By
Randy Fonner, Ellen Phillips
Extension specialists from the University of Illinois will be on hand to discuss the topic of manure management at the Chicagoland Equestrian Lifestyle Expo & Holiday Market on November 20 and 21 at the new Lake County Fairgrounds' Expo Center in Grayslake, Illinois.
Randy Fonner, an Extension specialist in the Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering, and Ellen Phillips, a U of I Extension educator in crop systems, will speak about a variety of issues that impact individual horse owners as well as stable managers.
"If you own a horse you know that the equestrian lifestyle, idyllic as it can be, comes with certain challenges," said Fonner. "One of those challenges is manure. The average horse produces 55 pounds of manure a day and uses four to six pounds of bedding. Whether you own one horse or you manage a stable, that's a lot of waste. How do you manage it responsibly?"
Fonner's presentation on Saturday will discuss the options for disposing of manure, with a focus on removing manure from your property via selling, hauling or composting.
Phillips' presentation, "Making Over Manure into Compost: How to Transform a Problem into a Profit," will focus on the basic principles of composting manure. "You can change a manure problem into a compost profit," said Phillips, "but there are several key factors that need to be monitored to create quality compost that landscapers and others want to purchase."
On Sunday, Fonner will speak with owners and managers on "Rules You Need to Know."
"Some of those rules address how to store manure and compost correctly to avoid a visit from the EPA," said Fonner. "We'll talk about how the rules change if a facility has more than 25 horses, and again when you go over 150 horses. There will also be some discussion on the rules that apply when you want to build or expand a facility."
Fonner said one project they hope to promote at the Expo is called "Changing Manure Streams." "There are a lot of horse owners and stables who have dumpsters for their manure, which goes directly to the closest landfill.
"We'd like to develop a pilot program that would connect horse owners with a waste hauler who was willing to set up two dumpsters at a farm," Fonner continued. "One would be for regular garbage; one would be for manure and bedding. Once a week, the waste hauler could run his manure route and take it to a nearby nursery, forest preserve, or landscape business. Anyone who uses a lot of compost, and can incorporate manure into their compost could be involved in the program. It would be put to a far better use than filling up the landfills."
Fonner and Phillips will have a booth at the Expo, with a number of handouts that address the manure management needs of horse farms. There will also be an online display of several Extension websites, including "Manure Central," "Composting Central" and "Manure Share." These websites offer quick access to information about manure management and large scale composting.
The Chicagoland Equestrian Lifestyle Expo is sponsored by the Horsemen's Council of Illinois and runs from 10:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, and 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Sunday.
News writer: Leanne Lucas
Source: University of Illinois