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Successful Manure & Waste Management
New Regulations for Managing Horse Manure
November 7th, 2006 by peter
I had the opportunity to travel to three major horse centers in the United States, including: Orange and San Diego Counties, CA; Will County, IL; and Marion County, FL. In all cases, representatives of the County Conservation Districts (CD) and the Federal Natural Resource Conservation Service (NRCS) clearly indicated that they expect new regulations to be adopted requiring horse owners to comply with federal and state water quality standards.
Unfortunately, the defense “But we’ve always done it that way” will no longer work in most situations. Some counties are responding to federal dictates and others seem to be responding more to neighbor complaints. All in all, the fact remains - times are changing and horse manure will need to be managed in accordance with a clearly written plan or the stable / training facility / clinic may be shut down for non-compliance. Ultimately, it’s all about water quality, and it’s safe to say that we all support a cleaner environment.
When will this take place? It will vary from region to region, based on a wide array of factors. It’s happening right now in Southern California and it is about to begin in central Florida. After talking with horse owners at recent Equine Affaire Expos (Pomona, CA and Columbus, OH), I sense that some horse organizations are trying to take a proactive stance while many others are ignoring the situation or dragging their heels. My opinion is that it is always better to be pro-active and take charge of your future than it is to be reactive and fight inevitable change.
Our mission at O2Compost is to help horse owners properly manage manure, protect ground water and surface water quality, and convert an operating expense into a new profit center for their farm or stable.
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