“Equine Environmental Stewardship” Course for Equine Owners

Questions to be Answered

Are you a horse owner or barn manager that wants to do your best for your horses and the environment? Are you aware that all farms with animals in PA are required to have either a certified nutrient management or a manure management plan? Do you know when grazing may put some horses at risk? Can you manage your pastures to increase forage quality and reduce weeds and toxic plants? Do you want to know how to compost manure and turn it into a resource rather than a problem?

To help you get the answers to these questions, the Penn State Extension Equine Team is partnering with the Conewago Creek Initiative to offer an exciting four-night “Equine Environmental Stewardship” short course (July 19, July 26, August 2, and August 9 from 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM) that provides practical hands-on experiences that will help horse owners adopt environmentally sound farm management practices.

Topics to Cover

The short course will benefit all horse farm owners and managers, from one-horse farms to large equine operations. It will cover topics such as pasture management, weed control, manure management and soil fertility. This course will provide all the information and tools needed to create an individualized Manure Management Plan- a regulatory requirement for all farms with animals in PA!

The four sessions include:

• “The Grass is Always Greener – Forage Growth and Management” – Nutritional benefits and health risks associated with grazing; basics of forage growth and biology; benefits of rotational grazing and heavy use areas; pasture evaluation; identifying pasture grasses and legumes; pasture seed selection.
• “Weed and Toxic Plant Identification and Management” – Learn why there are weeds in pastures; basic weed biology; common weeds in PA pastures; management strategies; toxic plant identification and their effects on horses.
• “Soil Fertility Management and Pasture Renovation” –Learn how collect a soil sample and interpret the results; lime benefits and requirements; organic versus inorganic fertilizers; how to choose the correct fertilizer based on soil test results.
• “Nutrient Management- What Can I Do with all this Manure?”- Storing, composting and spreading manure; nutrient and manure management regulations; how to prepare a manure management plan for your farm.
  

Details and Cost

The short course will be held on July 19, July 26, August 2, and August 9 from 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM at the Londonderry Township Municipal Building (7835 South Geyers Church Road, Middletown PA).

Pre-registration is required and participants are strongly encouraged to attend all four sessions. The cost for the workshop is $45 per person, which includes all four nights and all materials, workshops, and a soil test kit. Upon completing all four sessions, the enrollment fee will be reimbursed to any participants who live within the Conewago Creek watershed through a National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant.

Contact

For additional course content information or to receive a registration brochure, contact Donna Foulk (Equine Extension Educator) at dlf5@psu.edu or at 610-746-1970 or Jessica Moldosky at jom5231@psu.edu. To receive program registration materials or to be added to the list serve regarding future Equine Program Team offerings, contact Norma Young at njy1@psu.edu. Penn State is an equal opportunity university.

* Registration will be fully refunded to residents in the Conewago Creek watershed! *