Annual/Termination Reports:

[05/11/2016] [06/21/2017] [01/31/2018] [11/05/2018] [12/03/2019]

Report Information

Participants

Live: Ann Swinker (Penn State), Krishona Martinson (UMN), Mike Westendorf (Rutgers), Bridgett McIntosh (VT), Betsy Greene (UVM), Masoud Hashemi (UMass), Carey Williams (Rutgers), Laura Kenny (Rutgers), Paul Siciliano (NCSU), Alexandria Garcia (NSCU grad student), Robert Causey (Maine), Shannon Phillips (NCSU), Jennifer Gill (NCSU grad student)

On-Line: Carissa Wickens (UFL), Amy Burk (UMD), Jennie Ivey (TN) Becky Bott (SDSU)

Brief Summary of Minutes

NE 1441

Annual Meeting 2015

NCSU Polk Hall August 17-18, 2015

 

 

August 17

In Attendance: Ann Swinker (Penn State), Krishona Martinson (UMN), Mike Westendorf (Rutgers), Bridgett McIntosh (VT), Betsy Greene (UVM), Masoud Hashemi (UMass), Carey Williams (Rutgers), Laura Kenny (Rutgers), Paul Siciliano (NCSU), Alexandria Garcia (NSCU grad student), Robert Causey (Maine), , Cassie ??? (UMass), Shannon Phillips (NCSU), Jennifer Gill (NCSU grad student)

On call: Carissa Wickens (UFL), Amy Burk (UMD), Jennie Ivey (TN) Becky Bott (SDSU)

Agenda: State Reports, Lunch, Animal and Poultry Waste Management Center, Beef Educational Unit, Equine Units. 

Mike Westendorf: Waste to Worth session was a success, looking for hosts for next conference 2017.  Penn State might do it. AWM conference, equine had full day session.

Thanks to Rebecca Bott and Krishona Martinson for JEVS nitrogen papers.  Nitrogen paper was split into horse digestion and environment. Environmental one accepted with revisions, haven’t heard anything on digestion one.

Krishona: Review of Equine Grazing Research Methodologies, new paper, emailed sections out to people. Discuss tomorrow.

State Reports

Krishona Martinson, University of Minnesota

• Packaged cool season grass seed mixes, evaluated commercially available 12 mixes
  
  
  
  • Yield was same, 3 t/a
  
  
  • Most had KB, TF
  
  
  • Preference different, horses liked LaCrosee #4, Agassiz CHS#4. Plant 1 bag/acre. No orchardgrass at all. Over 30% OG, less preferred.  Dakotas east and cool season grass line north would work.
  
  
  • OG took over even at less than 20% seed- over 80%. TF increased, KB stayed the same.  Others disappear
  
  
  • 2 horses/acre
  
  
  
  


• Grazing pure legumes
  
  
  
  • Planted in May, grazed July-October. Horse people think you can’t graze it.  Also not as hardy under most horse peoples’ pasture management. Small plots, horses graze 8h, sample, 2-3 days. No bloating, colic, diarrhea.  Horses transition from grass/legume mix pasture. 
  
  
  • CP high, NDF low, NSC higher than anticipated. No metabolic horses, no issues
  
  
  • Preference- red clover preferred, most pretty good.
  
  
  • Slobbers and photosensitivity concerns- photo mostly in white clover
  
  
  • Graze at bud stage
  
  
  
  


• Warm season grasses
  
  
  
  • Winterkill and flooding, need emergency forage. Horse people worried about sudangrass, millets
  
  
  • Graze at vegetative and mature
  
  
  • NDF a little high, approaching 60. NSC really low.
  
  
  • Teff hay
  
  
  • Preference- hate millets, like Sudangrasses and Teffs
  
  
  • Sudan- horses eat leaves and leave stems
  
  
  • Teff grows up to 8” then goes prostrate, lots of waste. Good emergency option, no nitrate or prussic acid issues. Hard to establish, light seed.  Drill and pack it.
    
    
    
    • Bermuda easy to establish, would it grow fast enough?
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Concerns with nitrate and prussic acid. Not recommending millet anywhere
  
  
  
  


• Emergency Forages
  
  
  
  • Small grains in spring and fall. 1.5-2 t/a
  
  
  • NSC in spring not so bad, 11-16; CP high, NDF fine
  
  
  • Fall added winter crops, similar nutrient qualities. Fall planted last through winter, can graze again in spring or cut or take to grain.
  
  
  • Preference- hate oats, like winter wheat and ryegrasses (highest NSC)
  
  
  • Graze vegetative, no boot stage at all
  
  
  
  


• Current projects
  
  
  
  • Yield and preference of teff at different heights
  
  
  • Seeding year mgmt of low lignin alfalfa
  
  
  • Legume-grass mixtures in horse pastures
  
  
  • Effect of hay rake type on exogenous ash content of alfalfa hay- lots of soil in hay, gopher mound fields.
    
    
    
    • Ann- cattle P intake was high, couldn’t reduce in feed, trace back to hay. High P soils.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Equine Pasture Management Program
    
    
    
    • 9 farms this year
    
    
    • 5-10 acres, 2 over 80
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  

Ann Swinker, Penn State University

• Extension Equine Team- 4 people, 2 grant-funded


• Env Stewardship Program major initiative. Work with NRCS, Conservation Districts.
  
  
  
  • 15-hr Env Stewardship short course. Education and hands on. Over 1000 farms attended 38 courses. Good evaluations
  
  
  
  


• SARE Equine Env Stewardship grant
  
  
  
  • Amish applied manure, fish kill downriver. Held hearing, was fined.
  
  
  • Increase canopy cover and desirable forage, reduce nutrient and sediment loss
  
  
  • Sacrifice lot construction. 80 horses, 160 acres
  
  
  
  


• Manure Management Plan Writing
  
  
  
  • 1 AU needs MMP
  
  
  • 27 workshops, 343 farm managers completed plans
  
  
  
  


• CIG Implementing and Marketing Environmental Stewardship on Small Farms and Equine Operations
  
  
  
  • Partnerships to increase avail of equipment and resources, develop recognition program for farms
  
  
  • 25 farms- not much interest, farmers may be afraid of DEP involvement
  
  
  
  


• No-till drill used on 18 farms, 82 acres reseeded, all species


• Parasite project, SARE grant
  
  
  
  • Parasite resistance. Educational workshops
  
  
  • 165 farm mgrs and veterinarians, 57 farms representing 306 horses. Monitor strongyle egg production and evaluate product efficacy, pre and post deworming egg counts
  
  
  • Farms conduct FEC every 8 weeks
  
  
  • Goal- 400 mgrs to course, 80 to monitor her egg production, 60 reduce deworming of non shedders. Horse people have trouble with the fecal egg cutoff numbers (300/g), want to deworm if they see any eggs
  
  
  • $144K grant over 3 years, most to pay coordinator
  
  
  • Parasites effect on manure quality- concerns about ivermectin in manure. Very minute amount, 92% dissipates as soon as it goes through horse. 120 degrees will kill strongyle eggs in compost.
  
  
  • Treat pastures with pepsin enzyme to kill encysted larvae? Sukhdeo research
  
  
  
  

Laura Kenny, Carey Williams, Mike Westendorf- Rutgers University

• Rotational Vs Continuous Grazing
  
  
  
  • 2 replicates of each, 3.5 acres each
  
  
  • Horse condition, vegetation, soil
  
  
  • 8 months of data presented at ESS, covered winter time
  
  
  
  


• Sugar Study
  
  
  
  • With Amy Burk and Bridgett McIntosh. Money from NJAES multistate
  
  
  • Hypothesize short continuous grasses will be higher in sugars than tall rotational
  
  
  • 24 hours blood (insulin and glucose), forage (sugar pack), fecal samples (ph)- not grab every 4 hours
  
  
  • On hay for 12 hours before start
  
  
  • June: Difference in fecal pH. Sugar and starch levels weren’t that difference.
  
  
  • Bridgett saw higher sugars in rotational, more simple sugars in leaf
  
  
  • C sequestration difference?
  
  
  
  


• Nutrient Management Planning and Optimizing the use of BMPs
  
  
  
  • Nutrient balance- inputs and outputs
  
  
  • CNMP (required for NRCS funding) vs AWMP (state mandated). CNMPs bring in some $
    
    
    
    • NRCS came to RU and asked for help writing them
    
    
    • CNMP very comprehensive
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Issues we see: manure storages, sacrifice areas, pasture management, stocking density
  
  
  • Farms can compost manure and sell it if they do it right
  
  
  • Neighbors right on top of horse farms
  
  
  • What is most critical? For what purpose- grant writing vs environmental impact
  
  
  • What is cost-effective?
  
  
  • How do we encourage equine farms to buy in to BMPs? Tie to it horse health.
    
    
    
    • Heavy use pads are expensive, what alternatives? Geotextile expensive. 6” stone dust expensive. Crushed gravel drains better.  Find funding to compare?
    
    
    • Use rubber mats as impervious manure storage
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  

Update on Review Papers- Becky Bott

• Pasture paper done


• Submitted 2 nitrogen reviews- one was too large, split into nitrogen metabolism in horse and implications of N from horse manure on environment
  
  
  
  • JEVS interested in accepting
  
  
  • Provisional acceptance on environment paper. Betsy has a list of comments to discuss
  
  
  • Still waiting to hear from reviewers on metabolism paper
  
  
  
  

State Reports

South Dakota State University- Becky Bott

• Surveys to horse owners in SD

University of Florida- Carissa Wickens

• Air quality in equine facilities
  
  
  
  • Test emissions levels in mid-Atlantic too. Different bedding types.
  
  
  • 3 different dietary protein levels- 100, 150, 200% NRC requirement and effect on ammonia emissions. Higher ammonia on straw compared to shavings
  
  
  
  

University of MD- Amy Burk

• Got breeding program going


• New graduate student- develop diet horse pasture for laminitis prone horses
  
  
  
  • Not all horses can go out on the lush pastures that we promote
  
  
  • Laminitic horses put on dry lots, prone to erosion, limited exercise, hay $$
  
  
  • Low-yield, moderate to low palatability, get horses out and moving more
  
  
  • Looking at warm and cool season grasses
  
  
  • Online surveys- characterizing issues with managing obese horses
  
  
  • Field studies- 6 warm and 8 cool season grasses, testing wear tolerance and palatability. Same plots at VT Middleburg- will do palatability trials
  
  
  • Turf grasses in heavy use areas
  
  
  • Submitted CIG grant
  
  
  • Still have rotational grazing site, seminars
  
  
  • Industry- started recognition program, has 110 farms and 26 are horse farms
  
  
  
  

 

August 18

In Attendance: Ann Swinker (Penn State), Krishona Martinson (UMN), Mike Westendorf (Rutgers), Bridgett McIntosh (VT), Betsy Greene (UVM), Masoud Hashemi (UMass), Carey Williams (Rutgers), Laura Kenny (Rutgers), Paul Siciliano (NCSU), Alexandria Garcia (Maine grad student), Robert Causey (Maine), Cassie ??? (UMass), Shannon Phillips (NCSU), Jennifer Gill (NCSU grad student), Morgan ???  (NCSU grad student)

On call: Amy Burk (UMD), Becky Bott (SDSU), Jessie Weir (UFL Carissa’s grad student)

Agenda: Continue state reports, future planning

Betsy: next year’s meeting

• Amy Burk will host in Maryland, needs to join group


• Dates- August 15-16


• Will have pasture meeting on Saturday and have group members come up early to be speakers


• 2017 Maine or Arizona (winter date)

Mike: new grant ideas

• CIG or SARE grants? NJ has done state CIGs


• Carey- Warm season grass work


• Ann- Stick with soil health. Healthy soil is new buzz word. 


• Mike- pull in carbon


• Bridgett- native warm season grasses for soil health and carbon sequestration. Nobody’s done it with horses  Pat Kaiser at TN done it with cattle.  Wildlife


• Ann- challenging to get farmers to plow up established fields


• CIG come out at Christmas, pre-proposal due Feb 1


• Carey- successful with state, not national. Maybe say “small farm” instead of “horse”


• Let’s do pre-proposal at minimum. National CIG (full) deadline was April 30, Bridgett and Amy applied for turf grass work.


• Ann- could do SARE beginning farmer one


• Warm season- use different grasses and expand to other species too, cattle, sheep, goats
  
  
  
  • CIG needs research and outreach component
  
  
  • Can we use public lands? Need to use EQIP eligible farms and some farmers won’t sign up with them
  
  
  • Bridgett will take lead, Carey, Krishona, Ann, Amy
  
  
  • Paul- multi species grazing for NSC content, have something else graze it first, also ameliorates parasite problem
  
  
  • Bridgett has sheep and cattle, can add horses
  
  
  
  


• Mike- cost effective BMPs on farms, especially water quality
  
  
  
  • State DEP just gave funding to implement low cost BMPs on farms.
  
  
  • Will follow up
  
  
  
  


• Ann- Fenceless rotational grazing
  
  
  
  • Spread cattle manure on areas that horses have already grazed, they won’t graze there
  
  
  • Can’t be composted
  
  
  • Fresher manure, longer they will stay off
  
  
  • By the time it works in, the grass has grown back
  
  
  • Ann does it on her farm
  
  
  
  

Other papers

• Manure storage paper
  
  
  
  • Paper about manure storage technologies, what’s available, microbio about water quality
  
  
  • Nice section in original NE1041 lit review on water quality
  
  
  
  

State Report

Bridgett McIntosh, Virginia Tech

• MARE Center Middleburg Ag and Research Center, dedicated to equine research but has some cattle and sheep too, joined Claremont Farm which does mixed species grazing


• Extension programs:
  
  
  
  • VA Horse Festival- new horse owner certification series. Free, had 70-80 people
  
  
  • Spotlight on Stewardship Equine Land Management Symposium- partnered with National Sporting Library Museum. Horse owners don’t know what Extension/MARE Center is.  Museum helped advertise.  3-4 hours of lecture in morning, then hands on workshops in afternoon. Forage ID, soil pit (John G???).  Followed with wine tasting at winery across the street, Library had event after.  Charged $150, 36 paid registrants.  Reduced fee if member of Library- lost some money.  Big farm owners sent their workers instead of coming, need to hold “gala” to get owners to come, solicit donations.
  
  
  • VA Forage and Grassland Council- equine forage conferences, free program through grant
  
  
  • On-farm calls equine pasture management and conservation practices. Very time consuming, how to sustain? Krishona had same problem, implemented program for fee.  Carey- send pictures via email or phone. Money less of an issue with these farm owners. 
  
  
  • Conservation BMP Model Farm, continuous vs rotational grazing, modeled after MD, RU, TN. 8 acres, 4 horses, OTTB. Monthly sampling forage qual, plant biodiversity, animal weights and measures. Manure composting for dry lot manure. Native warm season grasses filter pollutants better than tall fescue for filtration strip. Sprigged Bermudagrass project with NRCS, crabgrass took over. Undergraduate training program, helped develop grazing system. Couldn’t get rid of crabgrass to allow Bermuda to grow, mob grazed with sheep and they ate it to nothing.
  
  
  • Novel turfgrass grazing systems- high yielding grasses to form dense mat, prevent soil erosion, diet paddocks for horse health. Sprayed roundup, tilled, planted.  6 varieties, cafeteria style.  Grazed by pairs of 2 horses for 8 hr intervals. Persistence, tolerance to grazing, horse preference, nutrient quality.  Establishing 2 acclimation grazing areas planted with each of 6 warm season varieties, and one with cool season varieties.
  
  
  • Biodiversity study- how grasslands affect birds, pollinator, plant species diversity. Field left to grow. Rare endangered birds found.
  
  
  • Teaching and Experiential Learning- summer interns, used to be breeding, now more pasture management
  
  
  
  

Masoud Hashemi, University of Massachussetts

• Funding from Mass DEP, select BMPs at 2 equine facilities- UMass farm, BlueStar Equiculture draft horse rescue


• Equiculture had no pastures at first, fed hay on ground, 42 draft horses and no vegetation. Wetlands, stream going through middle of property (Three Rivers). Horses had direct access, had 1 culvert. Manure stored near woods and never removed, leachate and runoff water into river 100 ft away
  
  
  
  • Pasture Paradise- opportunity for horse exercise. Turned center section into pasture, fenced off ring around it ~25 ft wide with feeding stations and water.  Horses got along, partitioned pasture and allowed SOME horses to graze.  Krishona- any research on this?  Ann- difference between geriatric and athletic horse needs.  Cassie wants to track activity. Good for geriatric horses, pecking order can be a problem.  Manure not cleaned out of the track- occasionally, facility run by volunteers.  Videos on website. 
  
  
  • Turned ugly area into sacrifice area, installed gutters, scraped 6” of high organic matter, gravel, geotextile, 4” woodchips. Collapsed, didn’t work, had to remove wood chips and used compacted gravel instead. Wood chips no good for wet areas.
  
  
  • Compost bins, aerated.   Tried trash bins too, pump air in.  Windrows with perforated PVC pipe underneath, use blower and cover with semipermeable cloth.  2.5-3 months to compost, 1 month for curing.
  
  
  
  


• Hadley Horse Farm- lots of standing water, turns into ice sheets. Scraped, sand, drainage pipe, connect to swale.  Fence horses out of stream. Sacrifice lots- drainage inside paddocks too. Different footing materials.  Tried 3 materials with and without geotextile. Crushed gravel + textile, most expensive for 2400 sq ft at $3500. Raised bed boxes with different forage/legume species for demonstration- good scavenger hunt for students.


• Next- facility on Manchaug Lake, 40 horses, pile manure on top of hill over lake. Collect manure twice a year if he can access manure- muddy. Lots of leachate, running and standing water. 

Jennifer Gill, North Carolina State University

• Effect of Body Condition of Daily Distance Traveled, Metabolic Response, and Energy Intake in Horses


• Energy intake(fecal collection harness) vs energy expenditure (Polar heart rate/GPS monitors)


• 8 horses, 12 days, paired by opposing BCS, grouped, two 72h collection rounds. 6 d total data per horse.


• Some differences between paired horses and rounds. Temperature played a role


• GPS tracking images

Alexandria Garcia, University of Maine

• A Sustainable Approach to the Control of Parasites, fate of streptococci in equine compost


• Strangles, transmitted horse to horse or humans to horses, high mortality and morbidity rates


• Zooepidemicus “parent of S. equi” can also infect humans and domestic animals


• Compost used for pathogen deactivation 155-160 deg


• equi and S. zoo die at 60 deg C


• Static piles, assess viability at various depths, 3 diff C:N ratios


• zoo, nothing after 14 days. S. equi nothing after 336 hours


• Sterilized compost and the bacteria lived 50 hours, also tried different moisture levels. Strep persisted better in dry manure than moist manure.


• Already present bacteria outcompeted the added S. equi and S. zoo

Robert Causey, University of Maine

• Remediation of Antibiotics and Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria in Compost used on Small Farms


• Grant with RU (Carey), UDel (Amy Biddle)


• Effect of sulfadiazine-trimethoprim on microbial communities in equine compost


• 3 compost piles- horses on AB, waste with AB applied exogenously, waste with no AB


• Soil microbiologist- single source C substrate utilization, 16S rRNA gene sequencing


• Seed grant- submitted in May


• Ann- need to look at Bute and Banamine too

Betsy Greene, University of Vermont

• Fall Workshop, VT passed legislation for water quality, improve Lake Champlain. 2 farms, very different audiences. Across the Fence episode


• Betsy hopefully heading to U of Arizona


• Incorporate 4-H, youth into stewardship programs

Paul Siciliano, North Carolina State University

• Sward Height and NSC content, blood glucose/insulin response
  
  
  
  • 3 grass heights, NSC content goes up with height. Shorter heights were always in state of regrowth, using sugars, plus fewer leaves.  Fall tall fescue, good weather. No seed heads on tall grass, mowed so it doesn’t send up repro tiller.
  
  
  • Grazing plots with each height. Horses went to taller grass, out for 1 hour.
  
  
  • Crossover design, 4 grazing cells short and long grass. Sampling on day 7 every 2 hours for 8 hrs.
  
  
  • Short = 6-7 inches, long 15-16-17 inches
  
  
  • Less herbage mass in short
  
  
  • NSC lower in short
  
  
  • Insulin decreased, some horses more than others. Mean insulin increased hour 2-4 in long grass
  
  
  • Multi species “leader-follower” systems could benefit horses by taking grass height down. Cattle graze first, then horses
  
  
  
  


• Effect of grazing cell size on pasture utilization characteristics
  
  
  
  • 2 large cells, 2 same size but divided in 3. 2 horses, 21 days. Uniformity of grazing
  
  
  • Herbage mass, sward height no diff between trt. Lower after grazing.
  
  
  • Ground cover very good in both, lots of residue
  
  
  • Compressed sward height (plate meter- plexiglass disc, height + density) areas grazed too heavily. Trend for multiple small cells to have more of those areas.  Less spot grazing in large cell.
  
  
  
  


• Internet video on grazing management
  
  
  
  • Intro to prescribed grazing, balancing intake with requirements
  
  
  • Video chronicle, integration of practices, observation of outcomes on cooperating farm.
  
  
  • 12 or so short videos
  
  
  
  

Future Plans

New paper- Pasture Research Estimation Techniques

• Krishona is on lead, assigned sections. Will do monthly conference calls, hope to submit by end of year.  Laura’s methods paper needs to be submitted so it can be referenced.

Reviewer comments on nitrogen paper

• Discussion on a few comments

 

Accomplishments

<p>Mike Westendorf: Waste to Worth Conference session was a success, looking for hosts for next conference 2017.&nbsp;</p><br /> <p>Thanks to Rebecca Bott and Krishona Martinson for JEVS nitrogen papers.&nbsp; Nitrogen paper was split into horse digestion and environment. Environmental one accepted with revisions, haven&rsquo;t heard anything on digestion one.</p><br /> <p>Krishona: Review of Equine Grazing Research Methodologies, new paper.</p><br /> <p>All to be published.</p><br /> <p>&nbsp;</p><br /> <p>This was only the first year of the new project.&nbsp; More accompishments are expected in years to come.</p>

Publications

<p><strong>Westendorf, M. L</strong>., C. A. Williams, and L. B. Kenny. 2015. Case Study: Protection of environmental resources through the implementation of optimum feed-management practices on equine farms. Prof. Anim. Sci. 31:296-301.&nbsp; (<a href="http://pas.fass.org/content/31/3/296.full.pdf+html">http://pas.fass.org/content/31/3/296.full.pdf+html</a>).&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><br /> <p><strong>Westendorf, M. L. </strong>and C. A. Williams.&nbsp; 2015.&nbsp; Effects of excess dietary phosphorus on fecal phosphorus excretion and water extractable phosphorus in horses. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 35:495-498.(<a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0737080615000465">http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0737080615000465</a><span style="text-decoration: underline;">)</span></p>

Impact Statements

Back to top

Report Information

Participants

Amy Burke, University of Maryland
Carey Williams, Rutgers University
Robert Causey, University of Maine
Ann Swinker, Pennsylvania State University
Masoud Hashemi, University of Massachusetts
Carissa Wickens, University of Florida
Jessie Weir, University of Florida
Paul Siciliano, North Carolina State University
Michael Westendorf, Rutgers University

Online:
Bridgett McIntosh, Virginia Tech University
Krishona Martinson, University of Minnesota

Brief Summary of Minutes

NE1441 meeting

University of Maryland, College Park, MD

August 17-19, 2016

 

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Attendance: Amy, Carey, Robert, Ann, Masoud, Jessie, Carissa, Paul (on line: Krishona, Bridgett)

Dept Chair Introduction, Dr. Stall – at UMD for just over one year, very supportive of equine, 21 faculty, 35 grads, 279 undergrads in Animal and Avian science.  85% female and 95% no ag background.  Horse industry standpoint…highest density of horses in nation, about 80K horses with limited land area. Most is in Chesapeake Bay watershed. Opportunities in USDA for environmental research.

State Reports:

Krishona Martinson – MNU

• Warm season grazing with Annual Ryegrass as control
  
  
  
  • Found a 1:1 Ca:P ratio or inverted, consistently and a concern for Teff or other warm season grasses. Common in turf grasses.
  
  
  • Major nitrate problem, both vegetative and mature state, both in 2014 and 2015. In cattle should not be over 1000 ppm in horses can be 4000 ppm, but some are around 9000 ppm.  Teff grazed 24/7 were levels that could kill horses.
  
  
  • Crude protein is also high in all grasses, not surprised.
  
  
  • Amy will also be doing nitrate in her warm season grasses as well. Was suggested by Lori Warren at UFL, which has high nitrates also.
  
  
  • Tracked weather patterns, but near 30-year historical averages, minus one large rainfall in June. Grasses not planted until first week of June.
  
  
  
  


• Hay rake testing for ash content
  
  
  
  • Multiple cases of dirt in hay, over 8% is considered contamination
    
    
    
    • Merger rake, inverts hay
    
    
    • Side delivery rake
    
    
    • Wheel rake, ground driven
    
    
    • Rotary rake or gyro rake, latest and greatest
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • MN, PA and WI locations, standing and cutting, samples were taken after raking and post-baling
  
  
  • MN had sandy soil, ash about 11-15%, PA 9-10%, WI 9-10% with the Wheel rake having the most ash.
  
  
  
  


• Future studies include:
  
  
  
  • Low lignin alfalfa project hoping for funding
  
  
  • Grass-legume mixture study
  
  
  • Estimating weight of saddle horses and minis to add to the phone app.
  
  
  • Fly repellent effectiveness study ongoing – fly bands, fly boots, home remedy spray, and 2 commercial sprays plus control
  
  
  • Blood glucose and insulin while grazing
  
  
  • Grazing perennial ryegrass
  
  
  • Continuing equine pasture management program
  
  
  
  

Bridgett McIntosh – VA Tech

• Extension Programs
  
  
  
  • Horse Owner Education Seminar Series, funded by Horse Council and Horse Industry Board. Certificate driven, hay ID, emergency shoe removal, wrapping, acupuncture, 60 people total.
  
  
  • Spotlight on Stewardship: Equine Land Management Symposium, trouble with attendance, only 33 this year, larger last year.
  
  
  • Equine Forages Conferences, forum on fall panicum (Johnsongrass) toxicity, pasture and in hay, big problem in VA, grows this time of year. Low level liver toxicity.
  
  
  • 4-H horse youth program, at MARE Center, 20 youth groups come to focused on pasture, conservation, etc.
  
  
  
  


• Research Projects
  
  
  
  • Continuous vs Rotational Grazing, involving summer interns, and Program assistant oversees, sampled before and after grazing, no data ready yet. Preliminary ROT has higher nutrient content. 4 horses on each system.
  
  
  • Micro RNA for predicting laminitis, worked with Dr. Tanja Hess at Colorado State, used warmblood mares, and ponies.
  
  
  • Use of acetaminophen use in horses as alternative to Bute. Nothing negative yet, maybe environmental concerns?
  
  
  • Equine nutritional management survey, body condition index score (originally proposed by Waltham), doesn’t work for certain body types of horses, currently 233 measurements of sport horses.
  
  
  • Digestive buffer effects on horses with obese EMS horses
  
  
  • Seasonal grazing study on metabolic and digestive responses in horses, just cool seasons grasses, fecal samples, blood samples, equine microbiome
  
  
  • VA Working Landscapes Biodiversity study, run by citizen scientists.
  
  
  • Low intensity exercise on unfit TB
  
  
  • Novel turgrass study in collaboration with Amy Burk at UMD
  
  
  
  


• Teaching and Experiential Learning program
  
  
  
  • Summer program through British Equestrian program, used for credit, undergrads work hard and get a lot of experience, mini-boot camp, foaling, blood collection, visit DC, help host groups
  
  
  
  

Paul Siciliano – NCSU

• Research Update
  
  
  
  • Restricted grazing on body weight and activity, while grazing pasture can they lose weight by time and/or space restriction, 35 day period with two groups of 5 horses. Restricted to 0.14 ha, or continuous at 2.2 ha, looked at herbage mass. Max-Q tall fescue fields, restricted grazing did have a decrease in weight, 35 kg reduction, continuous horses gained 14 kg. Also monitored activity with a polar equine V800 activity monitor, did travel less than continuous group. Restricted required a high level of management, moved when fields were <3”.
  
  
  
  


• Outreach Update
  
  
  
  • NRCS Grazing Management video series, 12 short management videos, 3 complete so far, posted on YouTube.
  
  
  
  

Amy Burk – UMD

• Rotational Grazing Site
  
  
  
  • Educated over 700 individuals from 5 states, in 2013 grazing mares and foals, took a 2 year break from educational programs at cite. Thinking about making a multi-state or regional pasture program or seminar day to help maximize the number of people we reach and help decrease the work load on one individual faculty.
  
  
  
  


• Research update
  
  
  
  • Aubrey Lowrey’s Ph.D. project, development of a novel trufgrass grazing system for overweight horses.
    
    
    
    • Study 1: evaluate prevalence of obesity in MD, characterize control strategies, determine how managing obese horses impacts the operations, 96% of operations manage at least 1 obese horse, about 40% of the population was obese, about 24% of the ponies were laminitic, 70% of ponies used dry lots, dry lots caused more maintenance, 27% of obese ponies still got grain!
    
    
    • Study 2: wear tolerance of turfgrasses, 8 cool and 6 warm season grasses in replicated plots, aerator fitted with feet to simulate horses, once per week, high traffic, low traffic and control, study is ongoing.
    
    
    • Study 3: palatability of turfgrasses, done at the MARE Center, same turfgrasses, dry lot with acclimation period, graze for 8 hours, study is ongoing.
    
    
    • Study 4: evaluation of trufgrasses for obese horses, test it on obese horses, work with Waltham, will be seeding soon.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  

Thursday, August 18^th, 2016

Attendance: Amy, Carey, Robert, Ann, Masoud, Jessie, Carissa, Mike, Mark, Paul

Jessie Weir – UFL

• Research for Doctorate with Dr. Carissa Wickens as Ph.D. advisor


• 82% of ammonia emissions are related to agriculture


• Characterizing ammonia emissions on different protein levels in forage
  
  
  
  • Used 9 geldings with 11 days of diet adaptation
  
  
  • 2 warm seasons hays, Bahiagrass hay low CP, Bermuda grass hay high CP, plus grain to increase CP.
  
  
  • Also did invitro study at UDEL
  
  
  • Feces was highest total nitrogen in medium CP diet, Urine was highest in both Medium and High CP. CP digestibility ranged between 49 and 58%, similar to past literature in grass hay
  
  
  • Emissions rate showed high CP diet was highest with both feces and urine
  
  
  
  


• Field testing on ammonia emissions model in different housing types
  
  
  
  • Ventilation was difficult to measure, used indirect measure of metabolic CO2
  
  
  • Used closed barns in DE, using a dynamic flux chamber system to measure NH3 flux
  
  
  • Used FLIR thermos-imaging camera to determine the area of the stall that was wet, measured 5 min / stall location with 5 locations in each stall, about 4-5 stalls per barn
  
  
  • Surveyed management practices and barn characteristics, estimated horses CP intake, sampled dirty bedding as well.
  
  
  • Bedded on straw is highest NH3 emissions on straw with broodmares after inside overnight.
  
  
  
  


• Want to take the further to test aversion to NH3 with horse behavior using a head feeding box designed by an ag engineer at UDEL.

Carissa Wickens – UFL

• Extension programs
  
  
  
  • FL is catching up to the Mid-Atlantic, dept of ag, DEP, university is focused on water quality, focusing on BMP education, also doing a needs assessment for what equipment horse farms need to deal with manure removal.
  
  
  
  

Masoud Hashemi – UMASS

• Blue Star farm sanctuary for draft horses, needed BMPs to help with water quality, had direct access to stream, turned to vegetative area with no access to stream, manure duped directly on stream, now aeriated compost pile, farm sells compost.


• Campus farm now has water fenced off with a controlled water crossing and heavy use areas with several different types of footing (6), with description of each for educational purposes.


• Installed about 20-25 BMPs over two farm in the last few years.

Robert Causey – UME

• Abatement of S Equi in compost, MS of Alex Garcia
  
  
  
  • After seeding compost piles with S. Equi the organisms was gone in less than 24 hours. Sterilized horse bedding, how long would S Equi last? Within 24 hours when non-sterilized but over 48 hours in sterile environment. Dried bedding was less able to get rid of S Equi than if not dried.  After dried more water was added back to get range of moisture, very dry S Equi survived for several days, at about 24 to 36 day removal of S Equi at about 30-50% moisture. S Equi needs physical contact to survive.
  
  
  • Working on waste hay elimination at the college farm.
  
  
  • Also thinking about Antibiotic Stewardship
  
  
  
  

Ann Swinker – PSU

• Environmental stewardship programs, surveys came back positive with a lot of positive change towards rotational grazing, manure pads, other BMPs installed.


• Manure management plan writing, organized workshops and one on one writing


• Works closely with other organizations


• Trying to encourage people to do no-till drilling, so purchased 2 8-foot no-till drills to help horse farm owners, only reseeded 20 farms (1 pasture on each), other drill is in SE PA with another agent who will use it. 7 farms had their own and were able to use it. 8 farms were able to broadcast seed or frost-free seeding.


• Parasite project run by Donna Foulk, $150K NE SARE grant
  
  
  
  • Whole farm approach to manure and parasites, too much resistance with de-wormers, day long workshop with horse owners, farms collect fecal samples, provide fecal egg count procedures, de-wormers are provided, farms are checked for parasite resistance.
  
  
  • All farms had a high shedder, some horses have good immunity, 95% of farms determined effectiveness of de-worming program, project reduced fear of parasite overload problems, they learned how to do their own testing, some purchased own microscope, 68% took steps to improve pastures, 45% remove manure from pastures
  
  
  • 43% of farms had Pyrantel resistance, 86% had Fenbendazole resistance.
  
  
  
  

Mike Westendorf – Rutgers

• An Evening of Wine and Equine – Environmental Stewardship, run with NRCS in NJ to get people signed up for funding with NRCS, educated in the process of BMPs they can use on their farm to help increase their environmental stewardship.


• Waste to Worth conference in April, in Raleigh, North Carolina, want to have another equine symposium. Will have a one day rate for the conference on the equine day. 


• Send Mike a list of accomplishments, papers and grants on program related activities. Due 60 days after meeting, but please get Mike reports ASAP.


• Want to look at projects related to BMP adoption on farms, what drives adoption? Neighbor complaints, NRCS funding, etc? Come up with a profile for adoptions.


• Compare composting standards in NJ, with more intensive standards for composing.

Carey Williams – Rutgers

• Laura Kenny’s MS project: Rotational vs. Continuous grazing on horse condition, pasture quality and soil
  
  
  
  • First a comparison of vegetative cover methods was performed. The study looked at 2 different line transect methods, a step point method and the pasture evaluation disk designed by Penn State.  The results showed that these methods can be used interchangeably but due to ease of performing the method the Step Point method was used for future studies.
  
  
  • First year of the rotational grazing project found that horse condition did not differ between systems but horses did have a decrease in body weight, body condition and body fat during the winter months, which then increased again in the spring. Soil measure also did not differ, it is thought that the compaction and water infiltration might need more than a one year time period to see differences.  Pasture condition was different with the rotational system having higher sward height in the late fall and spring, and the herbage mass being greater in the spring.  Vegetative cover was also different with less weeds in the rotational system near the end of the first year.  Greater differences are expected in year 2.  The project will continue until the end of the second full grazing season.   
  
  
  
  


• 24 hr sugar study in collaboration with Amy Burk at UMD
  
  
  
  • Blood, feces and pasture samples were taken every 4 hours over a 24 hour period in June, August and October of 2015, one year after the horses were grazing in each of the rotational or continuous systems.
  
  
  • Glucose and Insulins are done but need to be analyzed , results were from an undergraduate project using only one month of data.
  
  
  • In June there were no differences in glucose or insulin between systems, fecal pH and sugar content in the forage also was not different between systems. Several sample times were different but no pattern was found.  More analysis of data will come.
  
  
  
  


• Future Studies: waiting on a grant to look at grazing preference using GPS monitors that can measure elevation of head to see when horses are grazing, also look at microbiome in combination with time of day and season.

Kim Kroll – NE SARE

• Very applied program, bench science is not where funding goes, really focused on farmer education.


• Congress annually gives SARE funds, proposals must explain how funds will be used to help farmers.


• 4 regional councils that set priorities, non-profits, agencies, land grants, etc.


• Writing grants is a team approach, must have farmer input


• Research and Education, Farmer/Rancher, Professional Development, Graduate Student, Ag Professional + Producer Partnerships


• Sustainable pest and weed management, crop diversification, nutrient management, soil quality, stewardship of the land, rotational grazing, etc.


• SARE Outreach, library of practical how-to books, medial outreach, a portfolio, conference sponsorships, on line resources…


• Impact: 79% of producers said they improved soil quality, etc. Lots of impact!


• State coordinators also have pot of money to use for special initiatives, pilots etc. Contact state coordinators.

Thur. PM in DC, Grant meetings:

• Environmental (EPA) Education Grant Program (meeting with Karen Scott)


• General grants program:
  
  
  
  • Total level of funding - $3 to $3.5 million
  
  
  • 38% of budget to education grants
  
  
  • 25% of budget to teacher education
    
    
    
    • (didn’t capture in my notes what the remaining percentage goes towards)
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Two main types of grants:
    
    
    
    • Local grants - $90,000
    
    
    • Model grants (can be multi-state/regional) - $190,000
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • EPA is mandated to increase environmental awareness and stewardship
  
  
  • Accept applications on all environmental topics, but must focus on education
  
  
  • Best resources are RFP and FQA
  
  
  • Fiscal year 2017 not yet established, call for proposals likely will not be released until spring 2017
  
  
  • Funding rate is less than 10% (e.g. previously have received 476 applications and typically fund between 30-35 projects). Many not funded due to not following RFP or grammar and misspellings in proposal.
  
  
  • Proposals (work plan/methods) limited to 8 pages.
  
  
  • Cannot include construction or training of environmental professionals in the budget, however these stipulations are not well defined. Recommended referring to EPA statute/law (?).
  
  
  • Proposals cannot be simply outreach, rather projects have to educate, e.g. through workshops (more than just meetings). Pre and post-knowledge assessments. Education and teaching resulting in behavior change/problem solving.
  
  
  • Proposal must address an important environmental issue (why is this project needed/important). Lit review/justification with references cited (references not included in page count).
  
  
  • List of past proposals/funded projects available online (awards since 1992).
  
  
  
  

Friday, August 19, 2016

Attendance: Amy, Carey, Robert, Ann, Masoud, Jessie, Carissa, Paul

• Send state reports to Mike ASAP.


• Journal reviews:
  
  
  
  • Protein Metabolism is published JEVS Vol. 45: 78-86.
  
  
  • Environment Protein Environment is published JEVS Vol. 45:98-106.
  
  
  • Pasture methods paper is out for review in JEVS.
  
  
  • Manure review, Masoud revised, Mike sent back out for another review. Need to add more than storage facilities, i.e. aeriated compost, alternative uses of compost, etc.  Authors are Ann, Masoud and Mike.  Carissa and Robert will be added as authors. Carey will send an email to get things moving again.
  
  
  
  


• Future Grants and research
  
  
  
  • Yesterday’s meetings. NERA NEED planning grants, up to $10,000 to plan future grants, SARE grad student grants will be a good venue for pasture and environmental research, SE SARE is not crazy about horses, Paul and Carissa will meet with advisors to help get that changed, need to get producers involved.
  
  
  • Masoud suggested the DEP 319 grants to implement water quality BMP’s and do education. He says those are great grants.
  
  
  • Extension Risk Management Education is a good area to submit for. Good with Regulatory aspect, economic impact, water quality aspect. Innovative tools to tie in with overall goal. Carissa wants to take a lead on this proposal, and continue in this area with more edits. Need to fill in producer need using stats, etc.
  
  
  • Masoud will start a pre proposal for NE SARE next round, research and education division. Forage related proposal.
  
  
  • EPA Environmental Education program, grants for local issues with grants around $90K, the Model grant program funds multiple states for around $190 (def less than $200K). This is our best option for funding, even though only a 10% funding rate. 
    
    
    
    • Add in survey info about need for education on keeping horse properties educationally friendly.
    
    
    • This will environmental education fosters critical thinking, problem solving and decision making skills on environmental topics.
    
    
    • Apply for a NERA NEED planning grant to organize the group to get funding for phone app, and EPA EE grant. Amy will take the lead on the NERA NEED grant for $10,000.
    
    
    • Outputs:
      
      
      
      • Apply for funding for phone app development for Equine Environmental Stewardship Self-Assessment phone App. Then build in links to find more information on where to find help or solutions.
      
      
      • Video segments for educate horse farm owners, youth, and others on Environmental BMPs on horse farms.
      
      
      • Host 2 (or more) hands on educational workshop for youth with parents and for adult farm owners, etc.
      
      
      • Produce a packet of information (CD/DVD) to be used in other locations by other educators.
      
      
      
      
    
    
    • Outcomes:
      
      
      
      • Need to work out these.
      
      
      
      
    
    
    • Next year’s meeting: asking Bridgett for MARE Center VA Tech to host 2017, in 2018 we will have Masoud host us at UMASS – Amhurst, other options for future meetings are UFL hosted by Carissa or Maine hosted by Robert Causey
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  

 

Respectfully submitted by Carey Williams

NE1441 meeting

University of Maryland, College Park, MD

August 17-19, 2016

 

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Attendance: Amy, Carey, Robert, Ann, Masoud, Jessie, Carissa, Paul (on line: Krishona, Bridgett)

Dept Chair Introduction, Dr. Stall – at UMD for just over one year, very supportive of equine, 21 faculty, 35 grads, 279 undergrads in Animal and Avian science.  85% female and 95% no ag background.  Horse industry standpoint…highest density of horses in nation, about 80K horses with limited land area. Most is in Chesapeake Bay watershed. Opportunities in USDA for environmental research.

State Reports:

Krishona Martinson – MNU

• Warm season grazing with Annual Ryegrass as control
  
  
  
  • Found a 1:1 Ca:P ratio or inverted, consistently and a concern for Teff or other warm season grasses. Common in turf grasses.
  
  
  • Major nitrate problem, both vegetative and mature state, both in 2014 and 2015. In cattle should not be over 1000 ppm in horses can be 4000 ppm, but some are around 9000 ppm.  Teff grazed 24/7 were levels that could kill horses.
  
  
  • Crude protein is also high in all grasses, not surprised.
  
  
  • Amy will also be doing nitrate in her warm season grasses as well. Was suggested by Lori Warren at UFL, which has high nitrates also.
  
  
  • Tracked weather patterns, but near 30-year historical averages, minus one large rainfall in June. Grasses not planted until first week of June.
  
  
  
  


• Hay rake testing for ash content
  
  
  
  • Multiple cases of dirt in hay, over 8% is considered contamination
    
    
    
    • Merger rake, inverts hay
    
    
    • Side delivery rake
    
    
    • Wheel rake, ground driven
    
    
    • Rotary rake or gyro rake, latest and greatest
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • MN, PA and WI locations, standing and cutting, samples were taken after raking and post-baling
  
  
  • MN had sandy soil, ash about 11-15%, PA 9-10%, WI 9-10% with the Wheel rake having the most ash.
  
  
  
  


• Future studies include:
  
  
  
  • Low lignin alfalfa project hoping for funding
  
  
  • Grass-legume mixture study
  
  
  • Estimating weight of saddle horses and minis to add to the phone app.
  
  
  • Fly repellent effectiveness study ongoing – fly bands, fly boots, home remedy spray, and 2 commercial sprays plus control
  
  
  • Blood glucose and insulin while grazing
  
  
  • Grazing perennial ryegrass
  
  
  • Continuing equine pasture management program
  
  
  
  

Bridgett McIntosh – VA Tech

• Extension Programs
  
  
  
  • Horse Owner Education Seminar Series, funded by Horse Council and Horse Industry Board. Certificate driven, hay ID, emergency shoe removal, wrapping, acupuncture, 60 people total.
  
  
  • Spotlight on Stewardship: Equine Land Management Symposium, trouble with attendance, only 33 this year, larger last year.
  
  
  • Equine Forages Conferences, forum on fall panicum (Johnsongrass) toxicity, pasture and in hay, big problem in VA, grows this time of year. Low level liver toxicity.
  
  
  • 4-H horse youth program, at MARE Center, 20 youth groups come to focused on pasture, conservation, etc.
  
  
  
  


• Research Projects
  
  
  
  • Continuous vs Rotational Grazing, involving summer interns, and Program assistant oversees, sampled before and after grazing, no data ready yet. Preliminary ROT has higher nutrient content. 4 horses on each system.
  
  
  • Micro RNA for predicting laminitis, worked with Dr. Tanja Hess at Colorado State, used warmblood mares, and ponies.
  
  
  • Use of acetaminophen use in horses as alternative to Bute. Nothing negative yet, maybe environmental concerns?
  
  
  • Equine nutritional management survey, body condition index score (originally proposed by Waltham), doesn’t work for certain body types of horses, currently 233 measurements of sport horses.
  
  
  • Digestive buffer effects on horses with obese EMS horses
  
  
  • Seasonal grazing study on metabolic and digestive responses in horses, just cool seasons grasses, fecal samples, blood samples, equine microbiome
  
  
  • VA Working Landscapes Biodiversity study, run by citizen scientists.
  
  
  • Low intensity exercise on unfit TB
  
  
  • Novel turgrass study in collaboration with Amy Burk at UMD
  
  
  
  


• Teaching and Experiential Learning program
  
  
  
  • Summer program through British Equestrian program, used for credit, undergrads work hard and get a lot of experience, mini-boot camp, foaling, blood collection, visit DC, help host groups
  
  
  
  

Paul Siciliano – NCSU

• Research Update
  
  
  
  • Restricted grazing on body weight and activity, while grazing pasture can they lose weight by time and/or space restriction, 35 day period with two groups of 5 horses. Restricted to 0.14 ha, or continuous at 2.2 ha, looked at herbage mass. Max-Q tall fescue fields, restricted grazing did have a decrease in weight, 35 kg reduction, continuous horses gained 14 kg. Also monitored activity with a polar equine V800 activity monitor, did travel less than continuous group. Restricted required a high level of management, moved when fields were <3”.
  
  
  
  


• Outreach Update
  
  
  
  • NRCS Grazing Management video series, 12 short management videos, 3 complete so far, posted on YouTube.
  
  
  
  

Amy Burk – UMD

• Rotational Grazing Site
  
  
  
  • Educated over 700 individuals from 5 states, in 2013 grazing mares and foals, took a 2 year break from educational programs at cite. Thinking about making a multi-state or regional pasture program or seminar day to help maximize the number of people we reach and help decrease the work load on one individual faculty.
  
  
  
  


• Research update
  
  
  
  • Aubrey Lowrey’s Ph.D. project, development of a novel trufgrass grazing system for overweight horses.
    
    
    
    • Study 1: evaluate prevalence of obesity in MD, characterize control strategies, determine how managing obese horses impacts the operations, 96% of operations manage at least 1 obese horse, about 40% of the population was obese, about 24% of the ponies were laminitic, 70% of ponies used dry lots, dry lots caused more maintenance, 27% of obese ponies still got grain!
    
    
    • Study 2: wear tolerance of turfgrasses, 8 cool and 6 warm season grasses in replicated plots, aerator fitted with feet to simulate horses, once per week, high traffic, low traffic and control, study is ongoing.
    
    
    • Study 3: palatability of turfgrasses, done at the MARE Center, same turfgrasses, dry lot with acclimation period, graze for 8 hours, study is ongoing.
    
    
    • Study 4: evaluation of trufgrasses for obese horses, test it on obese horses, work with Waltham, will be seeding soon.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  

Thursday, August 18^th, 2016

Attendance: Amy, Carey, Robert, Ann, Masoud, Jessie, Carissa, Mike, Mark, Paul

Jessie Weir – UFL

• Research for Doctorate with Dr. Carissa Wickens as Ph.D. advisor


• 82% of ammonia emissions are related to agriculture


• Characterizing ammonia emissions on different protein levels in forage
  
  
  
  • Used 9 geldings with 11 days of diet adaptation
  
  
  • 2 warm seasons hays, Bahiagrass hay low CP, Bermuda grass hay high CP, plus grain to increase CP.
  
  
  • Also did invitro study at UDEL
  
  
  • Feces was highest total nitrogen in medium CP diet, Urine was highest in both Medium and High CP. CP digestibility ranged between 49 and 58%, similar to past literature in grass hay
  
  
  • Emissions rate showed high CP diet was highest with both feces and urine
  
  
  
  


• Field testing on ammonia emissions model in different housing types
  
  
  
  • Ventilation was difficult to measure, used indirect measure of metabolic CO2
  
  
  • Used closed barns in DE, using a dynamic flux chamber system to measure NH3 flux
  
  
  • Used FLIR thermos-imaging camera to determine the area of the stall that was wet, measured 5 min / stall location with 5 locations in each stall, about 4-5 stalls per barn
  
  
  • Surveyed management practices and barn characteristics, estimated horses CP intake, sampled dirty bedding as well.
  
  
  • Bedded on straw is highest NH3 emissions on straw with broodmares after inside overnight.
  
  
  
  


• Want to take the further to test aversion to NH3 with horse behavior using a head feeding box designed by an ag engineer at UDEL.

Carissa Wickens – UFL

• Extension programs
  
  
  
  • FL is catching up to the Mid-Atlantic, dept of ag, DEP, university is focused on water quality, focusing on BMP education, also doing a needs assessment for what equipment horse farms need to deal with manure removal.
  
  
  
  

Masoud Hashemi – UMASS

• Blue Star farm sanctuary for draft horses, needed BMPs to help with water quality, had direct access to stream, turned to vegetative area with no access to stream, manure duped directly on stream, now aeriated compost pile, farm sells compost.


• Campus farm now has water fenced off with a controlled water crossing and heavy use areas with several different types of footing (6), with description of each for educational purposes.


• Installed about 20-25 BMPs over two farm in the last few years.

Robert Causey – UME

• Abatement of S Equi in compost, MS of Alex Garcia
  
  
  
  • After seeding compost piles with S. Equi the organisms was gone in less than 24 hours. Sterilized horse bedding, how long would S Equi last? Within 24 hours when non-sterilized but over 48 hours in sterile environment. Dried bedding was less able to get rid of S Equi than if not dried.  After dried more water was added back to get range of moisture, very dry S Equi survived for several days, at about 24 to 36 day removal of S Equi at about 30-50% moisture. S Equi needs physical contact to survive.
  
  
  • Working on waste hay elimination at the college farm.
  
  
  • Also thinking about Antibiotic Stewardship
  
  
  
  

Ann Swinker – PSU

• Environmental stewardship programs, surveys came back positive with a lot of positive change towards rotational grazing, manure pads, other BMPs installed.


• Manure management plan writing, organized workshops and one on one writing


• Works closely with other organizations


• Trying to encourage people to do no-till drilling, so purchased 2 8-foot no-till drills to help horse farm owners, only reseeded 20 farms (1 pasture on each), other drill is in SE PA with another agent who will use it. 7 farms had their own and were able to use it. 8 farms were able to broadcast seed or frost-free seeding.


• Parasite project run by Donna Foulk, $150K NE SARE grant
  
  
  
  • Whole farm approach to manure and parasites, too much resistance with de-wormers, day long workshop with horse owners, farms collect fecal samples, provide fecal egg count procedures, de-wormers are provided, farms are checked for parasite resistance.
  
  
  • All farms had a high shedder, some horses have good immunity, 95% of farms determined effectiveness of de-worming program, project reduced fear of parasite overload problems, they learned how to do their own testing, some purchased own microscope, 68% took steps to improve pastures, 45% remove manure from pastures
  
  
  • 43% of farms had Pyrantel resistance, 86% had Fenbendazole resistance.
  
  
  
  

Mike Westendorf – Rutgers

• An Evening of Wine and Equine – Environmental Stewardship, run with NRCS in NJ to get people signed up for funding with NRCS, educated in the process of BMPs they can use on their farm to help increase their environmental stewardship.


• Waste to Worth conference in April, in Raleigh, North Carolina, want to have another equine symposium. Will have a one day rate for the conference on the equine day. 


• Send Mike a list of accomplishments, papers and grants on program related activities. Due 60 days after meeting, but please get Mike reports ASAP.


• Want to look at projects related to BMP adoption on farms, what drives adoption? Neighbor complaints, NRCS funding, etc? Come up with a profile for adoptions.


• Compare composting standards in NJ, with more intensive standards for composing.

Carey Williams – Rutgers

• Laura Kenny’s MS project: Rotational vs. Continuous grazing on horse condition, pasture quality and soil
  
  
  
  • First a comparison of vegetative cover methods was performed. The study looked at 2 different line transect methods, a step point method and the pasture evaluation disk designed by Penn State.  The results showed that these methods can be used interchangeably but due to ease of performing the method the Step Point method was used for future studies.
  
  
  • First year of the rotational grazing project found that horse condition did not differ between systems but horses did have a decrease in body weight, body condition and body fat during the winter months, which then increased again in the spring. Soil measure also did not differ, it is thought that the compaction and water infiltration might need more than a one year time period to see differences.  Pasture condition was different with the rotational system having higher sward height in the late fall and spring, and the herbage mass being greater in the spring.  Vegetative cover was also different with less weeds in the rotational system near the end of the first year.  Greater differences are expected in year 2.  The project will continue until the end of the second full grazing season.   
  
  
  
  


• 24 hr sugar study in collaboration with Amy Burk at UMD
  
  
  
  • Blood, feces and pasture samples were taken every 4 hours over a 24 hour period in June, August and October of 2015, one year after the horses were grazing in each of the rotational or continuous systems.
  
  
  • Glucose and Insulins are done but need to be analyzed , results were from an undergraduate project using only one month of data.
  
  
  • In June there were no differences in glucose or insulin between systems, fecal pH and sugar content in the forage also was not different between systems. Several sample times were different but no pattern was found.  More analysis of data will come.
  
  
  
  


• Future Studies: waiting on a grant to look at grazing preference using GPS monitors that can measure elevation of head to see when horses are grazing, also look at microbiome in combination with time of day and season.

Kim Kroll – NE SARE

• Very applied program, bench science is not where funding goes, really focused on farmer education.


• Congress annually gives SARE funds, proposals must explain how funds will be used to help farmers.


• 4 regional councils that set priorities, non-profits, agencies, land grants, etc.


• Writing grants is a team approach, must have farmer input


• Research and Education, Farmer/Rancher, Professional Development, Graduate Student, Ag Professional + Producer Partnerships


• Sustainable pest and weed management, crop diversification, nutrient management, soil quality, stewardship of the land, rotational grazing, etc.


• SARE Outreach, library of practical how-to books, medial outreach, a portfolio, conference sponsorships, on line resources…


• Impact: 79% of producers said they improved soil quality, etc. Lots of impact!


• State coordinators also have pot of money to use for special initiatives, pilots etc. Contact state coordinators.

Thur. PM in DC, Grant meetings:

• Environmental (EPA) Education Grant Program (meeting with Karen Scott)


• General grants program:
  
  
  
  • Total level of funding - $3 to $3.5 million
  
  
  • 38% of budget to education grants
  
  
  • 25% of budget to teacher education
    
    
    
    • (didn’t capture in my notes what the remaining percentage goes towards)
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Two main types of grants:
    
    
    
    • Local grants - $90,000
    
    
    • Model grants (can be multi-state/regional) - $190,000
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • EPA is mandated to increase environmental awareness and stewardship
  
  
  • Accept applications on all environmental topics, but must focus on education
  
  
  • Best resources are RFP and FQA
  
  
  • Fiscal year 2017 not yet established, call for proposals likely will not be released until spring 2017
  
  
  • Funding rate is less than 10% (e.g. previously have received 476 applications and typically fund between 30-35 projects). Many not funded due to not following RFP or grammar and misspellings in proposal.
  
  
  • Proposals (work plan/methods) limited to 8 pages.
  
  
  • Cannot include construction or training of environmental professionals in the budget, however these stipulations are not well defined. Recommended referring to EPA statute/law (?).
  
  
  • Proposals cannot be simply outreach, rather projects have to educate, e.g. through workshops (more than just meetings). Pre and post-knowledge assessments. Education and teaching resulting in behavior change/problem solving.
  
  
  • Proposal must address an important environmental issue (why is this project needed/important). Lit review/justification with references cited (references not included in page count).
  
  
  • List of past proposals/funded projects available online (awards since 1992).
  
  
  
  

Friday, August 19, 2016

Attendance: Amy, Carey, Robert, Ann, Masoud, Jessie, Carissa, Paul

• Send state reports to Mike ASAP.


• Journal reviews:
  
  
  
  • Protein Metabolism is published JEVS Vol. 45: 78-86.
  
  
  • Environment Protein Environment is published JEVS Vol. 45:98-106.
  
  
  • Pasture methods paper is out for review in JEVS.
  
  
  • Manure review, Masoud revised, Mike sent back out for another review. Need to add more than storage facilities, i.e. aeriated compost, alternative uses of compost, etc.  Authors are Ann, Masoud and Mike.  Carissa and Robert will be added as authors. Carey will send an email to get things moving again.
  
  
  
  


• Future Grants and research
  
  
  
  • Yesterday’s meetings. NERA NEED planning grants, up to $10,000 to plan future grants, SARE grad student grants will be a good venue for pasture and environmental research, SE SARE is not crazy about horses, Paul and Carissa will meet with advisors to help get that changed, need to get producers involved.
  
  
  • Masoud suggested the DEP 319 grants to implement water quality BMP’s and do education. He says those are great grants.
  
  
  • Extension Risk Management Education is a good area to submit for. Good with Regulatory aspect, economic impact, water quality aspect. Innovative tools to tie in with overall goal. Carissa wants to take a lead on this proposal, and continue in this area with more edits. Need to fill in producer need using stats, etc.
  
  
  • Masoud will start a pre proposal for NE SARE next round, research and education division. Forage related proposal.
  
  
  • EPA Environmental Education program, grants for local issues with grants around $90K, the Model grant program funds multiple states for around $190 (def less than $200K). This is our best option for funding, even though only a 10% funding rate. 
    
    
    
    • Add in survey info about need for education on keeping horse properties educationally friendly.
    
    
    • This will environmental education fosters critical thinking, problem solving and decision making skills on environmental topics.
    
    
    • Apply for a NERA NEED planning grant to organize the group to get funding for phone app, and EPA EE grant. Amy will take the lead on the NERA NEED grant for $10,000.
    
    
    • Outputs:
      
      
      
      • Apply for funding for phone app development for Equine Environmental Stewardship Self-Assessment phone App. Then build in links to find more information on where to find help or solutions.
      
      
      • Video segments for educate horse farm owners, youth, and others on Environmental BMPs on horse farms.
      
      
      • Host 2 (or more) hands on educational workshop for youth with parents and for adult farm owners, etc.
      
      
      • Produce a packet of information (CD/DVD) to be used in other locations by other educators.
      
      
      
      
    
    
    • Outcomes:
      
      
      
      • Need to work out these.
      
      
      
      
    
    
    • Next year’s meeting: asking Bridgett for MARE Center VA Tech to host 2017, in 2018 we will have Masoud host us at UMASS – Amhurst, other options for future meetings are UFL hosted by Carissa or Maine hosted by Robert Causey
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  

 

Respectfully submitted by Carey Williams

NE1441 meeting

University of Maryland, College Park, MD

August 17-19, 2016

 

Wednesday, August 17, 2016

Attendance: Amy, Carey, Robert, Ann, Masoud, Jessie, Carissa, Paul (on line: Krishona, Bridgett)

Dept Chair Introduction, Dr. Stall – at UMD for just over one year, very supportive of equine, 21 faculty, 35 grads, 279 undergrads in Animal and Avian science.  85% female and 95% no ag background.  Horse industry standpoint…highest density of horses in nation, about 80K horses with limited land area. Most is in Chesapeake Bay watershed. Opportunities in USDA for environmental research.

State Reports:

Krishona Martinson – MNU

• Warm season grazing with Annual Ryegrass as control
  
  
  
  • Found a 1:1 Ca:P ratio or inverted, consistently and a concern for Teff or other warm season grasses. Common in turf grasses.
  
  
  • Major nitrate problem, both vegetative and mature state, both in 2014 and 2015. In cattle should not be over 1000 ppm in horses can be 4000 ppm, but some are around 9000 ppm.  Teff grazed 24/7 were levels that could kill horses.
  
  
  • Crude protein is also high in all grasses, not surprised.
  
  
  • Amy will also be doing nitrate in her warm season grasses as well. Was suggested by Lori Warren at UFL, which has high nitrates also.
  
  
  • Tracked weather patterns, but near 30-year historical averages, minus one large rainfall in June. Grasses not planted until first week of June.
  
  
  
  


• Hay rake testing for ash content
  
  
  
  • Multiple cases of dirt in hay, over 8% is considered contamination
    
    
    
    • Merger rake, inverts hay
    
    
    • Side delivery rake
    
    
    • Wheel rake, ground driven
    
    
    • Rotary rake or gyro rake, latest and greatest
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • MN, PA and WI locations, standing and cutting, samples were taken after raking and post-baling
  
  
  • MN had sandy soil, ash about 11-15%, PA 9-10%, WI 9-10% with the Wheel rake having the most ash.
  
  
  
  


• Future studies include:
  
  
  
  • Low lignin alfalfa project hoping for funding
  
  
  • Grass-legume mixture study
  
  
  • Estimating weight of saddle horses and minis to add to the phone app.
  
  
  • Fly repellent effectiveness study ongoing – fly bands, fly boots, home remedy spray, and 2 commercial sprays plus control
  
  
  • Blood glucose and insulin while grazing
  
  
  • Grazing perennial ryegrass
  
  
  • Continuing equine pasture management program
  
  
  
  

Bridgett McIntosh – VA Tech

• Extension Programs
  
  
  
  • Horse Owner Education Seminar Series, funded by Horse Council and Horse Industry Board. Certificate driven, hay ID, emergency shoe removal, wrapping, acupuncture, 60 people total.
  
  
  • Spotlight on Stewardship: Equine Land Management Symposium, trouble with attendance, only 33 this year, larger last year.
  
  
  • Equine Forages Conferences, forum on fall panicum (Johnsongrass) toxicity, pasture and in hay, big problem in VA, grows this time of year. Low level liver toxicity.
  
  
  • 4-H horse youth program, at MARE Center, 20 youth groups come to focused on pasture, conservation, etc.
  
  
  
  


• Research Projects
  
  
  
  • Continuous vs Rotational Grazing, involving summer interns, and Program assistant oversees, sampled before and after grazing, no data ready yet. Preliminary ROT has higher nutrient content. 4 horses on each system.
  
  
  • Micro RNA for predicting laminitis, worked with Dr. Tanja Hess at Colorado State, used warmblood mares, and ponies.
  
  
  • Use of acetaminophen use in horses as alternative to Bute. Nothing negative yet, maybe environmental concerns?
  
  
  • Equine nutritional management survey, body condition index score (originally proposed by Waltham), doesn’t work for certain body types of horses, currently 233 measurements of sport horses.
  
  
  • Digestive buffer effects on horses with obese EMS horses
  
  
  • Seasonal grazing study on metabolic and digestive responses in horses, just cool seasons grasses, fecal samples, blood samples, equine microbiome
  
  
  • VA Working Landscapes Biodiversity study, run by citizen scientists.
  
  
  • Low intensity exercise on unfit TB
  
  
  • Novel turgrass study in collaboration with Amy Burk at UMD
  
  
  
  


• Teaching and Experiential Learning program
  
  
  
  • Summer program through British Equestrian program, used for credit, undergrads work hard and get a lot of experience, mini-boot camp, foaling, blood collection, visit DC, help host groups
  
  
  
  

Paul Siciliano – NCSU

• Research Update
  
  
  
  • Restricted grazing on body weight and activity, while grazing pasture can they lose weight by time and/or space restriction, 35 day period with two groups of 5 horses. Restricted to 0.14 ha, or continuous at 2.2 ha, looked at herbage mass. Max-Q tall fescue fields, restricted grazing did have a decrease in weight, 35 kg reduction, continuous horses gained 14 kg. Also monitored activity with a polar equine V800 activity monitor, did travel less than continuous group. Restricted required a high level of management, moved when fields were <3”.
  
  
  
  


• Outreach Update
  
  
  
  • NRCS Grazing Management video series, 12 short management videos, 3 complete so far, posted on YouTube.
  
  
  
  

Amy Burk – UMD

• Rotational Grazing Site
  
  
  
  • Educated over 700 individuals from 5 states, in 2013 grazing mares and foals, took a 2 year break from educational programs at cite. Thinking about making a multi-state or regional pasture program or seminar day to help maximize the number of people we reach and help decrease the work load on one individual faculty.
  
  
  
  


• Research update
  
  
  
  • Aubrey Lowrey’s Ph.D. project, development of a novel trufgrass grazing system for overweight horses.
    
    
    
    • Study 1: evaluate prevalence of obesity in MD, characterize control strategies, determine how managing obese horses impacts the operations, 96% of operations manage at least 1 obese horse, about 40% of the population was obese, about 24% of the ponies were laminitic, 70% of ponies used dry lots, dry lots caused more maintenance, 27% of obese ponies still got grain!
    
    
    • Study 2: wear tolerance of turfgrasses, 8 cool and 6 warm season grasses in replicated plots, aerator fitted with feet to simulate horses, once per week, high traffic, low traffic and control, study is ongoing.
    
    
    • Study 3: palatability of turfgrasses, done at the MARE Center, same turfgrasses, dry lot with acclimation period, graze for 8 hours, study is ongoing.
    
    
    • Study 4: evaluation of trufgrasses for obese horses, test it on obese horses, work with Waltham, will be seeding soon.
    
    
    
    
  
  
  
  

Thursday, August 18^th, 2016

Attendance: Amy, Carey, Robert, Ann, Masoud, Jessie, Carissa, Mike, Mark, Paul

Jessie Weir – UFL

• Research for Doctorate with Dr. Carissa Wickens as Ph.D. advisor


• 82% of ammonia emissions are related to agriculture


• Characterizing ammonia emissions on different protein levels in forage
  
  
  
  • Used 9 geldings with 11 days of diet adaptation
  
  
  • 2 warm seasons hays, Bahiagrass hay low CP, Bermuda grass hay high CP, plus grain to increase CP.
  
  
  • Also did invitro study at UDEL
  
  
  • Feces was highest total nitrogen in medium CP diet, Urine was highest in both Medium and High CP. CP digestibility ranged between 49 and 58%, similar to past literature in grass hay
  
  
  • Emissions rate showed high CP diet was highest with both feces and urine
  
  
  
  


• Field testing on ammonia emissions model in different housing types
  
  
  
  • Ventilation was difficult to measure, used indirect measure of metabolic CO2
  
  
  • Used closed barns in DE, using a dynamic flux chamber system to measure NH3 flux
  
  
  • Used FLIR thermos-imaging camera to determine the area of the stall that was wet, measured 5 min / stall location with 5 locations in each stall, about 4-5 stalls per barn
  
  
  • Surveyed management practices and barn characteristics, estimated horses CP intake, sampled dirty bedding as well.
  
  
  • Bedded on straw is highest NH3 emissions on straw with broodmares after inside overnight.
  
  
  
  


• Want to take the further to test aversion to NH3 with horse behavior using a head feeding box designed by an ag engineer at UDEL.

Carissa Wickens – UFL

• Extension programs
  
  
  
  • FL is catching up to the Mid-Atlantic, dept of ag, DEP, university is focused on water quality, focusing on BMP education, also doing a needs assessment for what equipment horse farms need to deal with manure removal.
  
  
  
  

Masoud Hashemi – UMASS

• Blue Star farm sanctuary for draft horses, needed BMPs to help with water quality, had direct access to stream, turned to vegetative area with no access to stream, manure duped directly on stream, now aeriated compost pile, farm sells compost.


• Campus farm now has water fenced off with a controlled water crossing and heavy use areas with several different types of footing (6), with description of each for educational purposes.


• Installed about 20-25 BMPs over two farm in the last few years.

Robert Causey – UME

• Abatement of S Equi in compost, MS of Alex Garcia
  
  
  
  • After seeding compost piles with S. Equi the organisms was gone in less than 24 hours. Sterilized horse bedding, how long would S Equi last? Within 24 hours when non-sterilized but over 48 hours in sterile environment. Dried bedding was less able to get rid of S Equi than if not dried.  After dried more water was added back to get range of moisture, very dry S Equi survived for several days, at about 24 to 36 day removal of S Equi at about 30-50% moisture. S Equi needs physical contact to survive.
  
  
  • Working on waste hay elimination at the college farm.
  
  
  • Also thinking about Antibiotic Stewardship
  
  
  
  

Ann Swinker – PSU

• Environmental stewardship programs, surveys came back positive with a lot of positive change towards rotational grazing, manure pads, other BMPs installed.


• Manure management plan writing, organized workshops and one on one writing


• Works closely with other organizations


• Trying to encourage people to do no-till drilling, so purchased 2 8-foot no-till drills to help horse farm owners, only reseeded 20 farms (1 pasture on each), other drill is in SE PA with another agent who will use it. 7 farms had their own and were able to use it. 8 farms were able to broadcast seed or frost-free seeding.


• Parasite project run by Donna Foulk, $150K NE SARE grant
  
  
  
  • Whole farm approach to manure and parasites, too much resistance with de-wormers, day long workshop with horse owners, farms collect fecal samples, provide fecal egg count procedures, de-wormers are provided, farms are checked for parasite resistance.
  
  
  • All farms had a high shedder, some horses have good immunity, 95% of farms determined effectiveness of de-worming program, project reduced fear of parasite overload problems, they learned how to do their own testing, some purchased own microscope, 68% took steps to improve pastures, 45% remove manure from pastures
  
  
  • 43% of farms had Pyrantel resistance, 86% had Fenbendazole resistance.
  
  
  
  

Mike Westendorf – Rutgers

• An Evening of Wine and Equine – Environmental Stewardship, run with NRCS in NJ to get people signed up for funding with NRCS, educated in the process of BMPs they can use on their farm to help increase their environmental stewardship.


• Waste to Worth conference in April, in Raleigh, North Carolina, want to have another equine symposium. Will have a one day rate for the conference on the equine day. 


• Send Mike a list of accomplishments, papers and grants on program related activities. Due 60 days after meeting, but please get Mike reports ASAP.


• Want to look at projects related to BMP adoption on farms, what drives adoption? Neighbor complaints, NRCS funding, etc? Come up with a profile for adoptions.


• Compare composting standards in NJ, with more intensive standards for composing.

Carey Williams – Rutgers

• Laura Kenny’s MS project: Rotational vs. Continuous grazing on horse condition, pasture quality and soil
  
  
  
  • First a comparison of vegetative cover methods was performed. The study looked at 2 different line transect methods, a step point method and the pasture evaluation disk designed by Penn State.  The results showed that these methods can be used interchangeably but due to ease of performing the method the Step Point method was used for future studies.
  
  
  • First year of the rotational grazing project found that horse condition did not differ between systems but horses did have a decrease in body weight, body condition and body fat during the winter months, which then increased again in the spring. Soil measure also did not differ, it is thought that the compaction and water infiltration might need more than a one year time period to see differences.  Pasture condition was different with the rotational system having higher sward height in the late fall and spring, and the herbage mass being greater in the spring.  Vegetative cover was also different with less weeds in the rotational system near the end of the first year.  Greater differences are expected in year 2.  The project will continue until the end of the second full grazing season.   
  
  
  
  


• 24 hr sugar study in collaboration with Amy Burk at UMD
  
  
  
  • Blood, feces and pasture samples were taken every 4 hours over a 24 hour period in June, August and October of 2015, one year after the horses were grazing in each of the rotational or continuous systems.
  
  
  • Glucose and Insulins are done but need to be analyzed , results were from an undergraduate project using only one month of data.
  
  
  • In June there were no differences in glucose or insulin between systems, fecal pH and sugar content in the forage also was not different between systems. Several sample times were different but no pattern was found.  More analysis of data will come.
  
  
  
  


• Future Studies: waiting on a grant to look at grazing preference using GPS monitors that can measure elevation of head to see when horses are grazing, also look at microbiome in combination with time of day and season.

Kim Kroll – NE SARE

• Very applied program, bench science is not where funding goes, really focused on farmer education.


• Congress annually gives SARE funds, proposals must explain how funds will be used to help farmers.


• 4 regional councils that set priorities, non-profits, agencies, land grants, etc.


• Writing grants is a team approach, must have farmer input


• Research and Education, Farmer/Rancher, Professional Development, Graduate Student, Ag Professional + Producer Partnerships


• Sustainable pest and weed management, crop diversification, nutrient management, soil quality, stewardship of the land, rotational grazing, etc.


• SARE Outreach, library of practical how-to books, medial outreach, a portfolio, conference sponsorships, on line resources…


• Impact: 79% of producers said they improved soil quality, etc. Lots of impact!


• State coordinators also have pot of money to use for special initiatives, pilots etc. Contact state coordinators.

Thur. PM in DC, Grant meetings:

• Environmental (EPA) Education Grant Program (meeting with Karen Scott)


• General grants program:
  
  
  
  • Total level of funding - $3 to $3.5 million
  
  
  • 38% of budget to education grants
  
  
  • 25% of budget to teacher education
    
    
    
    • (didn’t capture in my notes what the remaining percentage goes towards)
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • Two main types of grants:
    
    
    
    • Local grants - $90,000
    
    
    • Model grants (can be multi-state/regional) - $190,000
    
    
    
    
  
  
  • EPA is mandated to increase environmental awareness and stewardship
  
  
  • Accept applications on all environmental topics, but must focus on education
  
  
  • Best resources are RFP and FQA
  
  
  • Fiscal year 2017 not yet established, call for proposals likely will not be released until spring 2017
  
  
  • Funding rate is less than 10% (e.g. previously have received 476 applications and typically fund between 30-35 projects). Many not funded due to not following RFP or grammar and misspellings in proposal.
  
  
  • Proposals (work plan/methods) limited to 8 pages.
  
  
  • Cannot include construction or training of environmental professionals in the budget, however these stipulations are not well defined. Recommended referring to EPA statute/law (?).
  
  
  • Proposals cannot be simply outreach, rather projects have to educate, e.g. through workshops (more than just meetings). Pre and post-knowledge assessments. Education and teaching resulting in behavior change/problem solving.
  
  
  • Proposal must address an important environmental issue (why is this project needed/important). Lit review/justification with references cited (references not included in page count).
  
  
  • List of past proposals/funded projects available online (awards since 1992).
  
  
  
  

Friday, August 19, 2016

Attendance: Amy, Carey, Robert, Ann, Masoud, Jessie, Carissa, Paul

• Send state reports to Mike ASAP.


• Journal reviews:
  
  
  
  • Protein Metabolism is published JEVS Vol. 45: 78-86.
  
  
  • Environment Protein Environment is published JEVS Vol. 45:98-106.
  
  
  • Pasture methods paper is out for review in JEVS.
  
  
  • Manure review, Masoud revised, Mike sent back out for another review. Need to add more than storage facilities, i.e. aeriated compost, alternative uses of compost, etc.  Authors are Ann, Masoud and Mike.  Carissa and Robert will be added as authors. Carey will send an email to get things moving again.
  
  
  
  


• Future Grants and research
  
  
  
  • Yesterday’s meetings. NERA NEED planning grants, up to $10,000 to plan future grants, SARE grad student grants will be a good venue for pasture and environmental research, SE SARE is not crazy about horses, Paul and Carissa will meet with advisors to help get that changed, need to get producers involved.
  
  
  • Masoud suggested the DEP 319 grants to implement water quality BMP’s and do education. He says those are great grants.
  
  
  • 
    
    
    
    • Extension Risk Management Education is a good area to submit for. Good with Regulatory aspect, economic impact, water quality aspect. Innovative tools to tie in with overall goal. Carissa wants to take a lead on this proposal, an

      Accomplishments

      <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Short Term Outcomes:</span></p><br /> <p>Rutgers University: First year of the rotational grazing project found that horse condition did not differ between systems but horses did have a decrease in body weight, body condition and body fat during the winter months, which then increased again in the spring.</p><br /> <p>A comparison of vegetative cover methods was performed. The study looked at 2 different line transect methods, a step point method and the pasture evaluation disk designed by Penn State.&nbsp; The results showed that these methods can be used interchangeably but due to ease of performing the method the Step Point method was used for future studies.</p><br /> <p>An outreach to horse farmers was conducted with USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service assistance.&nbsp; This resulted in at least 30 horse farms signing up for conservation programs and funding.</p><br /> <p>University of Massachusetts: Blue Star farm sanctuary for draft horses needed BMPs to help with water quality and had direct access to stream.&nbsp; Farm created a vegetative area with no access to stream.&nbsp; Previously manure was dumped directly on stream, now aeriated compost pile, farm sells compost.</p><br /> <p>University of Maine:&nbsp; After seeding compost piles with Streptococcus Equi the organisms was gone in less than 24 hours. In sterilized horse bedding, the question washow long would S. Equi last?&nbsp; Within 24 hours when non-sterilized but over 48 hours in sterile environment.&nbsp; Dried bedding was less able to destroy S. Equi than if not dried.&nbsp; S Equi needs physical contact to survive.</p><br /> <p>Pennsylvania State University:&nbsp; A survey of horse farm parasited showed that all farms had a high shedder animal, some horses have good immunity, 95% of farms involved determined effectiveness of de-worming programs, project.&nbsp; Producers learned how to do their own testing, some purchased own microscope, 68% took steps to improve pastures, 45% remove manure from pastures, 43% of farms tested for parasiticide resisance had Pyrantel resistance, 86% had Fenbendazole resistance.&nbsp;</p><br /> <p>Univerisy o Florida:&nbsp; Effect of diet was studied on ammonia emissions.&nbsp; Feces was highest total nitrogen in Medium CP diet, rrine was highest in both Medium and High CP. CP digestibility ranged between 49 and 58%, similar to past literature in grass hay.&nbsp; The emissions rate showed high CP diet was highest with both feces and urine.&nbsp; Horses edded on straw hed the highest ammonia emissions on straw.</p><br /> <p>North Carolina State University: Studied restricted grazing on body weight and activity to determine if horses grazing pasture can lose weight by time and/or space restriction.&nbsp; A 35 day study period with two groups of 5 horses.&nbsp; Restricted group had 0.14 ha, continuous had 2.2 ha. Wne Max-Q Tall Fescue was restricted grazing horses did have a decrease in weight, 35 kg reduction, continuous horses gained 14 kg.&nbsp;</p><br /> <p>University of Minnesota:&nbsp; Studied warm season grazing with Annual Ryegrass as a control.&nbsp; Found a 1:1 Ca:P ratio or inverted, consistently and a concern for Teff or other warm season grasses.&nbsp; Found major nitrate problem, both vegetative and mature state, both in 2014 and 2015. Teff grazed 24/7 were levels that could kill horses. Crude protein is also high in all grasses, not surprised.&nbsp; Will be doing nitrate follow-ups as will Amy Burk at Maryland and Lori Warren at Florida.</p><br /> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Outputs:</span></p><br /> <p>Several of the the team members participated in the Annual Waste to Worth Conference, an Inernational Animal Waste Management Conference.&nbsp; Paul Siciliano. Carey Williams, Ann Swinker, Robert Causey, and Jessie Weir presented some of their latest research findings.&nbsp; These are online as a proceedings at: <a href="http://articles.extension.org/pages/63747/waste-to-worth-2017">http://articles.extension.org/pages/63747/waste-to-worth-2017</a>.</p><br /> <p>North Carolina State University: NRCS Grazing Management video series, 12 short management videos, 3 complete so far, posted on YouTube.</p><br /> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Activities:</span></p><br /> <p>University of Minnesota:&nbsp; Equine Pasture Management Program that enrolls producers for for on-farm consultation, data collection, and eduction.</p><br /> <p>Virginia Tech University:&nbsp; Horse Owner Education Seminar Series, funded by Horse Council and Horse Industry Board.&nbsp; Producers will receive a certificate, and learn hay ID, emergency shoe removal, wrapping, acupuncture, 60 attendees&nbsp; total.</p><br /> <p>University of Maryland: Regiona rotational grazing program educated over 700 individuals from 5 states.</p><br /> <p>University of Pennsylvania: Environmental Stewardship Short Courses conducted.<br /> 8-12 hours of education and hands-on experiences designed to provide horse owners with comprehensive knowledge and skills necessary to implement environmentally and economically sustainable farm management practices (56,020 acres). To date, 2,801 farm managers have completed 97 short courses offered throughout Pennsylvania and in eastern NY.</p><br /> <p>&ldquo;Parasite Control: A Whole Farm Approach&rdquo; data is collected with the involvement of participating horse owners.&nbsp; The program conducted four educational workshops on parasites, pastures and manure management, and held workday to collect data to document parasite resistance to different de-wormers.&nbsp; To date, 226 farm managers and veterinarians attended the short course; and at this time 81 farms representing 681 horses are enrolled as partners in the project. They monitor strongyle egg production following established protocol, and evaluating product efficacy by conducting pre and post deworming egg counts.</p><br /> <p>Rutgers University: Evening of Wine and Equine &ndash; Environmental Stewardship Program, run with NRCS in NJ to get people signed up for funding with NRCS, educated in the process of BMPs they can use on their farm to help increase their environmental stewardship.&nbsp; This successful program is being contniued in the summer of 2017.</p><br /> <p>Milestones:</p><br /> <p>Most states represented in the project have implemented environmental stewardshi and or pasture management programs.</p><br /> <p>Most states are coooperating in rotational grazing projects or other pasture management projects.&nbsp; North Carolina State University, Rutgers University, the University of Maryland, Virginia Tech University, and the University of Minnesota are conducting projects.</p>

      Publications

      <ol><br /> <li>L. Trottier, R. C. Bott, A. Woodward, E.A. Greene, C. A. Williams, M. L. Westendorf, A. M. Swinker, S.L. Mastellar, and K. M. Martinson. 2016.&nbsp;&nbsp; Gastrointestinal Nitrogen Metabolism of Equids and Impact on Protein Requirement.&nbsp; J. Equine Vet. Sci. 45:78-86. (<a href="http://www.j-evs.com/article/S0737-0806(16)30283-0/pdf">http://www.j-evs.com/article/S0737-0806(16)30283-0/pdf</a>).</li><br /> <li>C. Bott, A. Woodward, E.A. Greene, N. L. Trottier, C. A. Williams, M. L. Westendorf, A. M. Swinker, S. L. Mastellar, and K. M. Martinson.&nbsp; 2016.&nbsp;&nbsp; Environmental Implications of Nitrogen Output on Horse Operations: A Review.&nbsp; J. Equine Vet. Sci. 45:98-106. (<a href="http://www.j-evs.com/article/S0737-0806(15)00549-3/pdf">http://www.j-evs.com/article/S0737-0806(15)00549-3/pdf</a>).</li><br /> </ol>

      Impact Statements

      1. Pasture management research has resulted in improved undersatnding of equine-pasture interactions. All stations involved in rotational grazing research determined that rotational grazing systems had many advantages over continuous grazing systems.
      Back to top

Report Information

Participants

The following list of people participated in our meeting held on August 31, 2017. This meeting was hosted by Virginia Tech and was completed by online conferencing.
Bridgett McIntosh, Virginia Tech
Amy Burk, University of Maryland
Aubrey Jaqueth, University of Maryland
Carissa Wickens, University of Florida
Donna Foulk, Pennsylvania State University
Heather Stofanak, Pennsylvania State University
Krishona Martinson, University of Minnesota
Laura Kenny, Pennsylvania State University
Robert Causey, University of Maine
Mark Rieger, University of Delaware
Mike Westendorf, Rutgers University
Jennifer Weinert, Rutgers University
Carey Williams, Rutgers University
Ethan Schoolman, Rutgers University

Brief Summary of Minutes

NE-1441, 8-31-2017 meeeting minutes attached.

Accomplishments

<p>Environmental Stewardship Courses: Many participating states have environmental stewardship courses.&nbsp; These courses focus on Best Management Practice Implementation on Farms.&nbsp; Some of these focus on certificates or credits, model farms, self-guided tours, pasture walks.&nbsp; Nearly all participating states have similar programs for producer eduationn.</p><br /> <p>Stewardship survey: A stewardship survey is underway at Rutgers Univerity.&nbsp; This will be districuted to all facets of the Equine industry.&nbsp; Outcomes from this will help to determine appropriate Best Management and Conservation programming iin the future.</p><br /> <p>Pasture Management: Pasture management research is underway at most of the participating institutions.&nbsp; This has focused on the use of warm season grasses for horses, feeding overconditioned horses, continuous vs. rotational grazing, forage palatibility, and horse health on pasture.&nbsp; Storage of hay and feed preference are also being studied.</p><br /> <p>Composting and manure storage: Several institutions are conductin composting and manure stoage reerch, including composting tecniques, parasite destruction, and particulate matter concentration near horse stalls.</p><br /> <p>&nbsp;</p><br /> <p>&nbsp;</p><br /> <p>&nbsp;</p><br /> <p>&nbsp;</p>

Publications

<p><strong>Journal Articles</strong></p><br /> <p>Siciliano, P.D.,&nbsp; Jennifer C. Gill, Morghan A. Bowman.&nbsp; 2017.&nbsp; Effect of Sward Height on Pasture Nonstructural Carbohydrate Concentrations and Blood Glucose/Insulin Profiles in Grazing Horses, J. of Equine Vet. Sci. 57:29-34.</p><br /> <p>Martinson, K.L., P.D. Siciliano, C.C. Sheaffer, B.J. McIntosh, A.M. Swinker, C.A. Williams. 2017.&nbsp; A Review of Equine Grazing Research Methodologies.&nbsp; J. Equine Vet. Sci. 51:92-104.</p><br /> <p>Siciliano PD. Methods for Regulating Dry Matter Intake in Grazing Horses - eXtension 2017.</p><br /> <p>https://articles.extension.org/pages/74360/methods-for-regulating-dry-matter-intake-in-grazing-horses (accessed July 14, 2017)</p><br /> <p>Weir, H. Li, L.K. Warren, E. Macon, C. Wickens. 2017. Characterizing ammonia emissions from horses fed different crude protein concentrations. J. Anim. Sci. 95(8):3598-3608. doi: 10.2527/jas.2017.1648.</p><br /> <p>Nazarenko, Y., M. L. Westendorf, C. A. Williams, and G. Mainelis.&nbsp; 2018. The Effects of Bedding Type used in Stalls and Activity of Equines on Stall Air Quality: Potential Consequences for Health and Performance of Equines. J. Equine Vet. Sci. (Accepted with minor corrections).</p><br /> <p>Kenny, L. B., D. Ward, M. Robson, C. A. Williams. 2018.&nbsp; Technical note: Comparing four techniques for estimating desired grass species composition in horse pastures.&nbsp; J. Anim. Sci. (in press).</p><br /> <p>Martinson, K. L., P. Siciliano, C. C. Sheaffer, B. McIntosh, A. M. Swinker and C. A. Williams.&nbsp; 2017.&nbsp; A review of equine grazing research methodologies.&nbsp; J. Equine Vet. Sci.&nbsp; 51:92-104. doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2017.01.002</p><br /> <p>&nbsp;</p><br /> <p><strong>Abstracts</strong></p><br /> <p>Williams, C. A. 2017. Nutrient cycling in horse pastures. Waste to Worth Conf. Proc. Raleigh, NC. Online: http://articles.extension.org/pages/74361/nutrient-cycling-in-horse-pastures</p><br /> <p>Williams, C. A., L. B. Kenny, and A. O. Burk. 2017. Effects of grazing system and season on glucose and insulin dynamics of the grazing horse.&nbsp; J. Equine Vet. Sci. 52:87. Abstract #108.</p><br /> <p>Weir, H. Li, L.K. Warren, E. Macon, C. Wickens. 2017. Evaluating the Impact of Ammonia Emissions from Equine Operations on the Environment. Waste to Worth: Spreading Science and Solutions. Cary, NC. April 18-21, 2017. https://articles.extension.org/pages/74272/evaluating-the-impact-of-ammonia-emissions-from-equine-operations-on-the-environment. Accessed on: February 3, 2018.</p><br /> <p>J.M. Weir, H. Li, L.K. Warren, E. Macon, C. Wickens. 2017. Manure nitrogen characteristics from horses fed warm season grass hays. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 52:84. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2017.03.114</p><br /> <p>J.M. Weir, H. Li, E. Rankins, C. Wickens. 2017. Ammonia emissions from equine facilities in the Mid-Atlantic region. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 52:102. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2017.03.155</p><br /> <p>J.M. Weir, H. Li, C. Zhang, D. Ferguson, S. Dougherty, C. Wickens. 2017. Determining the aversion of horses to different ammonia concentrations. J. Equine Vet Sci. 52:104. doi: <a href="https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2017.03.161">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2017.03.161</a></p><br /> <p>Wickens, M. Lusk, J. Hinton, J. Wallace, C. LaRiche, V.J. Harwood. 2017. Manure Management Practices and Educational Needs of Florida Small Scale Equine Operations. American Society of Agronomy, Crop Science Society of America, Soil Science Society of America International Annual Meeting, Managing Global Resources for a Secure Future. ASA Section: Environmental Quality, Tampa FL, October 22-25, 2017. https://scisoc.confex.com/scisoc/2017am/webprogram/Paper106554.html. Accessed on: February 3, 2018.</p><br /> <p>&nbsp;</p><br /> <p><strong>Research report</strong></p><br /> <p>http://www.pennsylvaniaequinecouncil.org/pdf/2017/1-17%20parasite%20project%20impact%20statement.pdf</p><br /> <p>&nbsp;</p><br /> <p><strong>Factsheets</strong></p><br /> <p>Low Cost Equine Manure Compost: http://ag.umass.edu/sites/ag.umass.edu/files/fact-sheets/pdf/low_cost_equine_manure_composting_16_01_3.pdf</p><br /> <p>Manure composting for small livestock operation: http://ag.umass.edu/sites/ag.umass.edu/files/fact-sheets/pdf/manure_composting_for_small_livestock_operation_17_03.pdf</p><br /> <p>Reseeding pastures and hayfields: <a href="http://ag.umass.edu/sites/ag.umass.edu/files/fact-sheets/pdf/reseeding_pasture_and_hayfield_17_01_0.pdf">http://ag.umass.edu/sites/ag.umass.edu/files/fact-sheets/pdf/reseeding_pasture_and_hayfield_17_01_0.pdf</a></p><br /> <p>Fojtik, A. and C. A. Williams. 2017. A Guide to More Productive and Nutrient Dense Horse Pastures. Rutgers Cooperative Extension. FS1271. New Brunswick, NJ. pp. 1-4.&nbsp;</p><br /> <p>&nbsp;</p><br /> <div><strong>Popular press articles</strong></div><br /> <div>&nbsp;</div><br /> <div>Weinert, J. and C. A. Williams. 2017. &nbsp;&ldquo;Managing horse pastures over the winter&rdquo;. In: <em>New Jersey Farmer</em>. October 1. p. 6 &amp; 13.</div><br /> <div>&nbsp;</div><br /> <div>Williams, C. A. 2017. &nbsp;&ldquo;Analyzing sugar content in pasture grasses&rdquo;. In: <em>New Jersey Farmer</em>. September 1. p. 6 &amp; 15.</div><br /> <div>&nbsp;</div><br /> <div>Williams, C. A. 2017. &nbsp;&ldquo;Forage testing your horse pastures can be beneficial&rdquo;. In: <em>New Jersey Farmer</em>. July 1. p. 6 &amp; 8.</div><br /> <div>&nbsp;</div><br /> <div>Williams, C. A. 2017. &nbsp;&ldquo;What to do about your horse&rsquo;s &lsquo;Drooling&rsquo; problem?&rdquo;. In: <em>New Jersey Farmer</em>. May 1. p. 6 &amp; 11.</div><br /> <div>&nbsp;</div><br /> <div>Williams, C. A. 2017. &nbsp;&ldquo;Are Creeks Reliable, Safe Water Sources for Horses?&rdquo;. In: <em>New Jersey Farmer</em>. April 1. p. 6 &amp; 13.</div><br /> <div>&nbsp;</div><br /> <div>Williams, C. A. 2017. &nbsp;&ldquo;Early Spring Toxic Plants in Horse Pastures&rdquo;. In: <em>New Jersey Farmer</em>. February 1. p. 6 &amp; 16.</div><br /> <div><br /> <p>Westendorf, M. L. Animal Science Update:&nbsp; Animal waste budgeting input and output.&nbsp; New Jersey Farmer. June 15, 2017.&nbsp; Page 6.</p><br /> <p>Westendorf, M. L. Animal Science Update: Learn the basics of pasture management.&nbsp; New Jersey Farmer. May 15, 2017.&nbsp; Page 6.</p><br /> <p>Westendorf, M. L.&nbsp; Animal Science Update: Climate change and ruminants..&nbsp; New Jersey Farmer.&nbsp; April 15, 2017.&nbsp; Page 6.</p><br /> <p>Westendorf, M. L. Animal Science Update: Learn the basics of feed, forage testing.&nbsp; New Jersey Farmer. February 15, 2017.&nbsp; Page 6.</p><br /> <p>Westendorf, M. L. Animal Science Update: Water most abundant, least understood of nutrients.&nbsp; New Jersey Farmer. December 15, 2016.&nbsp; Page 6.</p><br /> </div><br /> <p>&nbsp;</p>

Impact Statements

1. Impact Statement #4 Indiscriminate use of dewormers has caused an alarming increase in resistant equine parasites. Cases of resistant small strongyle parasites are being reported worldwide. Many horse owners contribute to the development of resistant parasites by deworming horses every eight weeks and maybe using products that are totally ineffective. Adoption of new deworming practices can decrease the proliferation of resistant parasites and maintain the effectiveness of the products that are available. In 2015 and 2016, 221 farmers completed one of 6 short courses offered statewide. 100% adopted at least one practice to reduce parasite burdens, 92% adopted two or more practices. Participants reported a moderate to large increase in knowledge about: parasites and their life cycles (94%); resistance development (91%); fecal egg counts and strategic deworming (88%); and pasture and manure management as tools to reduce parasite burdens (88%). 94% of the participants reported that they planned to use fecal egg counts as a basis for their deworming program; 85% planned to use pasture and manure management practices to help reduce parasite exposure. In order to monitor egg shedding and identify low and high shedders, the farm partners and Extension staff met every 8 to 12 weeks to conduct fecal egg counts. De-worming efforts were focused on horses with moderate to high small strongyle egg contamination potential. Product resistance occurs at the farm level and was determined by conducting pre and post deworming egg counts on all horses on the farms. For the purpose of the study, only data collected from farms that had a minimum of 3 horses that were moderate to high shedders (generally 300 to 500 eggs per gram) was utilized to determine product efficacy. Resistance was indicated when pyrantel and benzimidazole dewormers failed to reduce egg shedding by at least 90%; ivermectin by 95%. In 2015 and 2016, 66 farms participated in the study. Many of the farm managers discovered that horses on the farm did not shed any eggs or were low shedders during the monitoring period. Of the qualified farms that had a minimum of 3 horse that were moderate to high shedders, 82% showed reduced efficacy when dewormed with pyrantel and 95% showed reduced efficacy when dewormed with fenbendazole. This would indicate that there is significant resistance to these products on PA farms. Ivermectin showed 100% efficacy on all qualified farms. What we have learned to date is that: • Most PA horses in the study have good immunity to small strongyles and the immunity remains consistent. High shedders tend to remain high and need to be strategically dewormed. • There is significant resistance to pyrantel and fenbendazole on many but not all Pennsylvania farms. • It is critical for horse owners to use a comprehensive approach to manage parasites to reduce the rate of resistance development. • Farm managers will adopt changes to their parasite management program when they have the knowledge and tools necessary to make those changes.

Back to top

Report Information

Participants

Attendance (live):
Krishona Martinson, University of Minnesota
Paul Siciliano, North Carolina University
Amy Burk, University Maryland
Carey Williams, Rutgers University
Mike Westendorf, Rutgers University
Robert Causey, University of Maine
Colt Knight, University of Maine
Alex Garcia, University of Maine

Attendance (web):
Laura Kenny, Pennsylvania State University
Aubrey Jaqueth, University of Maryland
Jennifer Weinert, Rutgers University
Carissa Wickens, University of Florida
Donna Foulk, Pennsylvania State University
Cassie Uricchio, University of Massachusetts

Brief Summary of Minutes

Copy of minutes attached.

Accomplishments

<p>Outputs/Activities</p><br /> <p>1.&nbsp; Use of warm grasses or other alternative forages for grazing.&nbsp; Extending the Equine grazing season is a challenge on farms.&nbsp; The ability to utilize available forage supplemented with other non-concentrate feeds can result in lowered expenses, improved horse health, and can foster better environmental quality. Several studies were completed at participating institutions with the use of warm season grasses.&nbsp; Some of the grasses studied were Bermudagrass at the University of Maryland, Teff grass at the University of Minnesota, and forage Crabgrass at Rutgers University. &nbsp;The forage Crabgrass is interesting because crabgrass is often considered a weed, use as a forage could make use its well- known summer growth characteristics as a warm-season grass.&nbsp; Rutgers University also plans to study the digestive microbiome in horses grazed in various management and forage types.&nbsp; This may yield results to better management the grazing horse and maintain health.&nbsp; The University of Florida is planning to graze horses on growing peanuts.&nbsp; All these non-cool-season grasses show promise for extending the grazing season and providing usable forage in the warm summer months.</p><br /> <p>2.&nbsp; Restricted grazing research is being conducted mostly at North Carolina State University. Some of the most important finds in their research are that restricting the grazing time accelerates intake, 3 hrs. and 6 hours of grazing has a significantly increased rate from 24 hours of grazing.&nbsp; Restricted grazing also influences fecal pH and volatile fatty acids.&nbsp; Fecal VFAs also are significantly different with night turnout (Valerate also, comes from lactate).</p><br /> <ul style="list-style-type: disc;"><br /> <li>They also asked if these changes will affect the microbiome? They found changes in diversity related to hay vs. pasture diets, and changes when grazing time was restricted on pasture.&nbsp;&nbsp; This microbiome work will be coordinated with work at Rutgers University and other participating institutions.&nbsp;</li><br /> <li>Restricted grazing can help to meet the project management goal of extending grazing opportunities on horse farms while promoting horse, pasture, and environmental health.</li><br /> </ul><br /> <p>3.&nbsp; Parasite research is being conducted at a number of the institutions. Pennsylvania State and the University of Massachusetts are studying parasite resistance.&nbsp; Pennsylvania State University is also conducting work with tick-borne diseases such as Anaplasmosis.&nbsp; The University of Minnesota is comparing various approaches to fly control.&nbsp; Finally, the University of Maine has initiated a project to study antibiotic resistance in stored compost piles.&nbsp; They plan to determine optimum composting management to ensure antibiotic destruction.&nbsp; They also hope to consider the presence of barbiturates in composting horses.</p><br /> <p>4.&nbsp; Environmental Stewardship Courses and Outreach meetings: Many participating states have environmental stewardship courses.&nbsp; These courses focus on Best Management Practice Implementation on Farms.&nbsp; Some of these focus on certificates or credits, model farms, self-guided tours, pasture walks.&nbsp; Nearly all participating states have similar programs for producer education.</p>

Publications

<p>&nbsp;</p><br /> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Journal Articles</span></p><br /> <ol><br /> <li>Bowman, M. A., J. L. Moore, and P. D. Siciliano. 2017. Effect of restricting time allowed for grazing on fecal microbial fermentation parameters. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 52:82. doi:10.1016/j.jevs.2017.03.110.</li><br /> <li>DeBoer, M. L., M. R. Hathaway, K. J. Kuhle, P. S. D. Weber, A. S. Reiter, C. C. Sheaffer, M. S. Wells, and K. L. Martinson. 2018. Glucose and Insulin Response of Horses Grazing Alfalfa, Perennial Cool-Season Grass, and Teff Across Seasons. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 68:33&ndash;38. doi:10.1016/j.jevs.2018.04.008.</li><br /> <li>DeBoer, M. L., C. C. Sheaffer, A. M. Grev, D. N. Catalano, M. S. Wells, M. R. Hathaway, and K. L. Martinson. 2017. Yield, Nutritive Value, and Preference of Annual Warm-Season Grasses Grazed by Horses. Agron. J. 109:2136. doi:10.2134/agronj2017.02.0099.</li><br /> <li>Grev, A. M., C. C. Sheaffer, M. L. DeBoer, D. N. Catalano, and K. L. Martinson. 2017. Preference, Yield, and Forage Nutritive Value of Annual Grasses under Horse Grazing. Agron. J. 109:1561. doi:10.2134/agronj2016.11.0684.</li><br /> <li>Kenny, L. B. 2016. The effects of rotational and continuous grazing on horses, pasture condition, and soil properties. Rutgers University - Graduate School - New Brunswick. Available from: https://rucore.libraries.rutgers.edu/rutgers-lib/49246/</li><br /> <li>Bott, R. C., E. A. Greene, K. Koch, K. L. Martinson, P. D. Siciliano, C. A. Williams, &nbsp;N. L. Trottier, A. Burk, and A. Swinker. 2013. Production and environmental implications of equine grazing. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 33:1031&ndash;1043. &nbsp;doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2013.05.004</li><br /> <li>Bott, R. C., E. A. Greene, N. L. Trottier, C. A. Williams, M. L. Westendorf, A. M. Swinker, S. L. Mastellar, and K. L. Martinson. 2016. Environmental implications of nitrogen output on horse operations: A review. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 45:98-106. &nbsp;doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2015.08.019</li><br /> <li>DeBoer, M.L., M.R. Hathaway, K.J. Kuhle, P.S.D. Weber, A.S. Reiter, C.C. Sheaffer, M.S. Wells and K.L. Martinson. &nbsp;2018. Glucose and insulin response of horses grazing alfalfa, perennial cool-season grass, and teff across seasons. &nbsp;J. Equine Vet. Sci. 68: 33-38.</li><br /> <li>DeBoer, M.L., C.C. Sheaffer, A.M Grev, D.N Catalano, M.S. Wells, M.R. Hathaway, and K.L. Martinson. &nbsp;2017. Yield, nutritive value and preference of annul warm-season grasses grazed by horses. Agronomy J. &nbsp;109: 2,136-2,148.</li><br /> <li>Grev, A.M., C.C. Sheaffer, M.L. DeBoer, D.N. Catalano, and K.L. Martinson. &nbsp;2017. Preference, yield, and forage nutritive value of annual grasses under horse grazing. &nbsp;Agronomy J. 109: 1,561-1,572.</li><br /> <li>Kenny, L. B., D. Ward, M. Robson, and C. A. Williams. 2018. &nbsp;Technical note: Comparing four techniques for estimating desired grass species composition in horse pastures. &nbsp;J. Anim. Sci. 96:2219-2225. doi: 10.1093/jas/sky111</li><br /> <li>Martinson, K.L., P.D. Siciliano, C.C. Sheaffer, B.J. McIntosh, A.M. Swinker, and &nbsp;C.A. Williams. 2017. A review of equine grazing research methodologies. J. Equine Vet. Sci. &nbsp;51: 92-104.</li><br /> <li>Martinson, K.L., M.S. Wells, and C.C. Sheaffer. &nbsp;2016. Horse preference, forage yield and species persistence of twelve perennial cool-season grass mixtures under horse grazing. &nbsp;J. of Equine Vet. Sci. 36: 19-25.</li><br /> <li>Nazarenko, Y., M. L. Westendorf, C. A. Williams, and G. Mainelis. &nbsp;2018. The effects of bedding type in stalls and activity of horses on stall air quality. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 67:91-98. doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2018.03.014</li><br /> <li>Splan, R., M. Spindler, K. Anderson, C. Skelly, M. Westendorf, C. Williams, L. Kenny, and R.C. Bott-Knutson. &nbsp;2017. Opportunities to Address the Transdisciplinary and Global Challenges of Climate Change in An Equine Science Context. &nbsp;NACTA Journal. March 2018, Vol 62(1).</li><br /> <li>Trottier, N. L., R. C. Bott, A. Woodward, E. A. Greene, C. A. Williams, M. L. Westendorf, A. M. Swinker, S. L. Mastellar, and K. L. Martinson. 2016. Gastrointestinal nitrogen metabolism of equids and impact on protein requirement. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 45:78-86. &nbsp;doi: 10.1016/j.jevs.2016.06.002</li><br /> <li>Weinert, J. R. and C. A. Williams. 2018. Recovery of pasture forage production following winter rest in continuous and rotational horse grazing systems. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 70:32-37. &nbsp;doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2018.06.017</li><br /> </ol><br /> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Book Chapters</span></p><br /> <ol><br /> <li>Kenny, L. B., A. O. Burk, and C. A. Williams. &nbsp;2018. Managing Equine Grazing for Pasture Productivity. In: <em>Equine Pasture Management</em>, edited by P. Sharpe. Elsevier Science, St. Louis, MO (in press). pp. 1-17. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-812919-7.00009-3</li><br /> <li>Kenny, L. B., M. Westendorf, and C. A. Williams. &nbsp;2018. Managing Manure, Erosion, and Water Quality in and Around Horse Pastures. In: Equine Pasture Management, edited by P. Sharpe. Elsevier Science, St. Louis, MO (in press). pp. 1-21. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-812919-7.00014-7</li><br /> </ol><br /> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Proceedings</span></p><br /> <ol><br /> <li>Catalano, D. N., C. C. Sheaffer, A. M. Grev, N. J. Ehlke, E. Mousel, and K. L. Martinson. 2018. &nbsp;Yield, Preferencec, and Forage Nutritive Value of Winterhardy Perennial Ryegrass under Animal Grazing. In proceedings: 2018 University of Minnesota Animal Science Showcase. Pg. 14. St. Paul, MN.</li><br /> <li>Catalano, D. N., C. C. Sheaffer, A. M. Grev, N. J. Ehlke, E. Mousel, and K. L. Martinson. 2018. Yield, Preference, and Forage Nutritive Value of Winterhardy Perennial Ryegrass under Animal Grazing. In Proceedings: 2018 American Forage and Grassland Council Annual Conference. Louisville, KY.</li><br /> <li>Catalano, D.N., C.C. Sheaffer, M.S. Wells, A.M. Grev, M.L. DeBoer, and K.L. Martinson. 2016. Forage nutritive value, yield, and preference of legumes under horse grazing in the establishment year. Proc.,University of Minnesota Excellence in Equine Research Showcase, St. Paul, MN. Pg. 11.</li><br /> <li>DeBoer, M.L., M.R. Hathaway, K.J. Kuhle, P.S.D. Weber, C.C. Sheaffer, M.S. Wells and K.L. Martinson. 2017. &nbsp;Forage quality and blood metabolites of adult horses grazing alfalfa, teff, and cool-season perennial grasses. &nbsp;In Proceedings: 78th Minnesota Nutrition Conference. &nbsp;Pg. 260. Mankato, MN.</li><br /> <li>Catalano, D.N., C.C. Sheaffer, M.S. Wells, A.M. Grev, M.L. DeBoer, and K.L. Martinson. 2016. Forage nutritive value, yield, and preference of legumes of horse grazing in the establishment year. Proc., 2016 North American Alfalfa Improvement Conf., Madison, WI. Available online at: <a href="https://www.naaic.org/Meetings/National/2016meeting/Devan%20Catalano%20Abstract.pdf">https://www.naaic.org/Meetings/National/2016meeting/Devan%20Catalano%20Abstract.pdf</a></li><br /> <li>DeBoer, M.L., C.C. Sheaffer, M.S. Wells, M.R. Hathaway, A.M. Grev, D.N. Catalano, and K.L. Martinson. 2017. Nitrate-nitrogen content of annual warm-season forages grazed by horses. In Proceedings: 2017 American Forage and Grassland Council Annual Meeting. Roanoke, VA. Available online at <a href="http://www.afgc.org/proceedings/2017/DeBoer_Schultz_Michelle%20AFGCInterpretive.pdf">http://www.afgc.org/proceedings/2017/DeBoer_Schultz_Michelle%20AFGCInterpretive.pdf</a>.</li><br /> <li>Grev, A.M., C.C. Sheaffer, D.N. Catalano, M.L. Schultz, and K.L. Martinson. 2016. Yield, preference, and forage nutritive value of small grains under horse grazing. Proc., University of Minnesota Excellence in Equine Research Showcase, &nbsp;St. Paul, MN. Pg. 13.</li><br /> <li>Reiter, A.S, M.L. DeBoer, M.R. Hathaway, K.J. Kuhle, C.C. Sheaffer, M.S. Wells, K.L. Martinson. 2018. Plasma Amino Acid Concentrations of Horses Grazing Alfalfa, Cool-season Perennial grasses, and Teff. In Proceedings: American Forage and Grassland Council 2018 Annual Meeting. Louisville, KY.</li><br /> <li>Schultz, M.L., C.C. Sheaffer, D.N. Catalano, A.M. Grev, and K.L. Martinson. 2016. Forage nutritive value, yield, and preference of warm season grasses grazed by horse in the upper Midwest. IProc., University of Minnesota Excellence in Equine Research Showcase, St. Paul, MN. Pg. 10.</li><br /> <li>Williams, C. A. 2017. Nutrient cycling in horse pastures. Waste to Worth Conf. Proc. Raleigh, NC. Online:<strong><a href="http://articles.extension.org/pages/74361/nutrient-cycling-in-horse-pastures"> http://articles.extension.org/pages/74361/nutrient-cycling-in-horse-pastures</a></strong>.</li><br /> </ol><br /> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Abstracts</span></p><br /> <ol><br /> <li>DeBoer, M.L., K.L. Martinson, K.J. Kuhle, C.C. Sheaffer, M.S. Wells, and M.R. Hathway. 2017. &nbsp;Plasma amino acid concentrations of horses grazing alfalfa, cool-season perennial grasses, and teff. &nbsp;J. Equine Vet. Sci. 52: 83.</li><br /> <li>DeBoer, M.L., M.R. Hathaway, K.J. Kuhle, P.S.D. Weber, C.C. Sheaffer, M.S. Wells, R.S. Mottet, and K.L. Martinson. 2017. &nbsp;Glucose response of horses grazing alfalfa, cool-season perennial grasses and teff across seasons. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 52: 79.</li><br /> <li>Catalano, D.N., C.C. Sheaffer, A.M. Grev, N.J. Ehlke, and K.L. Martinson. 2017. Yield, preference, and forage nutritive value of winter hardy perennial ryegrass under equine grazing. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 52: 102.</li><br /> <li>Le, A., L. B. Kenny, A. O. Burk, and C. A. Williams. 2016. &nbsp;Impact of grazing system on forage carbohydrates and horse metabolism. &nbsp;Mid-Atlantic Nutr. Conf. Proc. 14 (<a href="https://ansc.umd.edu/extension/mid-atlantic-nutrition-conference/past-proceedings">https://ansc.umd.edu/extension/mid-atlantic-nutrition-conference/past-proceedings</a>).</li><br /> <li>Powlowski, C., J. Weinert, and C. A. Williams. 2018. &nbsp;Impact of grazing system on forage carbohydrates and horse metabolism. &nbsp;Mid-Atlantic Nutr. Conf. Proc. 16 (<a href="https://ansc.umd.edu/extension/mid-atlantic-nutrition-conference/past-proceedings">https://ansc.umd.edu/extension/mid-atlantic-nutrition-conference/past-proceedings</a>).</li><br /> <li>Reiter, A.S., M.L. DeBoer, K.J. Kuhle, C.C. Sheaffer, M.S. Wells, M.R. Hathaway, and K.L. Martinson. 2017. &nbsp;Variation in nitrate concentration of alfalfa, perennial cool-seasonal grasses, and teff grazed by horses in the upper Midwest. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 52: 45.</li><br /> <li>Rizzo, E., A. O. Burk, and C. A. Williams. &nbsp;2017. The effects of continuous vs. rotational grazing on forage soluble carbohydrate content and blood glucose and insulin concentration in horses. &nbsp;Mid-Atlantic Nutr. Conf. Proc. 15 (<a href="https://ansc.umd.edu/extension/mid-atlantic-nutrition-conference/past-proceedings">https://ansc.umd.edu/extension/mid-atlantic-nutrition-conference/past-proceedings</a>).</li><br /> <li>Williams, C. A., L. B. Kenny, and A. O. Burk. 2017. Effects of grazing system and season on glucose and insulin dynamics of the grazing horse. &nbsp;J. Equine Vet. Sci. 52:87. Abstract #108.</li><br /> </ol><br /> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Extension Publications</span></p><br /> <ol><br /> <li>DeBoer, M., C. Sheaffer, and K. Martinson. &nbsp;2017. Grazing horses on teff, alfalfa, and perennial ryegrass. &nbsp;University of Minnesota Extension Factsheet.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</li><br /> <li>Fojtik, A. and C. A. Williams. 2017. A Guide to More Productive and Nutrient Dense Horse Pastures. Rutgers Cooperative Extension. FS1271. New Brunswick, NJ. pp. 1-4.</li><br /> <li>Grev, A., C. Sheaffer, and K. Martinson. &nbsp;2017. Preference, yield, and forage nutritive value of annual grasses under horse grazing. &nbsp;University of Minnesota Extension Factsheet.</li><br /> <li>Martinson, K., C. Sheaffer, and M.S. Wells. &nbsp;2016. Grass mixtures for Midwest horse pastures. &nbsp;University of Minnesota Extension Factsheet.</li><br /> </ol><br /> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">YouTube Videos</span></p><br /> <ol><br /> <li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">&ldquo;When to Initiate Horse Grazing&rdquo; 3,902 views to date (posted December 12, 2013).</span></li><br /> <li><span style="text-decoration: underline;">&ldquo;Nutrient Cycling in Horse Pastures&rdquo; Conference presentation at Waste to Worth Conference 2017, Raleigh, NC. &nbsp;Posted May 5, 2017. (<a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6uLaTe0s8M">https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i6uLaTe0s8M</a>).</span></li><br /> </ol><br /> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Online Certification Courses</span></p><br /> <ol><br /> <li>Pasture Establishment and Management. &nbsp;2017 enrollment was 31.</li><br /> <li style="text-decoration: underline;">Composting Course. 2014-2018. Available online as a self-certification program for farmers in New Jersey and throughout the US for compost managers. &nbsp;Rutgers Cooperative Extension. <a href="http://campus.extension.org/course/view.php?id=897">http://campus.extension.org/course/view.php?id=897</a>. &nbsp;&nbsp;</li><br /> </ol>

Impact Statements

1. Number 2: Manure Management Outreach Project – Rutgers University 1. Video Series – ongoing impact statement: A six video series about nutrient management on livestock farms including information about storing, disposal, and processing of animal manures. Also includes information about soil health and pasture management. As of 1/4/18 over 800 video disks have been distributed to the public and over 159,000 views (37,000 in calendar year 2018) on the website: https://njaes.rutgers.edu/animal-waste-anagement/videos.php. 2. USDA-Natural Resources Conservation Service project: Rutgers University has developed a program for USDA-NRCS Technical Staff and other interested individuals (New Jersey Department of Agriculture, Soil Conservation Districts, etc.) to teach participants about the importance of managing diets to minimize animal waste nutrient excretion of horse farms. Nitrogen (N) and phosphorus (P) from agriculture sources can affect water quality. These nutrients and others are required for plant and animal growth, but too much in agricultural runoff can result in environmental and health concerns. If nutrients are overfed, or if feeding is mis-managed, this will result in more nutrients for disposal. Proper animal feeding and management practices can ensure that feed nutrients are not wasted, not overfed, and feed efficiency is optimized on the farm. This has included four producer meetings and one meeting on June 11th 2018 dedicated to NRCS Technical staff. This meeting provided guidelines for equine and livestock producers to help livestock producers reduce N and P losses by monitoring and/or changing feeding and management practices. The New Jersey State USDA-NRCS has subsequently supported a practice for diet management on equine farms. 3. Another output from this project is a comprehensive equine management book distributed among the state’s equine farmers.

Back to top

Report Information

Participants

Robin Brumfeld (Rutgers)
Mike Westendorf (Rutgers)
Mark Reiger (UDEL)
Masoud Hashimi (UMASS)
Jennifer Weinert (Rutgers)
Krishona Martinson (UMN)
Danielle Smarsh (PSU)
Laura Kenny (PSU)
Amy Burk (UMD)
Carey Williams (Rutgers)
Mieke Holder (UKY - on line, both days), Carissa Wickens (UFL – on line, Tues.)

Brief Summary of Minutes

The following individuals made presentation at the meeting:

1. Mike Westendorf (Rutgers)


2. Jennifer Weinert (Rutgers)


3. Carey Williams (Rutgers)


4. Robin Brumfield (Rutgers)


5. Masoud Hashimi (UMASS)


6. Krishona Martinson (UMN)


7. Danielle Smarsh (PSU)


8. Laura Kenny (PSU)


9. Amy Burk (UMD)


10. Mieke Holder (UKY - on line, both days)


11. Carissa Wickens (UFL – on line, Tues.)

 The following are some of the important areas of work during this meeting: 

Forage Work

1. The comparison of diffferent turfgrass cultivars, including cool-season and warm-season varieties, is being studied at several universities.


2. The use of grazing muzzles and their effect on stress and the welfare of horses.


3. Hay storage methods for round bales is being compared.


4. Stockpiling of forages for fall and winter feeding.


5. Comparing the use of novel warm-season grasses, eg. crabgrass for summer feeding.


6. Testing a chewing sensor to monitor grazing behavior to help determine forage intake and animal behavior.


7. Compare grass legume mixtures that include a perennial peanut.  The horses seem to avoid it.


8. Extending of the grazing season using annual grasses such as crabgrass in the summer and forage stockpiling for feeding in the fall and winter.

Composting and Manure Disposal

1. Compost at equine stock facilities to characterize nutrient profile and potential for leachate.  Very little nutrient runoff was found on structures with covers and impervious surfaces.


2. Antibiotic resistance in horse manure.  How can it be quantified?  Follow the dairy industry as a model.


3. Equine carcass composting to educate horse owners and professionals on the process and benefits, as well as the analysis for chemical compostion of compost.

Trace Mineral Research

1. Study the presence of heavy metals in animal feeds: What does it mean for the horse that outlives most other livestock species, and the environment. 


2. Hair analysis. 


3. Excessive levels of dietary mineral supplementation (beyond nitrogen and phosphorus) that influence trace minerals and water quality.

Outreach

1. On-farm pasture programs including pasture walks for soil testing, plant and weed ID, poisonous plants, and pasture evaluation, etc.


2. Farm visits.


3. Environmental Friendly Farm Program.


4. Horse Forum (Maryland) – Environmental Stewardship Discussion, BMP into public equestrian facilities, zoning laws restricting the number of horses per acre, land use for equestrian purposes always viewed as AG.


5. On line certificate courses, on-line composting school.

Accomplishments

<p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Accomplishment 1: Forages for Horses</span></p><br /> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Outcomes: Extending the grazing season</span></p><br /> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Outputs: Development of different grazing strategies</span></p><br /> <ul><br /> <li>Use of warm season grasses to provide increased summer grazing</li><br /> <li>Stockpiling of fall forages from cool-season grasses to lengthen the fall/winter grazing season</li><br /> <li>Use of cover crops including the use of small grains such as rye or wheat for fall forage accumulation</li><br /> <li>Comparison of forage varieties</li><br /> <li>Comparison of fertilization strategies</li><br /> <li>Improving hay quality for winter use</li><br /> </ul><br /> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Activities: Research productivity</span></p><br /> <ol><br /> <li>Comparison of grass legume mix pasture for horses using a perennial peanut perennial peanut (fixes nitrogen and grows close to the ground), bahaigrass (fertilized and not) and compared forage yield and quality, botanical composition, horse performance (digestibility of each, blood samples for glucose and insulin, body weight, BCS, body fat), N inputs, environmental impact (reducing off farm nitrogen), weekly measures, temporary fencing to allow similar herbage allowance.&nbsp; Horses avoided the perennial peanut and do not graze it.</li><br /> </ol><br /> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 2. Different grass cultivars are being compared.</p><br /> <ul><br /> <li>Incorporating novel warm season grasses into cool season grazing.</li><br /> <li>8 cool-season varieties, 6 warm-season varieties compared, Regenerate and Maestro Tall fescue most tolerant cool-seasons, but both have endophyte, creeping bentgrass lowest NSC, but lowest persistence.</li><br /> <li>Warm-season Compadre and Zenith zoyiagrass, most wear tolerant, moderate yield, average NSC, Red River crabgrass and common bermudagrass were least tolerant</li><br /> <li>Palatability of Turfgrasses, no difference in cool-season, common bermudagrass and crabgrass most preferred (however least tolerant)</li><br /> <li>Extension of the grazing season using annuals such as crabgrass.</li><br /> <li>Planting a couple varieties of forage oats for fall/winter grazing; plan to run weanlings and yearlings on the oats.</li><br /> <li>Stockpiling research, species selection, tall fescue traditionally, also looking into orchard grass, monoculture and mixed, studying fertility and nitrogen rate and timing upon yield.</li><br /> </ul><br /> <p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 3. Planting winter rye and oats to extend the grazing season and hope to graze further into the fall.</p><br /> <ol start="4"><br /> <li>Hay bale wrap trial &ndash; B-wrap, net wrap, and twine effects on both alfalfa and low lignin alfalfa. After one-year of storage with every 3 months bale weight and hay sampling, B-wrap did not increase in moisture, low lignin alfalfa stayed low for first 6 months, thereafter no difference.&nbsp; No loss of dry matter over one-year with B-wrap.&nbsp; After 90 days it pays to use B-wrap.&nbsp; B-wrap had very low mold and yeast levels.&nbsp; Fed to cattle to do a preference trial, used 18 cow/calf pairs.</li><br /> </ol><br /> <ol start="5"><br /> <li>Grazing muzzles compared on the stress and welfare of horses: no muzzle, 10 hrs/d and 24 hrs/d. 10 hrs/d did not control weight gain, voluntary exercise during the day did not change, 24 hrs/d group had lower Heart Rate &nbsp;and higher Heart Rate Variability.</li><br /> </ol><br /> <ol start="6"><br /> <li>Other projects:</li><br /> </ol><br /> <ul><br /> <li>Implementing a chew-sensor technology as a grazing tool &ndash; RumiWatch system (Itin + Hoch, GmbH). Equine version is EquiWatch, validated with forage vs. concentrate, agreement with chewing was 99%, not validated with grazing.&nbsp; Validating with chewing activity and applying it to grazing. &nbsp;&nbsp;Pilot project using the EquiWatch halters looking at ad libitum hay vs. pasture grazing, showed longer grazing time with pasture and a strong pattern with grazing being higher at the mid-afternoon time.</li><br /> <li>Comparing glucose and insulin response to horses on warm and cool season grasses; warm season grasses will have lower Non-Structural Carbohydrates because they do not store fructans. Glucose area under the curve was lower when grazing warm season grass particularly with the crabgrass, glucose did correlate positively with Non-Structural Carbohydrates, insulin didn&rsquo;t differ with forage variety.</li><br /> <li>Studying a hand-held NIR (Near Infrared Reflectance Spectroscopy) unit for on taking sample analysis and comparing to wet chemistry</li><br /> </ul><br /> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Milestones:</span></p><br /> <ol><br /> <li>Work to extend grazing season has resulted in collaborative research between nearly all states involved in the project.</li><br /> <li>Use of warm-season grasses is a potentially valuable summer forage option.</li><br /> <li>Crabgrass has promise as a summer forage.</li><br /> </ol><br /> <p>&nbsp;</p><br /> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Accomplishment 2: Composting and Manure Disposal<br /></span></p><br /> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Activities:</span></p><br /> <ol><br /> <li>Equine Carcass Composting: preliminary work completed by Mark Hutchinson from Maine.&nbsp; Using 4 chemically euthanized horses, carcasses are being composted for 6 months.&nbsp; In addition to analyzing for chemical composition of the compost, horse owners and professionals are being educated on the process and benefits.&nbsp; This particular project is being conducted at the University of Minnesota; previous work has been completed at the University of Maine.</li><br /> </ol><br /> <p>&nbsp;</p><br /> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Accomplishment 3: Outreach</span></p><br /> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Activities:</span></p><br /> <ol><br /> <li>On-farm programs including pasture walks, pasture evaluation, soil testing, forage testing, plant and weed identification, and poisonous plant discussions have taken place at most of the states.</li><br /> <li>Extension programs about feed management, manure management, and composting have also taken place at some of the states.</li><br /> <li>In addition, horse owner field days, e-newsletters, webinars, websites, Face Book pages, YouTube channels, Mobil Aps, Infographics, and horse conferences were conducted at most states.</li><br /> </ol><br /> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Milestones:</span></p><br /> <ol><br /> <li>Environmentally Friendly Farm program (Pennsylvania) including farm evaluation and multiple agencies.</li><br /> <li>Environmental Stewardship Discussion (Maryland Horse Forum), BMP's in public equestrian facilities.</li><br /> <li>On-line certificate courses (Minnesota).</li><br /> <li>Online composting course (New Jersey).</li><br /> </ol><br /> <p>&nbsp;</p>

Publications

<div><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Journal Articles</span></div><br /> <p>Bowman, M.A., Pratt-Phillips, S.E., <strong>Siciliano, P.D.</strong>&nbsp; 2019.&nbsp; Effect of restricting time allowed for grazing on fecal microbiome.&nbsp; J. Equine Vet. Sci. 76:78.</p><br /> <p>Bowman, M.A., Pratt-Phillips, S.E., <strong>Siciliano, P.D</strong>.&nbsp; 2019.&nbsp; Effect of an abrupt diet change on the fecal microbiome.&nbsp; J. Equine Vet. Sci. 76:74-75.</p><br /> <div><br /> <p>Catalano, D.N., B.J. Heins, S. Missaghi, M.R. Hathaway, and <strong>K.L. Martinson+</strong>. 2019. The Effect of Goldfish (<em>Carassius auratus</em>) on Water Quality in Horse Stock Tanks. J. of Equine Vet. Sci. 79: 73-78.&nbsp;</p><br /> <p>Catalano, D.N., C.C. Sheaffer, A.M. Grev, M.L. DeBoer and <strong>K.L. Martinson+</strong>. 2019. Yield, Forage Nutritive Value, and Preference of Legumes under Horse Grazing. Agronomy J. 111: 1,312-1,322.</p><br /> <p>DeBoer, M.L., M.R. Hathaway, K.J. Kuhle, P.S.D. Weber, C.C. Sheaffer and <strong>K.L. Martinson+</strong>. 2018. Glucose and insulin response of horses grazing alfalfa, perennial cool-season grass, and teff during the spring and late-fall. J. of Equine Vet. Sci. 72: 108-111.</p><br /> <p>DeBoer, M., <strong>K. Martinson+</strong>, K. Kuhle, C. Sheaffer and M. Hathaway. 2018. Plasma amino acid concentrations of horses grazing alfalfa, cool-season perennial grasses and teff. J. of Equine Vet. Sci. 72: 72-78.&nbsp; &nbsp;</p><br /> <p>DeBoer, M.L., M.R. Hathaway, K.J. Kuhle, P.S.D. Weber, A.S. Reiter, C.C. Sheaffer, M.S. Wells and <strong>K.L. Martinson+</strong>.&nbsp; 2018.&nbsp; Glucose and insulin response of horses grazing alfalfa, perennial cool-season grass, and teff across seasons.&nbsp; J. Equine Vet. Sci.&nbsp; 68: 33-38.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</p><br /> <p>Jaqueth*, A.L., T.R. Turner, Iwaniuk, M.E., B.J. McIntosh, and <strong>A.O. Burk.</strong> 2019. Relative traffic tolerance of cool-season turfgrasses and suitability for grazing by equine. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 78:79-88. &nbsp;<a href="https://nam02.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fdoi.org%2F10.1016%2Fj.jevs.2019.04.005&amp;data=02%7C01%7Cmichael.westendorf%40rutgers.edu%7Cfdd18de81c844b2445b408d778196a68%7Cb92d2b234d35447093ff69aca6632ffe%7C1%7C0%7C637109922869692996&amp;sdata=69pY6eOcysEtVbmyjXamobT3lgjiMr4ZMKfPcx1iSZ8%3D&amp;reserved=0">https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2019.04.005</a>.</p><br /> <p>Jaqueth, A.L., M. Hathaway, D.N. Catalano, N.C. Linders, R. Mottet and <strong>K.L. Martinson+</strong>. Using web-based surveys to explore equine industry practices and future research needs. Accepted for publication in the Journal of Equine Veterinary Science on October 28, 2019.&nbsp;</p><br /> <p>Mottet, R.S., R.D Moon, M.R. Hathaway and <strong>K.L. Martinson+</strong>.&nbsp; 2018.&nbsp; Effectiveness of Stable Fly Protectants on Adult Horses.&nbsp; J. Equine Vet. Sci.&nbsp; 69: 11-15.&nbsp;</p><br /> <p>Weinert, J. R. and C. A. Williams. 2018. Recovery of pasture forage production following winter rest in continuous and rotational horse grazing systems. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 70:32-37. doi.org/10.1016/j.jevs.2018.06.017</p><br /> <p>Williams, C. A., L. B. Kenny, and A. O. Burk. 2019. Effects of grazing system, season, and forage carbohydrates on glucose and insulin dynamics of the grazing horse. J. Anim. Sci. 97:2541&ndash;2554. doi: 10.1093/jas/skz103NIFA</p><br /> <p>&nbsp;</p><br /> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Book Chapters</span></p><br /> <p>Kenny, L. B., A. O. Burk, and C. A. Williams. 2019. Managing equine grazing for pasture productivity. In: Horse Pasture Management, edited by P. Sharpe. Academic Press, London, UK. pp. 141-155. doi: 10.1016/B978-0-12-812919-7.00009-3</p><br /> <p>Kenny, L. B., M. Westendorf, and C. A. Williams. 2019. Managing manure, erosion, and water quality in and around horse pastures. In: Horse Pasture Management, edited by P. Sharpe. Academic Press, London, UK. pp. 245-259. doi:10.1016/B978-0-12-812919-7.00014-7</p><br /> <p>Westendorf, M. L., C. A. Williams, S. Murphy, and L. B. Kenny. 2019. Generation and Management of Manure from Horses and other Equids. In: Animal Manure: Production, Characteristics, Environmental Concerns and Management. edited by H. M. Waldrip, P. H. Pagliari, and Z. He. ASA-SSSA-CSSA, Special Publications, Madison, WI. (in press). pp. 1-19. doi:10.2134/asaspecpub67.c8</p><br /> <p>&nbsp;</p><br /> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Conference Papers</span></p><br /> <p>Powlowski, C., J. Weinert, and C. A. Williams. 2018. Forage recovery in rotational vs continuous pasture systems after intensive horse grazing. Mid-Atlantic Nutr. Conf. Proc. 16 (https://ansc.umd.edu/extension/mid-atlantic-nutrition-conference/past-proceedings).</p><br /> <p>Weinert, J. and C. A. Williams. 2019. Glucose and insulin responses of horses grazing integrated warm- and cool-season grass rotational pasture systems. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 76:103. Abstract #140.</p><br /> <p>Weinert, J., J. Werner, and C. A. Williams. 2019. Implementation of a chew-sensor based technology as a tool for equine grazing research. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 76:91-92. Abstract #114</p><br /> <p>Williams, C. A., K. Sullivan, and L. B. Kenny. 2019. Effects of twenty-seven months of rotational vs. continuous grazing on horse and pasture condition. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 76:102-103. Abstract #139.</p><br /> <p>Williams, C. A., K. Sullivan, and L. B. Kenny. 2019. Effects of twenty-seven months of rotational vs. continuous grazing on horse and pasture condition. J. Equine Vet. Sci. 76:102-103. Abstract #139.</p><br /> &nbsp;<br /> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Extension Bulletin</span></p><br /> <p>Booklet. Manure Management Training Manual for Equine Farmers. Rutgers Cooperative Extension and the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station, The USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Rutgers University Equine Science Center.</p><br /> <p>&nbsp;</p><br /> <p><span style="text-decoration: underline;">Popular Press</span></p><br /> <p><strong>Burk, A.O.</strong> 2018. Ten Steps to a Healthy Productive Pasture. The Equiery. April Issue.</p><br /> <p>&nbsp;</p><br /> </div>

Impact Statements

1. Extending the grazing season: The projects that have been done this year to further research and education with pasture has been to develop different grazing strategies to help lengthen the grazing season in both the north and the southern U.S. Some of these projects include: Using warm season grasses to provide increased summer grazing in the Northeast, using cool-season grasses in the winter in the southern region to extend the grazing season, stockpiling of fall forages from cool-season grasses to lengthen the fall/winter grazing season, using of cover crops including the use of small grains such as rye or wheat for fall forage accumulation, comparing forage varieties for the health of the horse and a horses grazing preference, comparing fertilization strategies, and improving hay quality for winter use when grazing is not available. More specifics on the research activities include: • A comparison of grass legume mix pasture for horses using a perennial peanut perennial peanut (fixes nitrogen and grows close to the ground), bahaigrass (fertilized and not) and compared forage yield and quality, botanical composition, horse performance (digestibility of each, blood samples for glucose and insulin, body weight, BCS, body fat), N inputs, environmental impact (reducing off farm nitrogen), weekly measures, temporary fencing to allow similar herbage allowance. Horses avoided the perennial peanut and do not graze it. • Different grass cultivars are being compared across the country and in different regions, by incorporating novel warm season grasses into cool season grazing. • 8 cool-season varieties, 6 warm-season varieties compared: Regenerate and Maestro Tall fescue were the most tolerant cool-season varieties, but both have endophyte, where creeping bentgrass was the lowest NSC, but also had the lowest persistence. Warm-season grasses, Compadre and Zenith zoyiagrass were the most wear tolerant, with moderate yield, and average NSC, where Red River crabgrass and common bermudagrass were least tolerant. The palatability of Turfgrasses showed no difference in cool-season varieties, however Common Bermudagrass and Crabgrass were the most preferred but least tolerant. • The extension of the grazing season in New Jersey was investigated using warm-season annuals such as crabgrass. The project found that horses preferred crabgrass similarly to the cool-season mix pasture that is typically planted. Crabgrass had higher sward height and yield in the hot summer months compared to cool-season mixed pastures. Crabgrass planted integrated into a cool-season pasture also works well and might be the best production recommendation for farmers. • Stockpiling research focused on species selection and found that tall fescue traditionally is used but the study also looked into orchard grass in monoculture and mixed. Also studied fertility and nitrogen rate and timing upon yield. • Another trial investigated the use of various hay bale wraps (B-wrap, net wrap, and twine) and its effects on both alfalfa and low lignin alfalfa. After one-year of storage with samples every 3 months for bale weight and hay nutrients the B-wrap did not increase in moisture, and the low lignin alfalfa stayed low for first 6 months, thereafter no difference. There was also no loss of dry matter over one-year with B-wrap. In the end it is recommended that after 90 days it pays to use B-wrap because it had very low mold and yeast levels. • Another study compared on the stress and welfare of horses when using a grazing muzzle. There were treatments of no muzzle, 10 hrs/d and 24 hrs/d. The group with the muzzle on 10 hrs/d did not control weight gain, and voluntary exercise during the day did not change. The group with the muzzle on 24 hrs/d had lower heart rate and higher heart rate variability, both which indicate lower levels of stress compared to the group wearing the muzzle for only 10 hrs/d. • A New Jersey study is implementing a chew-sensor technology as a grazing tool (RumiWatch system [Itin + Hoch, GmbH]). Equine version is EquiWatch, validated with forage vs. concentrate, agreement with chewing was 99%, however it has never been validated with grazing horses. The validation of the EquiWatch version with chewing activity when grazing highly correlated and therefore is a valid tool to use when performing grazing studies to show number of bites and chews, and grazing duration in horses. Apilot project using the EquiWatch system looked at ad libitum hay vs. pasture grazing and showed longer grazing time with pasture and a strong pattern with grazing being higher at the mid-afternoon time. • Another study compared glucose and insulin response to horses on warm and cool season grasses; warm season grasses will have lower Non-Structural Carbohydrates because they do not store fructans. Glucose area under the curve was lower when grazing warm season grass particularly with the crabgrass, glucose did correlate positively with Non-Structural Carbohydrates, insulin didn’t differ with forage variety. Overall the take home message is: 1. Work to extend grazing season has resulted in collaborative research between nearly all states involved in the project. 2. Use of warm-season grasses is a potentially valuable summer forage option. 3. Crabgrass has promise as a summer forage both for increasing summer grazing and for lower non-structural carbohydrate varieties for horses sensitive to soluble carbohydrates.

Back to top