Tag: horse manure

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Equine Barnyard Management

Why Is Barnyard Management Important for Horse Manure?

Horse paddocks (and pastures) may contain large quantities of mud due to excessive traffic. Mud is more than a “mess” or “nuisance.” Winter and spring rains can cause mud and manure to runoff into nearby waterways. Nutrients and sediment in runoff are considered non-point source pollution, which can degrade water quality. A small amount of non-point source pollution from a single property may not seriously impair water quality, however, small amounts of nutrients and pollutants multiplied by many properties can result in significant water quality problems.

Environmental Impacts of Barnyard Runoff

Nitrogen, phosphorus, organic matter, and bacteria in runoff can pollute surface waters and decrease oxygen availability. Phosphorus and nitrogen reaching waterways can promote excessive algae growth. When the algae decays, oxygen is depleted which can kill fish and other aquatic life (aquatic bacteria remove oxygen from the water when decomposing the organic matter in manure). Property owners can reduce the impact of horse facilities on local waterways and groundwater by adopting management practices that minimize the potential for non-point source water pollution.

Additional Information on Horse Manure Management

Author: William J. Bamka, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

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Manure Storage on Horse Farms

Why Should You Have a Manure Storage Structure?

The capability to store manure reduces or eliminates the need to spread manure on a daily basis. The primary reason to store manure is to allow for land applicaitons that are compatible with the climate and cropping systems on the land receiving the manure. Saturated, wet, frozen, or snow-covered soil conditions are not suitable for land application of manure. The nutrients in horse manure are best utilized by the crop when spread before or during the growing season of the crop.

Many horse farms do not have extensive fields on which to spread manure. Manure storage facilities also allow the farm owner to store the manure until it can be removed and used by other farmers or landscapers.

Where Should You Locate a Manure Storage Structure?

Manure associated with horse production includes stall litter (feces, urine, bedding) and manure collected from exercise lots. Manure storage areas may simply be well-drained areas where the material is stacked or stockpiled for subsequent spreading operations. Manure should be stored in areas accessible to trucks, tractors, and other manure removal equipment.

Manure storage areas should not be located near waterways or wetlands. Rainfall or floodwater could carry manure into these water bodies. A well-drained manure storage area will prevent the pooling of polluted runoff that could serve as a breeding area for mosquitoes and flies. Manure should not be stored in paddocks or exercise lots, since lots can become infected with parasites. The presence of trees around the facility will help to dissipate odors and keep storage out of sight.

If no well-drained, level areas exist for manure storage, or if run-off presents a water quality issue, permanent manure storage facilities may be required as described in the NRCS Field Office Technical Guide. Permanent manure storage facilities should have an impervious bottom, and may have solid walls to confine the solids and a “push” wall for stacking and loading of the solids. Contaminated runoff or leachate from manure storage facilities must be managed as described in the NRCS Field Office Technical Guide.

Composting Horse Manure

Composting is a recommended management practice for horse manure management and, when done properly, will result in the destruction of internal parasites and weed seeds. The composted product can then be spread on pastures. Composting is a managed process, resulting in accelerated decomposition of organic materials. Microorganisms, including bacteria, actinomycetes, and fungi break down the organic materials at elevated temperatures.

Composting requires proper levels of moisture and oxygen, and the appropriate feedstock mixture to ensure proper microbial activity. Turning the composting material, aeration, ensures that all parts of the manure pile reach elevated temperatures for certain time periods. Compost will be less odorous than fresh horse manure and may have value as a soil amendment or fertilizer. For more information, see Composting Livestock or Poultry Manure.

Siting a compost area should address similar issues as discussed in the Where Should You Locate a Manure Storage Structure? section.

Minimum distances between manure storage/composting areas and other activities
Sensitive Area Minimum Separation Distance (Feet)
Property line 50-100
Residence or place of business 200-500
Private well or other potable water source 100-200
Wetlands or surface (streams, pond, lakes) 100-200
Subsurface drainage pipe 25
Water table (seasonal high) 2-5
Bedrock 2-5

(Adapted from On-Farm Composting Handbook, NRAES 54, 1992)

Please check on local standards as local manure storage areas and facilities should be sited based on existing regulatory standards.

Sizing of Manure Storage Facilities

The size of the manure storage area is dictated by manure removal practices and number of horses specific to that farm. If the manure is spread on crops on the farm, the storage area should be large enough to hold manure when fields are inaccessible. If manure is removed for off-farm use, the size of the manure storage area will be determined by the storage space requirements between removal periods. The NRCS Field Office Technical Guide should be consulted for more specific information about sizing storage facilities.

Management of Stored Manure

When properly managed, flies, odors, dust, and particulate matter can be controlled. Manure should be kept as dry as possible, since wet manure provides a breeding ground for flies and will lead to the presence of fly maggots. A roofed storage area may be advisable to keep manure as dry as possible when stored for long periods of time. It is possible to reduce fly larvae using predatory wasps and other parasites for control. It is important to avoid overusing pesticides to control flies.

Additional Information About Manure Storage

For more information please see:

Author: Michael Westendorf, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

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Off-Farm Manure Disposal

When a farm has more manure than can be properly applied to acreage that they own or rent, other options need to be considered.

Hire a Certified Manure Hauler

Some producers may contract with a hauler to remove the manure. The hauler may take the manure to a centralized composting facility or spread the manure on farmland. In some states a manure hauler must be certified to haul manure off the farm and on to the highways. Be sure your hauler is certified to avoid potential legal liability if there is an accidental spill by the hauler.

Even if you contract with a hauler, manure will need to be stored in between visits. For information on selecting a site and building an appropriate structure, see Storing Manure on Small Farms : Options for Storage.

Dumpsters

For small farms, dumpsters may be used to store manure until it is removed. Dumpsters are placed near the stable and are replaced with an empty dumpster when full. The dumpster should be placed on a concrete pad or other impervious surface that allows for the collection of any liquids that leach out. Although expensive, dumpsters may be a viable option when there is inadequate land for spreading and the circumstances do not lend to composting.

Marketing the Manure or Compost

Farmers may also sell or give their manure away, composted or noncomposted, for off-farm use. Gardeners are frequently willing to take (or even buy) composted horse manure. Crop farmers may be willing to let you spread manure on their land during certain times of year.

Photo courtesy Chris Henry, University of Nebraska

Additional Information

Author: Michael Westendorf, Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

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Pasture Management on Horse Farms

Proper pasture management is important to holistic farm management. Grazing animals deposit manure on pastures and exercise areas. This manure ultimately will either be incorporated into the pasture soil or if the pasture is poorly vegetated it may be a runoff risk. So, the first principle of managing manure with grazing animals is to ensure productive pastures. Productive pastures will reduce the risks of manure runoff by providing ground cover that will prevent soil erosion. These pastures will also take up nutrients from manure and use them for crop growth. Less productive pastures will not do this. ( ABC’s of Pasture Grazing) ( Spanish Language Version)

What Makes a Pasture Productive?

What are some elements of productive pasture management? Proper soil health and fertility will ensure a good growth environment for pasture species, both forage and legume. Manure can help to improve and maintain soil fertility by providing needed nutrients, (N, P, and K) and organic matter. These nutrients will help promote growth of grasses and legumes while organic matter from manure will help to provide soil structure, protection against erosion and improve natural soil fertility. Choosing the appropriate grass and legume species will help optimize forage management and pasture growth. (see More Equine Pasture Management Materials)

Pasture rotation is also practiced in order to optimize plant growth and utilization by grazing vegetation at the proper heights and allowing for proper rest and regrowth. Activities such as brush hogging or clipping, dragging to break up manure clumps, fertilizing and over seeding are also necessary components of pasture forage management.

Lush, well-managed pastures such as the one above will take up more nutrients from manure, be more productive and permit a greater stocking density, and will present a lower risk of agricultural runoff polluting streams and water bodies. (Photo courtesy USDA NRCS)


Sacrifice Areas

Exercise or sacrifice areas are designated locations for feeding, watering, exercise and relaxation for times when pastures are not accessible due to lack of growth (winter or drought), flooding, etc. (see Exercise or Sacrifice Lots for Horses) Generally, these areas have little or no vegetation. It is important that manure not be spread in these areas. They are meant to be sacrificed for animal activities in order to protect the remaining pastures. Runoff from sacrifice areas should also be managed to reduce the risk of water pollution caused by sediment and nutrients from these areas.

Erosion

Erosion is a problem for several reasons. First, nutrients attach to soil particles. When they wash away, the Phosphorus causes algae blooms in freshwater. When that algae dies, oxygen in the water adheres to it, producing a lack of oxygen in the water for fish and other aquatic life. The sediment from erosion also covers nesting habitat for aquatic life and reduces visibility for desirable sport fish like walleye. Lastly, the runoff can contain bacteria from the manure that can be harmful to people downstream.

Erosion problems on small farms are often different than large farms. On large farms, most erosion may be sheet or rill erosion running off large fields. On smaller farms, erosion may more often be a gully where animals cross a stream. Or it could be poorly vegetated pastures that provide poor ground cover during precipitation. Fencing, watering and feeding sites, presence or absence of field buffers, and stream crossings can all influence erosion on a small livestock farm.

pasture

CC2.5 LPELC

This pasture management section provides information about proper pasture management in order to reduce water quality, manure runoff and soil erosion risks that may be associated with poor pastures. The following links provide more specific information:

More on Horse Manure Management

Author: Michael Westendorf, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

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Spreading Manure on Horse Farms

Equipment For Handling and Applying Manure On Small Farms

A tractor and a manure spreader are needed to ensure proper field application of stored manure. Some small farms may be able to utilize small ground-drive spreaders that can be pulled behind an all-terrain vehicle or pickup instead of a tractor. Pull-type spreaders are traditionally used, although truck-mounted spreaders are sometimes used on larger farms.

Solid manure can be removed from storage using front-end loaders, scrapers, or other handling equipment. Small or limited-resource farms can get by with equipment as simple as a wheelbarrow and pitch fork. The size of the equipment influences the time required to load, haul, and spread manure. For more information see Nutrient Planning on Small Farms.

Environmental Considerations When Spreading Manure

Manure should not be spread where and when there is any risk for water pollution, such as near streams, ponds, wells or other waterbodies. Your local soil and water conservation district or Natural Resources Conservation Service office can also help identify if additional special protection areas exist on farmland and bordering properties.

Stored manure should be applied to the soil in a thin layer to speed drying and discourage fly breeding. Spreading incompletely composted manure on horse pastures should be avoided due to the risk of infecting pastures with internal parasites. Manure should be spread at agronomic rates (rates equal to or less than plants will use in a year). When stockpiled manure is spread on crop fields, the application may not meet the total needs of the crop. Each source of horse manure will vary, especially when different bedding sources are used. Typically, a ton of horse manure will contain eleven pounds of nitrogen, two pounds of phosphorous, and eight pounds of potassium. Average values are given in the table below and can help to determine the number of acres needed to properly apply the horse manure. Refer to your local Cooperative Extension office to get a list of laboratories that will do manure analysis.

Nutrient Content of Horse Manure
Manure Percent Solids Nitrogen – N Phosphorus – P2O5 Potassium – K2O
(tons/year) % (lb./year) (lb./year) (lb./year)
9.1 22.0 102 40 84

When Should Manure Be Land Applied?

Spring is the preferred time to apply manure. Forage or hay crops generally provide the greatest flexibility in planning land application operations. Cool season grasses can generally utilize manure nutrients from early spring to late fall, and application equipment generally does not adversely affect the crop regardless of its growth stage. However, spreading manure on wet soils should be discouraged as it leads to soil compaction and tearing of the top soil.

Manure Nutrient Availability

When spread, not all nutrients in manure are immediately available for plant use. The amount of nitrogen available is a function of the percentage of nitrogen in the manure, whether or not it is incorporated in the soil, and the rate of organic matter decomposition of the manure. Nitrogen availability (during the first growing season) will range from 35% of the total nitrogen when manure is spread on the soil surface to 60% when immediately incorporated into the soil. Availabilities of phosphorus from phosphate (P2O5) and potassium from potash (K2O) are commonly set at 80% and 90% of totals, respectively. For links to publications that include more detailed information and formulas for estimating nutrient availability from manure see Manure Nutrient Management Educational and Informational Resources.

Manure Containing Wood Shavings or Sawdust May Require Additional Management

Horse manure often has an additional consideration when it comes to nutrient availability. Sawdust or wood shavings are high-carbon materials that require a great deal of nitrogen to break down. This process can tie up available nitrogen, rendering it unavailable to plants or crops. A fact sheet on how to manage horse manure that contains wood shavings or sawdust is Horse Manure Management: The Nitrogen Enhancement System.

Too Much Manure?

In situations where land application is not an option or the farm has more manure than can be appropriately utilized, the producer will need to consider Off-Farm Manure Disposal options.

Additional Information

Author: Michael Westendorf, Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey

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Equipment and facilities for managing manure on small farms

The number of small farms is increasing in much of the country, ensuring up to date information is available is important to protect water and environmental quality. This webinar focuses on some of the farm and manure management needs of smaller farms. This presentation was originally broadcast on April 20, 2018. More… Continue reading “Equipment and facilities for managing manure on small farms”

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Water Quality Grab Bag: Composting, Horse Farm Manure Management, Nutrient Losses from Litter Stockpiles

The first “road trip” for the webcast series. These were webcast live from the 2010 National Water Quality Conference Meeting. The presentations include: increasing on-farm composting capacity, horse farm best management practices, and nutrient losses from poultry litter stockpiles. This was originally broadcast on February 24, 2010. More… Continue reading “Water Quality Grab Bag: Composting, Horse Farm Manure Management, Nutrient Losses from Litter Stockpiles”

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