Tuesday, June 19, 2012


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.”


Thursday, June 7, 2012

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. 

Friday, June 1, 2012


Farm Stewardship Meeting Announcement

Thursday, July 12 
6:30 - 9:30 pm 
Persimmon Tree Farm 
1030 Bloom Road
Westminster, MD  21157-8006

 ++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