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Nitrogen
An important nutrient for plants and animals Major concern regarding with groundwater contamination (nitrates) o Causes methemoglobinemia (blue-baby syndrome) Nitrogen cycle
Phosphorus
Also an important nutrient for plants and animals Major concern regarding with surface water contamination o Causes eutrophication (excessive buildup of nutrients in water)
Nutrient Units
What is a Nutrient Unit (NU)? o A Nutrient Unit (NU) is a measure of how much nitrogen and phosphate is contained in manure 43kg of nitrogen 55kg of phosphate o For horses: Large frame 0.7 animals/NU Medium frame 1 animal/NU Small frame 2 animals/NU o Examples 8 large frame horses 8 0.7 = 11.4 NU 8 small frame horses 8 2 = 4 NU
Apply for a building permit for livestock housing (new or expanded housing) or manure storage Requires a Nutrient Management Strategy (NMS) o Siting restrictions for storages: 15m (50ft) away from any field tile drains 15m (50ft) away from any drilled well 100m (328ft) away from a municipal well 30m (100ft) away from any other wells 50m (164ft) flow path away from surface waters or tile inlets (such as catch-basins) 150m (492ft) if the manure is 30-50% dry matter
Bedding
Bedding should be used in horse facilities o Horse comfort o Liquid absorption Keeps area dry Reduces odour o Use bedding materials that are dust free o Manure and bedding should be removed daily
Manure Handling
Handled as a solid (due to low moisture content) Most facilities use wheelbarrows to transport manure from the stall to the storage o Labour intensive o Storages tend to be shallow and taking up a large area Prefer to stack higher
Storage
Need to have storage for 240 days (for NMA) Storages should contain runoff or send runoff to a suitable containment system o However, horse manure (plus bedding) tends to have little runoff compared to other livestock waste Options for storage o Walls or no walls o Type of flooring o Roof or no roof
Walls
Help contain the manure, uses less space
Floors
Concrete floors make it easier to load and unload manure Farms regulated by the NMA must use one of the following: o Concrete floor o Earth floor, 0.5m of hydraulically secure soil o Earth floor, 0.5m of hydraulically soil TYPE C (typically clay loam) or D (typically clay) if <300 NU
o Determines the minimum distance that the new storage must be from any existing neighbor dwellings, lot lines (side and rear), roads o Triggered when you apply for a building permit Other municipal setbacks o Check with municipality for additional regulations
Composting
Composting is a viable option for horse manure What is composting? o The biological decomposition of organic materials by microorganisms Controlled, aerobic conditions Creates a stable, humus-like material called compost o Common feedstock materials from agriculture operations are Livestock manures and bedding Other residual plant materials
Ideal range for C:N 25:1 to 30:1 Horse manure and bedding 12:1 to 63:1 (average of 30:1) There are numerous composting systems: o Windrow/pile composting turning o Windrow/pile composting active aeration
o o o o
Windrow/pile composting passive aeration Windrow/pile composting static pile In-vessel composting Vermicomposting
In-Vessel Composting