Useful Composting Links
The following sections and links are intended for those who would like to learn more about our company, O2Compost and composting in general. Our goal with providing this information is to encourage individuals and organizations to take action toward establishing sustainable business practices, to benefit urban and agrarian communities worldwide.
O2Compost System Design and Operator Training
About Aerated Composting
For Horse Owners
Videos
References
- The Practical Handbook of Compost Engineering; Dr. Roger T. Haug; 1993
- On-Farm Composting Handbook; NRAES-54; 1992
- Compost Facility Operator Manual; Paul & Dieter; 2009
- Soil Biology Primer; USDA; 2000
- Building Soil Organic Matter with Organic Amendments; Cooperband, 2002
- Teaming with Microes; Lowenfels & Lewis; 2011
Links For Horse Owners
Dr. Karen Hayes' web site "The Integral Horse" provides a wealth of information on caring for all horses - foals, the athlete, and the elderly - and offers sage advice on designing "The Perfect Stall" and on "How to Be the Perfect Horsekeeper". O2Compost was featured as "The Perfect Manure Management System" in Horsekeeper and she also encourages horse owners to use their finished compost as stall bedding.
Katherine (Katy) Watts specializes in improving the health of horses that are susceptible to laminitis, foundering, and other feed related issues through proper pasture management and the selection of low non-structural carbohydrate (NSC) feeds. By applying well cured horse manure compost to the pasture, the grass is lush and vibrant, resulting in lower sugar content which, in turn, allows for longer grazing times without health complications.
Horses for Clean Water is an excellent resource for small farm owners who want to improve their horses' health and construct / rehabilitate a model farm. Alayne Blickle is an excellent speaker and leads workshops all around the country. She specializes in rotational grazing, pasture management, mud management, and other aspects of small farm management.
Alternative Stall Bedding
Wood Pellets / Micro-Shavings
 - less wood in the pile produces a much higher quality finished compost product with a strong market value. There are many brands on the market, including wood pellets for stoves. Not all pellets are created equal, however, so I suggest that you give several brands a try to find the one you like the best. Price is a consideration, of course, but should not be the deciding factor. Several brands that get very high marks include:
Guardian Horse Bedding
Horseman's Choice Horse Products, Inc.
Eagle Valley ABM
Barefoot Bedding
EasyPellet Products
Airlite Animal Bedding
Barn Tools
Invest in your horses' health with the ComfortStall flooring system. "No other stall flooring can claim such extraordinary quality, ongoing health benefits and reliable longevity." Founder, Joy Koch, designed this product for her own horses and now she'd like to share it with you.
Visit Haygain.com to learn more about their hay steamers and slow feeders. These products are endorsed by Joy Koch of ComfortStall as well as veterinarians, trainers, champion riders, and other professionals. Don't your horses deserve the best, too?
The Brockwood Stall Shifter is an electronically operated manure and bedding shifter that will save you up to 50% on bedding costs and cut horse stall cleaning time and labor up to 65%. Visit the website to learn more about this efficient and economical stall cleaning method.
Sweet PDZ "horse stall refresher" is a superior alternative to lime for ammonia removal and moisture absorption. It is an all-natural, non-hazardous and non-toxic product available in both the classic powder and a new granular form. Visit the Sweet PDZ website to locate a dealer near you.
The Ursa Field Wagon is Karen Hayes' pick for the Perfect Hand Cart. It is a well designed, durable and easily maneuvered cart that you will use every day and for years to come. It holds over 5 cubic feet and up to 500 pounds, and is well balanced for easy dumping.
The Shake'n Fork is an effective, auto-sifting manure fork for stall cleaning. It looks and feels just like a conventional fork but has a unique shaking feature that allows the job to be done better and in a fraction of the time. Engineered into the fork head is a flexible pivoting feature that helps agitate the tines, automatically separating the manure from the bedding shavings. From a composting perspective, this is an ideal tool for minimizing the wood fraction in the compost pile, resulting in a higher quality finished compost product using the O2Compost System.
The Stable Grazer is a unique, programmable, automatic feeder designed to dispense flake hay, grain and medications from one to six times a day. Not only does this simplify stall feeding, it improves horse health and more closely replicates a horse's need to graze on a continuous basis. This device is well constructed and operates for six months or longer with only two D-Batteries. The Stable Grazer is highly recommended in Dr. Karen Hayes' book, "How to be the Perfect Horsekeeper" and is featured on her web site, www.integralhorse.com.
Pasture Tools
The Greystone Pasture Vacuum is an excellent tool for pasture maintenance and manure management, making this chore easier and faster than ever before. Vacuum it up from wet grass, dirt, stone dust, bedding - nearly any surface; then dump it out into your O2Compost system. Because the manure balls are broken down as they are vacuumed up, the fine uniform texture makes the raw manure very easy to compost and produces a beautiful finished product. In combination with composting, the Greystone Pasture Vac keeps your pastures clean, helps control flies, and greatly reduces parasites, pathogens and weed seeds.
Compostwerks LLC is a distributor for the Ecolawn self-propelled Top Dresser, which is the ideal multi-purpose applicator for top dressing and compost spreading. The Top Dresser is commonly used to dress newly seeded areas for optimal seed germination. In addition, it can spread a wide range of products including natural fertilizers, granular lime, and even sand. Its versatility, ease and speed of use make the Ecolawn Top Dresser a valuable piece of equipment for the lawn care professional.
The Stablers' cylindrical screen design makes this manure spreader easy and efficient. Towed behind a farm tractor or 4-wheel quad, this well constructed device lays down a light, even application of compost that allows the grass to grow lush and green and will not inhibit your horses' desire to graze on a rotational basis.