Composting

Composting - What is it???

Composting is the biodegradation of organic material, such as food, yard waste (leaves and grass), and manure. It may take a very long time for some material to biodegrade depending on its environment, but it ultimately breaks down completely.

The Four Basics of Composting

Oxygen – maintains proper temperature of the pile. Frequent turning equals quick compost!
Temperature – ideal is 140o F; piles should be turned above or below 140o F.
Moisture – pile should always be slightly moist, cover pile to maintain moisture. Should be similar to a wrung out sponge!
Carbon : Nitrogen ratio – ideal range between 20:1 and 40:1

Benefits of Composting

- Kills parasites/weeds within the waste for fly control
- Improves soil quality when applied = more food for your horse!
- Limits nitrogen depletion of the soil

Keeping these steps in mind will put you on the path to having a great batch of compost!

Fun Fact: A 1000 pound horse produces 31 pounds of feces and 2.4 gallons of urine a day adding up to a total of 51 pounds of daily waste.

Not Composting????  -  How to Properly Store Your Manure

Even if you are not composting or waiting to compost, you need to know how to store your manure so it doesn’t hurt the environment…
Consider the location of your manure pile and type of container (if any) it will be stored in:

Location: Manure containers or piles should be as far away as possible from water sources so there is no contamination! Always make sure there is at least 200 feet between water sources and the manure pile.

Removal: How the manure will be removed will determine what kind of container you will need. Trash cans or covered truck beds allow for easy removal of manure, while dumpsters require special equipment.

Whether you have one or many horses, it is easy to be more “green” by storing or composting manure!

Check out these composting websites:

http://polk.ces.ncsu.edu/content/Horse+Manure+Composting

http://faculty.berea.edu/clarks/documents/biocycle_43(7).pdf

http://www.sweeta.illinois.edu/composting-horsebedding.cfm\

http://www.sweeta.illinois.edu/pdf/Horse_bedding_compost_brochure.pdf

Choosing the Best Bedding - Safe for the environment AND the horse

As owners and care-givers, we must provide horses with the most comfortable and safe living arrangements. Choosing the most efficient and cost effective bedding can make all the difference to the horse as well as the stall cleaners
There are many factors in choosing bedding:
ABSORBENCY!!
Price
Biodegradability
Availability
Ease of disposal
Allergies

There are also various types of bedding to choose from, making it easy to choose the best type of bedding for you and your horse. Kinds of bedding and their pros and cons include:

Straw – Cheap, good for compost, low absorbency
Sawdust – Expensive, high absorbency, good for compost
Shavings – Cheap, bad for compost, readily available
Newspaper – Moderate absorbency, readily available (recycle!), ink could bleed
Wood pellets – Expensive, high absorbency, great for compost

Helpful Bedding Websites :

http://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/an034

http://ohioline.osu.edu/cd-fact/0123.html

http://blog.lib.umn.edu/efans/horse-research/2012/06/bedding-stall-cleaning-effects.php

Did you know?? Not all hardwoods can be used to make wood shavings; walnut and oak woods contain toxins that are harmful to horses.