Maryland Horse Council Farm Stewardship Committee

2013 Accomplishments and 2014 Plans

The 2013 goals for the Maryland Horse Council Farm Stewardship Committee were to raise the profile of well-managed horse farms as healthy for horses and healthy for the environment, connect horse farm owners and managers to quality information, technical assistance and financial resources needed to improve their farm management, stay ahead of the curve on new laws and regulations affecting land management – including participating in regulatory drafting and promoting new ideas for effective manure management – and to sign up at least 10 horse farms in the Maryland Farm Stewardship and Certification and Assessment Program (FSCAP) which recognizes environmentally-sound farm management.

The Committee Chair is Jane Thery and the Vice Chair is Amy Burk.  During the year we held a meeting each quarter, at Wyndham Oaks Stables, the University of Maryland Pasture Management Facility, Sagamore Farm and (forthcoming) the Potomac Hunt Club.   About thirty participants attended each meeting.   In addition to the host venue, Piedmont Insurance Group sponsored each meeting.

Accomplishments are:

·         Eleven horse farms in the Farm Stewardship and Certification Assessment Program (FSCAP), protecting 1,140 acres in eight counties;

·         A letter from Governor Martin O’Malley lauding each horse farm owner for his/her FSCAP certification and recognizing the importance of horse farms in preserving farm land, open space and the environment;

·         Inclusion of a senior Maryland Horse Council official on the advisory committee of the Maryland Agricultural Certainty program to represent horse farms;

·         Formation of a new alliance with the Chesapeake Bay Foundation to promote the voice of the horse community in discussions of environmental regulations and explore options for upgrades in horse manure management;

·         Presentation of a grant proposal to the Maryland Horse Industry Board to survey horse farms, haulers and end users of horse manure and investigate new options for the use of this organic resource;

·         Strengthening the relationship between the Maryland Association of Soil Conservation Districts and the horse community through their equine specialists and the FSCAP program;

·         Technical briefings on pasture management, native plants and wildlife habitat, composting, energy-efficient stable design and environmental regulations;

·         Maintenance of a “blog” on the MHC website to share meeting results and links to resources for horse farm owners and managers

            Goals for 2014 are to sign up at least another 10 horse farms in the FSCAP program, participate in the design of the regulations for the Agricultural Certainty program to make sure they are horse farm friendly, provide horse farms with updated information on environmental regulations, continue to promote links between horse farmers and resources available to them, promote modern horse manure management, including composting options, and to explore top-level alternatives for farm management including wild-life habitat and energy-efficient stables. 

            Once again, we join Governor O’Malley in congratulating the FSCAP Certified Agricultural Stewards of the following horse farms:

           Carolyn Krome, Persimmon Tree Farm; Steven Darcy; Edgewood Farm; Karla Stoner, Bloomsbury Forge; Milly Welsh; Graden; Lori Larson, Wyndham Oaks; Kevin Plank, Sagamore Farm; Rick Terselic, Potomac Horse Center; Michael Rubin, Breezy Hill Farm; Linda Santomenna and Robert Alphin, Blue Waters Farm; Barbara McDonald, Shamrock Arabians and Marko Bulmer, Roedown Farm.