options for Your Horse Operation

Brought to you by MHC Sponsor Farm Credit and Keith Wills, Loan Officer.

Small businesses have had it tough the past few years, and equine operations are no exception.   In the past, loans from your local lender were relatively easy to obtain and could be used to purchase farms, operate your business or even make capital improvements.  In today’s economy, those loans are harder to get.  The good news is there are still many options available to you, as an equine operation, that can help finance your business.  Consider these options:

-       MidAtlantic Farm Credit’s StartRight Program for young, beginning and small farmers – Contact your local Farm Credit office for more information or visit www.farmcreditequine.com.

-       Maryland Department of Agriculture Special Projects and Tributary Strategies - Visit the MD Department of Ag Conservation website (http://www.mda.state.md.us/resource_conservation/index.php) for a list of possible grants available for equine related conservation projects.  

-       Maryland Departments of Agriculture and Environment Low Interest Loans for Agricultural Conservation (also known as LILAC) – LILAC eligible loans offer a significant reduction in your interest rate for eligible purchases of certain types of equipment and installation of approved best management practices on agricultural land that help protect water quality.  Contact your local Soil Conservation office for assistance with the application and to have your project referred to Maryland Department of Agriculture and Maryland Department of Environment. 

-       US Small Business Administration or SBA – The SBA provides loans to small businesses for startup and growth.  For more information visit their website at www.sba.gov.

-       Maryland Agricultural & Resource-Based Industry Development Corporation or MARBIDCO – MARBIDCO offers low-interest loans to most agricultural producers.  These loans are offered for the purchase of land and equipment.  The loan programs are available to most farmers including equine.  Also, MARBICO will work in conjunction with your lender to offer a combined lending package.  Visit their website at www.marbidco.org for more information.

As you research the above options, remember to visit your local state, and federal, department of agriculture websites for additional information on subsidies, grants and low interest loans.  In most cases, horse owners are not considered agricultural producers and are not eligible for certain state and federal programs.  For example, FSA guarantee loans and direct loans are restricted to production agriculture.  However, there may be rare instances that a second enterprise on the farm would be considered production agriculture such as cash grain and change the qualification status.   

            Take the time to document the diversification of your operation.   When completing the research for applicable loans, grants, and subsidies, your documentation of the operation could aid in the qualification process.   Also, periodically revisit local state and federal websites for possible changes in requirements for aid and additional projects offered.   Lastly, don’t forget to contact your farm lender with any questions concerning your borrowing needs.

Maryland Horse Council Farm Stewardship Committee, July 12 Meeting Report

It was a lovely evening to visit Persimmon Tree Farm in Westminster, Carroll County, Maryland to discuss horse farm stewardship under the auspices of the Maryland Horse Council.  Jane Thery, the Committee chair, welcomed the group to this first meeting.  About forty people came to the meeting which began with an educational tour of the farm from owner Carolyn Krome who demonstrated the results of her engagement with the Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program and with the Farm Stewardship and Assessment Program.

The Conservation Reserve Enhancement Program (CREP) is a voluntary land retirement program that helps agricultural producers protect environmentally sensitive land, decrease erosion, restore wildlife habitat, and safeguard ground and surface water. http://www.fsa.usda.gov/FSA/webapp?area=home&subject=copr&topic=cep Persimmon Tree Farm has large areas of tall grasses on land not suited for pastures which serve as wildlife habitat.

The Maryland Farm Stewardship Certification and Assessment Program (FSCAP), recognizes farmers for being good conservation stewards and meeting the Agricultural Conservation Stewardship Certification Standard (ACSCS) (PDF Link Here).  This program was identified by the Farm Stewardship committee as a legitimate way to show how horse farms, which make up one quarter of Maryland’s agricultural land, are contributing to protecting the environment through maintenance of open land, tree stands, healthy pastures and grasslands.   Farms interested in having their efforts at providing a healthy home for horses as well as being champions of the environment can work with this program and receive as public recognition an impressive farm sign that includes the logos of the Core Partners: Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts (MASCD), Maryland Farm Bureau (MFB),Chesapeake Bay Foundation (CBF), USDA Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) and the Maryland Department of Agriculture (MDA).

Twenty seven farms received recognition so far, including three horse farms, Persimmon Tree, Bloomsbury Forge and Edgewood.  Carolyn Krome pointed out how she fenced off her streams, planted trees along the banks, harrows her fields, has barn manure stored on a cement pad and frequently hauled away, uses carefully calibrated fertilizer and reseeding to maintain quality pastures and installed pasture waters.

Gerald Talbert directs the Farm Stewardship Certification program and encouraged the meeting participant to contact him about the steps needed for certification.  His email address is geraldtalbert@verizon.net.  Karla Stoner, owner of Bloomsbury Forge, spoke on her positive experience with the receiving her farm certification and encouraged others to start the process.  A goal of the Farm Stewardship Committee is to see how we can significantly raise the number of certified horse farms under this program.

Steuart Pittman, the president of the Maryland Horse Council, and Jane Seigler, the vice president, addressed the importance of the horse community’s active voice in environmental discussion among Maryland politicians and regulators.  They noted that the fact that the Maryland Horse Council formed a Farm Stewardship Committee helps entree into state-wide debates over laws and regulation in this area and serves as a bridge between the agricultural and environmental groups.  Jane Seigler reviewed the proposed changes in nutrient management regulations.  The details on this regulation are presented in the legislative section of the Maryland Horse Council web site. Comments are due on August 13 and everyone was encouraged to attend the regional consultations and speak up for the horse community. http://www.mdhorsecouncil.org/legislative.htm

George Maurer, a conservation specialist, presented an update on nutrient trading programs.  These programs are evolving but the present policy does not allow horse farmers to get nutrient trading credit for the fact that many apply much less fertilizer to their land than is allowed under their nutrient management plans.  Other options for providing private sector funds for horse farms in exchange for nutrient credits may become available. http://www.mda.state.md.us/nutrad/

Les Vough, in representation of the Grazers Network, described how the network identifies mentors and farm management partners to promote the exchange of information on best practices in pasture management for healthy livestock and healthy pastures.  The next step will be to identify horse farm mentors, who would receive some compensation under this project, and match them with horse farm partners to provide targeted assistance. http://www.futureharvestcasa.org/publications/maryland-grazers-network

Last but not least, Jennifer Reynolds of the University of Maryland Equine Extension program http://www.ansc.umd.edu/erg/  described the pasture management programs available and encouraged participation on these seminars and workshops, especially those focused on rotational grazing.  She was representing the Farm Stewardship Committee vice chair, Amy Burk.

During the discussions, some participants raised concerns about the lack of response from officials of Soil Conservation Districts who are key in identifying resources to help horse farm owners and managers take advantage of programs for technical and financial assistance.  The Farm Stewardship Committee may raise this issue at the state level to see if there are staffing or resource solutions that we could support.  Another concern raised was the specifications for manure holding area concrete pads.  The specifications seemed to require very “over built” structures according to some participants. The response from officials present who are familiar with the program was that the pads need to withstand heavy machinery, last for a number of years and accommodate possible increases future manure loads.

Future topics for consideration by the committee will be greater participation in policy discussions on environmental issues, perhaps through written comments as well as representation on advisory groups, evaluation of farm certification needs for more high-density horse farms, sharing positive experiences and engaging major horse communities across the state.

The next meeting will be scheduled in the fall.  We hope to identify another farm that is willing to include a farm tour as part of the agenda.  Suggestions of topics for this next meeting are welcome! Please contact the committee chair, Jane Thery at theryjane@gmail.com; or the vice chair, Amy Burk at amyburk@umd.edu with your ideas.

August 13 Deadline for Comments on New Nutrient Management Regs

http://www.mda.maryland.gov/pdf/proposednmregs2.pdf

The link above includes the proposed changes in the Maryland State regulations for nutrient management.  Please look them over and let me know know if you have any suggested changes based on your experience with horse farm stewardship.

Thanks

Land Stewardship for Horse Farms includes innovative ways to manage manure.  One approach would be regional centers for horse manure composting as recommended in this 2004 study from Montgomery County.

Montgomery County Horse Study

 2004

“Another issue that is becoming more and more critical is manure management. With the passage of the Water Quality Improvement Act , anyone with more than eight animal units or who grosses more than $2,500 per year must have a nutrient management plan. As part of the plan, animal owners must account for how their manure is disposed. Many horse properties in Montgomery County who are required to have a nutrient management plan are already having difficulty finding acceptable ways of disposing of their stall waste, either because they don’t have enough land to spread it and the cost of having it hauled away is prohibitive or commercial haulers already have more clients than they can handle. Composted horse manure makes an excellent fertilizer and soil amendment. But most horse operations don’t have the room or the manpower to devote to the composting process. There is a great need for regionally located manure composting facilities, or at least a drop-off point, where the owners of livestock—not just horses—can bring their manure . Gardeners , nursery operators, and landscapers all could make use of the final product . Nominal fees could be charged at both ends to help offset operating costs of the facility.”

Source: http://www.montgomerycountymd.gov/Content/DED/AgServices/equine-survey.pdf

University of Maryland Pasture Seminar Series

Nutrition and Health of the Pastured Horse

Can pasture meet the nutritional needs of your horse? What are some of the health concerns that may affect pastured horses? Learn about these issues and ask your questions of our experts on Thursday, June 21, 2012 at 6pm at the University of Maryland Equine Rotational Grazing Demonstration Site - 4241 Folly Quarter Road, Ellicott City, MD 21042! Please RSVP to jenreyn@umd.edu or 301-406-1547.

Our Featured Speakers:

Dr. Amy Burk: Dr. Amy Burk serves as the Coordinator for the Equine Studies Program in the Animal and Avian Sciences Department at the University of Maryland. Her main responsibilities include teaching Horse Management and Equine Science, advising undergraduate Animal Science majors, advising the 80-member Equestrian Club, as well as serving as a statewide Extension Horse Specialist.  Her Extension education programs, including the Equine Rotational Grazing Demonstration site, teach horse owners about proper equine nutrition and pasture management for optimal horse health.  She has received awards for her teaching and advising including the Poffenberger Excellence in Teaching and Advising from the University of Maryland and the Educator of the Year from the Equine Science Society.  Dr. Burk completed her graduate work in Animal and Poultry Sciences as a Pratt Fellow in Animal Nutrition at Virginia Tech. She specialized in equine nutrition, earning an M.S. in 1998 and a PhD in 2001. 

 Justin Sobota MS, MSM, DVM: Founder of South Mountain Equine LLC, Dr. Sobota is a graduate of Penn State University and the University of Florida College of Veterinary Medicine. He also completed masters degrees in nutrition and management from the University of Florida which propelled him to be employed as an equine nutrition consultant for two international feed companies prior to attending veterinary school. He completed an equine surgical, medical, and ambulatory internship at Woodside Equine Clinic in Ashland, VA prior to the establishment of South Mountain Equine in Middletown, MD.  Recently, he became a member of the International Veterinary Chiropractic Association. 

Farm Stewardship Meeting Announcement

Thursday, July 12 

6:30 - 9:30 pm 

Persimmon Tree Farm 

1030 Bloom Road

Westminster, MD  21157-8006

410-876-8645

 ++Farm Tour++

++Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts'

Farm Stewardship Certification and Assessment Program++

++Maryland Grazers Network++

++Nutrient Trading Update++

++University of Maryland Pasture Seminar++

++Open discussion of Farm Stewardship issues++

AND

Celebration of the three Horse Farms now recognized by the 

Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts as "Certified Agriculture Conservation Stewards"

Karla Stoner's Bloomsbury Forge

Steve Darcey's Edgewood Farm 

and our host

Carolyn Krome's Persimmon Tree Farm 

RSVP

theryjane@gmail.com

202-527-2145

Maryland Horse Council Farm Stewardship Committee

May 15, 2012 Quarterly Meeting Report

The Farm Stewardship Committee's mission is to demonstrate the positive contribution of well-managed horse farms to the protection of our natural environment and to encourage and support Maryland horse farm owners and managers to achieve the highest standards for healthy horses and environmentally-sound farm practices.

Moving toward these goals, we presented three interesting projects at the Quarterly Meeting.  The first presentation was on the relatively new (established 2009) Farm Stewardship Certification and Assessment Program (FSCAP).  http://www.mascd.net/FSCA/index.htm  The program is under the auspices of the Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts.  The program director, Gerald Talbert (geraldtalbert@verizon.net; 410-247-1973) made the points that the certification is completely voluntary, meets the highest standards of environmentally-sound farm management, includes a free comprehensive farm evaluation and provides farms meeting the certification standards with an impressive farm sign (attached), "Certified Agricultural Conservation Steward” and a picture and descriptive paragraph on a dedicated FSCAP webpage.  Thirty-sixfarms have been evaluated and 24 have been certified.  These include two horse farms, Persimmon Tree Farm and Steve Darcey’s Edgewood Farm.  The owner of Persimmon Tree Farm, Carolyn Krome (krome@verizon.net), presented lovely pictures of her horse boarding and competition facility and described her positive experience with receiving her farm certification and tapping into other technical assistance and financial support to meet her goals of quality farm management.  She has graciously offered to host a Maryland Horse Council Farm Stewardship Committee meeting at her farm to further explore these and other programs.  

The second presentation was on Nutrient Trading by George Maurer (gmaurer54@gmail.com) and Steuart Pittman (dodonfarm@verizon.net).  They reported that the nutrient trading market was getting up and running and that horse farms may be able to "sell" nutrient credits earned through good farmpractices, such as not using as much fertilizer as allowed under present nutrient management plan guidelines.  George proposed that he could evaluate the potential of Maryland Horse Council member farms to receive credits and help connect with the credit buyer.  Steuart is having his Dodon Farm evaluated for credits and is identifying a potential buyer. 

The third presentation was by Les Vough (vough@umd.edu; 301-405-1322) and Michael Heller (mheller@cbf.org; 301-351-4940) of the Maryland Grazer's Network.  The Grazer's Network was established in collaboration with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the University of Maryland and the Natural Resources Conservation Service.  It has been targeted toward providing technical assistance and, especially peer-to-peer mentoring, on rotational grazing for the cattle, goat and sheep industries.  As our horses also graze and healthy pastures are good for them as well as for the environment, the Grazer's Network is interested in exploring how to engage Maryland horse farms in their activities.  

If you are interested in more information on any of these programs, please feel free to contact the project leaders directly and/or me or Farm StewardshipCommittee vice chair Amy Burk (amyburk@umd.edu).  We will be organizing a meeting of the Farm Stewardship Committee and all interested Maryland Horse Council members.  Please let me know if you are interested in attending and I will make sure you get the meeting information.  We are hoping to hold this meeting at Carolyn Krome's Persimmon Tree Farm (http://www.persimmontreefarm.com/facilities.html) and to include a farm tour. 

PROOF-of-30-x-24-Persimmon-Tree-Farm.gif 35K   View   Share   Download

2012 University of Maryland Extension Pasture Management Training Series for Horse Owners

From Jennifer Reynolds (Coordinator-Equine and Poultry Extension Activities
Dept. of Animal and Avian Sciences at the University of Maryland) ...

In one week we will begin our 2012 University of Maryland Extension Pasture Management Training Series for Horse Owners with a Twilight meeting April 19, 2012 from 6-8 pm at our Equine Rotational Grazing Demonstration Site!

Our featured speaker will be Doug Tregoning.  Doug Tregoning was raised on dairy and grain farm in upper Montgomery County, MD. His major emphasis of study in college was agribusiness and agronomy. He obtained his Masters Degree from West Virginia University in Agricultural Economics. After college, he went to work at the Montgomery County Extension Office as an Extension Agent with an emphasis on small, part time farmers and the equine industry. He conducted numerous seminars, workshops, field days and classes for equine audiences over his Extension career. He retired from Extension in 2010 but was rehired on a part time basis to provide Extension programs in the areas of agronomy, grain marketing and outreach education.

The evening will begin with a tour of our facility, showcasing a rotational grazing system for horses and sharing our work with the site.  Mr. Tregoning will then be discussing how to renovate those pastures that have been overworked and overgrazed throughout the winter, bringing them back into production.

Please see the attached brochure for details on our other Pasture Management Training Series events, address and registration information.

Call in (301) 405-1547 or email (jenreyn@umd.edu) your registration today! We look forward to seeing a great crowd at this event!

Pasture Walk April 24

Attention Horse Farm Owners and Managers.  Montgomery County is offering a FREE Spring Pasture Walk.  Please see the event info and sign-up information below.  


The Montgomery County 2012 Spring Pasture Walk continues on Tuesday, April 24, from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm at Mrs. Gail Joyce’s Farm at 27772 Ridge Road, Damascus, MD 20872.

This is a great opportunity for the equine community to learn about pasture weed identification, pasture renovation and the use of MAX Q Tall Fescue as a pasture forage from equine educators and the Joyce’s. Your participation will benefit your equine operation and the environment.

Attached is the brochure containing the details for the April 24 pasture walk.

To register, or for information, please contact Ms. Karen Walker at 301.590.2855 or visit our websitewww.montgomeryscd.org

Sincerely,

Eddie Franceschi
Equine Resource Conservationist
Montgomery Soil Conservation District
18410 Muncaster Road
Derwood Maryland 20855
Office 301-590-2855 Fax 301-590-2849
http://www.montgomeryscd.org/

This electronic message contains information generated by the USDA solely for the intended recipients. Any unauthorized interception of this message or the use or disclosure of the information it contains may violate the law and subject the violator to civil or criminal penalties. If you believe you have received this message in error, please notify the sender and delete the email immediately.

2012 spring pasture walk.pdf 275K   View   Download

Although horse farms have a long, long history in Maryland, blogging about them is pretty new, at least for me -- so here goes!

Just a quick note on the progress of the Farm Stewardship Committee to date.  I've had some very interesting conversations with horse farm owners who have worked hard to improve their farms for the health of their horses AND the environment.  I have also spoken to owners looking for help and connected them with technical assistance in their counties.

We sent a letter to about 70 Maryland Horse Council members on our Montgomery County list encouraging them to make full use of the Soil Conservation District Equine Outreach program.

We have worked together with our legislative team to keep on eye on new regulations with an impact on horse farms and kept an active voice on these issues through MHC leadership with the state legislature in Annapolis.

The Maryland Horse Council is interested in joining the Maryland Grazers' Network which includes cattle and environmental groups working toward healthy pastures and hay fields.  We will have a presentation from the Grazers' Network at the May 15 Quarterly Meeting of the MHC.  This is an effort to build bridges among the agricultural interests in the state for the purpose of improving land management.

We are working hard on coming up with the criteria for Chesapeake-Bay Friendly Horse Farm Recognition and will keep you posted.

We are exploring the idea of farm-based workshops on the broad range of stewardship issues.  I'm hoping to have a concrete proposal on this sometime in the spring.  We've posted information on a few seminars and hope to develop a more comprehensive list of farm-stewardship related programs around the state for this website.

Finally, thank you for your interest and enthusiasm in supporting this new initiative of the Maryland Horse Council.  Maryland horse farms are moving quickly toward 21st century management for our horses and our natural world.  I look forward to building on our community spirit and moving forward together.

"Farm Scale Composting" Seminar

On Saturday, March 10, Dr. Gary Felton of the University of Maryland presents a "how to" workshop, "Farm Scale Composting." The classroom portion will explore the science of composting and nutrient management. There will also be a field demonstration on how to build the compost pile, with an emphasis on composting horse manure. A quality composting handbook is included in the registration fee. The event will be held in the Food Science and Technology Building on campus from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., with registration being held from 9 -- 9:30 a.m.

For more information about these events and more, contact Kayla Parmar at 410-651-6070 or by email at kjparmar@umes.edu. Pre-registration is required. To pre-register for one or all of the workshops, go to www.umes.edu/1890-mce.