Development and implementation of an equine environmental stewardship program

Performance target: The project manager will deliver education, outreach, and pasture evaluation tools collaboratively with NRCS and USDA to 10,000 horse farm operators, with 400 completing a short course and 28 serving as on-farm cooperators for trials and demonstrations. Ten farms will increase canopy cover to 70 to 80 percent, reducing sediment loss by over a ton per acre per year, resulting in a potential soil loss savings of 37 tons per farm.

1. A major goal of the project is to develop and offer the Equine Environmental Stewardship Short Course. The course, which will be offered at various locations throughout the region, will provide information and “hands on” learning experiences designed to provide horse owners with the knowledge and skills necessary to adopt sustainable and environmentally sound farm management practices. The short course will include a minimum of 12 hours of instruction and associated activities designed to allow participants to obtain the knowledge and gather the data they need to develop plans for their own farm operations. Result: 762 horse farm managers/owners attended the 2-4 day Equine Environmental Stewardship (EES) short courses. The team hosted 29 ESS short courses at different locations across Pennsylvania and New York.

2. A second goal of the program is to offer a series of “stand alone” workshops and educational opportunities using a variety of delivery methods for diverse clientele groups. Workshops and web-based programming will be provided for horse owners as well as equine professionals, veterinarians, agricultural service providers, and agency representatives that deal with managers of equine operations. Results: Over 3,200 additional farm/horse owners have attended individual workshops dealing with environmental stewardship and farm management issues; these programs were conducted through Horse Expos, clinics and Ag Progress Days conducted in the eastern United States.

3. A third goal is to work directly with farm cooperators to identify, implement, and evaluate pre-determined, environmentally sound farm management practices. The data will be collected and published in professional magazines and made available to industry stake holders. Results: Information gathered from the team’s research generated 19 scientific publications, abstracts, and presentations at national meetings, several popular press, tread magazine and social media articles. (See list below)

4. Development of a “user friendly” model to quantitatively evaluate pasture composition and canopy cover. Developments of a pasture condition scoring system to more accurately reflect conditions in equine pastures. Result: Development of the Equine Pasture Evaluation Disk and score sheet. Milestones and performance targets: 1. Cooperative Extension specialists and educators will develop the curriculum, teaching materials, and tools to evaluate pasture improvements, will train other educators, and will assume a leadership role in implementing and evaluating the program. A minimum of 20 Extension Agents, equine and agricultural agency and industry representatives in three states will participate in trainings and will be provided with the tools necessary to provide educational outreach opportunities and document impact. Results: The team offered 5 trainings for NRCS, Conservation District, DEP, Extension and agricultural industry personnel on understanding, selecting and implementing BMPs that are appropriate for the equine industry. Reached 205 professional. 2. In order to provide managers of equine operations in Pennsylvania and surrounding states with the knowledge and tools they need to adopt environmentally sound farm management practices, 400 farm managers will complete the Equine Environmental Stewardship short course and will develop a farm plan that includes at least two strategies to improve pasture and manure management practice. A minimum of 80% (288) of these managers, representing 10,656 acres, will implement two or more of the strategies identified in their farm plan. Result: 81% or 617 of workshop participants (total participants 762, representing 19,050 acres) reported adopting at least two BMPs strategies to improve conditions on their farm. Workshop participants reported that they planned to adopt the following BMPs strategies: 74% (n=564) planned to add additional paddocks, stress lots to reduce grazing pressure. 72% (n=548) planned to generate a forage, weed and toxic plant inventory for their farm. 72% (n=548) planned to renovate the pastures to introduce new varieties and thicken the stand. 86% (n=518) planned to apply nutrients based on soil test results. 66% (n=503) planned to develop a better manure storage facility. 80% (n=610) already contact or planned to contact agencies for assistance. 100% (n=762) Worked on their farm's Manure Management Plan. 3. Web sites and on-line opportunities will be developed to provide educational opportunities for managers of equine operations that cannot attend a short course. Over 10,000 farm managers in the NE region will participate in on-line training opportunities with 30% (3,000) responding to a post program survey. Results: Penn State Extension Equine Web site (http://extension.psu.edu/animals/equine) and on-line opportunities (Newsletter, events, fact sheets, power points etc.) were developed to provide educational opportunities for managers of equine operations to supplement the workshops. In one year, 34,146 (July 1, 2012 to June 31, 2013), farm managers visited the on-line information and training opportunities. Site evaluation is still on going. 4. Twenty-eight equine operation managers will be selected to participate in a program designed to provide individual assistance and a multi-year plan to reduce nutrient inputs and /or improve pasture conditions and manure handling practices on the farm. Identified practices will be specific to the site conditions and management practices on each farm. The farm manager will be asked to participate in on-farm trials that may include: monitoring and reducing phosphorous levels in feed; handling, composting, storing and applying manure; incorporating rotational grazing paddocks and stress lots into turn-out regimes; utilizing new species of forages and ground covers; and developing new approaches to managing annual and perennial forages in pastures and heavy use areas. Results: The team worked with 40 equine farms directly collecting data and providing specific information related to their operations. Of these 40 farms, 14 operations were selected to serve as farm cooperators. The farms adopted the following BMP: • Development of heavy use areas/stress lots to reduce grazing pressure and increase canopy cover and pasture quality. N=12 • Implementation of rotational grazing plans. N=10 • Adoption of an intense rotational grazing program that involves constructing paddocks and moving horses on a weekly/daily basis. N=1 • Renovating pastures based on a management plan which provides weed control, fertilization and overseeding recommendations. N=12 • Fencing stream corridors restricts horse access to streams. N=1 • Managing water flow on heavy use areas by constructing bioswales. N=2 • Ration evaluation and modification to reduce excess nutrients in manure. N=14 Of the 28 equine operations that participate as cooperators, 100% (28 farms, representing 1,036 acres) will implement at least two identified practices designed to reduce phosphorous levels in their feed and /or reduce soil and nutrient loss by increasing canopy cover within the pastures. 100% of the farmers that develop plans to improve pastures will show an improvement in canopy cover, forage quantity, and pasture conditions. Most literature reports the need for maintaining 70-75% vegetative cover in pastures. Below this level significant sediment loss can occur. A minimum of 10 of the 28 farms were selected for this project; based on the criteria that the pastures are overgrazed and have canopy covers that are determined to be less than 50%. The target for the 10 farms is to increase canopy cover to 70 to 80%. Results: Only 12 farm renovated pastures increased canopy cover on the farms. We found that most of the 40 farms just need help with a plan for their pastures to improve pasture stands and quality. Routine overfeeding of dietary protein and phosphorus results in significant nutrient losses in manure. Previous work (Harper & Swinker, 2009) shows equine ration’s protein levels averaged 62% and phosphorus 92% above the NRC (2007) requirements. If horse owners fed rations that met NRC requirements, this would result in reduced nutrient loads in watersheds throughout the state. The adoption of lower-nitrogen and phosphorus feeding practices for the 28 test farms (350 equine) is expected to result in reductions in nitrogen and phosphorus loading. Results: The 40 farm in this project, it was very difficult for horse owners to manage their horse's rations. Most were using a commercially mix feed concentrate that could not be adjusted. Each individual horse was fed a specific diet arranged for that specific horse. One farm had 70 horse all on their own specific individual diet. Most of the farms fed hay by different weekly truck loads and they did not produce their own hay on the farm. All the hay was imported from off the farms often by different suppliers. The 14 demo horse farms were feeding equine rations with protein and phosphorus levels above the NRC (2007) requirements. Farms managers were shown the feed analysis results and advised on how to formulate rations. However, farm managers were unable to make major adjustments due to the above reasons.

The Equine Team developed and offered 29 Environmental Stewardship short course, an educational series that provides 2 to 4 day of practical hands-on experiences that will help farm owners develop the knowledge and skills necessary to adopt environmentally sound farm management practices. Equine research is providing exciting new information that is generating many changes in recommendations in the management practices that have been in place for many years. The short course provides workshops that are designed to help horse owners and others involved in the industry. To date, 762 farm managers have completed the Equine Environmental Stewardship Short Courses offered in Northampton, Northampton, Chester, Montgomery, Columbia, York, Union, Columbia, Westmoreland, Armstrong, Beaver, York, Indiana, Warren, Dauphin, Centre, Leigh and Clinton Counties in Pennsylvania and Orange and Ulster County, NY. Over 3,200 additional farm/horse owners have attended individual workshops dealing with environmental stewardship and farm management issues; these programs were conducted through Horse Expos, clinics and Ag Progress Days conducted in the eastern United States. Penn State Extension Equine Web site (http://extension.psu.edu/animals/equine) and on-line opportunities (Newsletter, events, fact sheets, power points etc.) were developed to provide educational opportunities for managers of equine operations to supplement the workshops. In one year, 34,146 (July 1, 2012 to June 31, 2013), farm managers visited the on-line information and training opportunities. In addition: 30,111 Unique visitors (different not regular visitors visited). 3.53 Average # pages viewed/visit 8,087 visits from PA (23.7%) 7,112 visits from a mobile device (20.8%)

Research has shown that it is important to maintain at least 70% to 75% canopy cover in pastures. Below that, erosion and significant sediment and nutrient loss can occur. Nutrients and sediments can have a negative effect on both ground and surface water quality. Ideally, canopy cover should be maintained above 80% and the canopy should be composed of plants that provide nutrition for the horses. Since horses do not uniformly graze pastures, evaluating pastures using single line-intercept methodology does not provide accurate data. To meet the need for an efficient and accurate method of evaluating canopy cover and document plant species, the Penn State Equine Team developed the Equine Pasture Evaluation Disc (EPED).

The EPED is easy to use and provides accurate, random information. The EPED is randomly tossed throughout the entire pasture by walking a “W” pattern. A minimum of 20 tosses is necessary to provide accurate data. An arrow on the edge of the disc indicates the location that the data is to be collected. If the arrow lands on bare ground or something other than a plant, that information is recorded as well. From the data collected, the percent of the pasture that is covered by plants can be determined and the percent of the pasture covered by plants that provide nutritional value can be evaluated. To date, 366 adults and 86 youth used the tools to evaluate their pastures with 91% stating that recording data made them more aware of pasture conditions. In addition, all of the participants that attended the Environmental Stewardship Educational Workshops received EPED and worksheets; and were assigned to evaluate their farm pastures. (See attached)

The team worked with 40 equine farms directly collecting data and providing specific information related to their operations. Of these 40 farms, 14 operations were selected to serve as farm cooperators. Fourteen farm owners/managers that completed the Environmental Stewardship short course were selected to participate in a Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education (SARE) grant project designed to help farm managers implement practices to increase the canopy cover and desirable forages in pastures, reduce nutrient and sediment loss from farms, and reduce the overfeeding of nutrients in the ration. Practices implemented on test farms included:

• Development of heavy use areas/stress lots to reduce grazing pressure and increase canopy cover and pasture quality. N=12

• Implementation of rotational grazing plans. N=10

• Adoption of an intense rotational grazing program that involves constructing paddocks and moving horses on a weekly/daily basis. N=1

• Renovating pastures based on a management plan which provides weed control, fertilization and overseeding recommendations. N=12

• Fencing stream corridors to restrict horse access to streams. N=2

• Managing water flow on heavy use areas by constructing bioswales. N=1 • Ration evaluation and modification to reduce excess nutrients in manure. N=14

The goals of this project were to document conservation and management practices already in place on equine operations and identify areas of concern and improvement. The research team finalized field farm survey instruments, quantitatively documented pasture plants and canopy cover, sampled feed, hay and soil, conducted nutrient management audits and documented conservation and farm management practices. Pasture data was collected using line point transect methodology. Data included percent canopy cover, percent basal stem cover, percent quality forage, percent bare ground, and percent herbaceous litter. All plant species were documented in the target area. Pasture Condition scores were also generated for all pastures on the farms using the Vermont pasture Condition score Sheet. Pasture Conditions: Total plant canopy cover on most of the project farms was adequate to prevent erosion and sediment loss. Results revealed that 11 of the farms had pastures with a plant canopy cover of over 90%. Seven farms had a canopy cover between 80 and 90%. One farm had a canopy cover of 75% and only one farm was below 70%. Although canopy cover was adequate, many pastures were poor quality with weeds making up a large percent of the canopy. Two of the farms had pastures that contained a dense population of desirable plants. Over 80% of the plants in the pastures supplied nutrition for the horses. Six of the farms had pastures that had a low to medium density of desirable plants with only 60-75% of the plants supplying nutrition. Eight of the farms had pastures with a low density of desirable plants with only 50-60% of the plants having forage value. Four of the farms had a very low density of desirable plants with less than 50% of the plants supplying nutrition for the horses. Soil Fertility: Soil tests revealed that 41% of the pastures were deficient in phosphorus and 60% needed potassium. However, 53% of the farms hauled manure (stockpiled and fresh) off-farm. An additional 27% spread fresh manure and only 7% composted manure. This data reveals the need for education and assistance in developing compost systems. Properly composted manure adds value to manure as a resource. It can be used on-farm, applied to pastures, used off-site, or sold. Lack of knowledge and time, and fear of spreading parasites, are the reasons most often cited as a barrier to composting.

On account of the new Pennsylvania state regulation, the team took this opportunity to reach horse farm managers with writing manure management plans. We began advertising the Equine Environmental Stewardship (EES) course as a Manure Management Plan workshop. This increased our participation to the program. Agency Assistance 1. The team prepared teaching materials that include PowerPoint presentations, fact sheets and worksheets which have been made available to DEP, extension, conservation district, NRCS, and industry personnel to assist them in helping horse farm managers complete their manure management plan. 2. The team offered 5 trainings for NRCS, Conservation District, DEP, and agricultural industry personnel on understanding, selecting and implementing BMPs that are appropriate for the equine industry. Manure Management Plan Writing Workshops The team offered 12 manure management plan writing sessions throughout Pennsylvania. The course has been designed to help teach owners of equine operations how to prepare a manure management plan for their farm and understand and implement conservation practices. A total of 184 farm managers completed manure management plans for their farms and generated farm maps, documented pasture conditions, evaluated environmental risks associated with their farm manure storage and animal concentration areas, and determined acceptable manure spreading rates. Introduction to Pennsylvania Manure and Nutrient Management Regulation. Farm managers of equine operations attended workshops presented on the impact of nutrients/sediments on water quality, assessing farm risks, and complying with regulations. 92% of those surveyed (N=110) could identify potential sources of contamination on farms. 85% reported a better understanding of the impact contaminants have on ground and surface water. 81% understood how to comply with regulations.