"Aromatic Barnyard Composting for Durable Equine
Forage"
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UPDATED 11-99
Results: The Caucasian bluestem and Eastern gamma grass did emerge. We did not get the stand we had hoped for when we planted. The pleasant surprise was that we had clover almost up to our knees. Hopefully, the warm season grasses will continue to establish and in another year or two we will have a good stand. The horses love the Eastern gamma grass. We observed them picking it and ignoring the clover. We had to remove them from the pasture so they would not damage it as it grew. Results have been submitted to the Missouri Fox Trotting Horse Breed Association for dissemination to approximately 6000 members through the monthly publication "The Journal".
Beginning
More pictures will be posted as the grasses grow.
We started with this bare piece of ground, no fencing and no money. We had lots of compost consisting of horse manure and cedar shavings. We needed pasture for our mares and foals during the hot summer. The University Extension Center and USDA Soil Conservation suggested we write a grant to see if using the compost with no other fertilizer would grow warm season grasses. Specifically Eastern Gamma Grass and Causcian Blue Stem. We applied and were granted the grant titled "Aromatic Barnyard Composting for Durable Equine Forage" in 1998.
First we limed the pastures consisting of two 5 acre plots. With the help of grant funds we fenced each 5 acre plot. We refurbished a antique manure spreader to pull behind our jeep, as we didn't have a tractor. We spread compost all winter. With grant funds we bought Eastern Gamma Grass seed and stratified it. We also purchased Causcain Blue Stem seed. The causcain blue stem was seeded by broadcast method and the Gamma Grass was seeded by the no-till drill. The seed did not germinate the summer of 1998. However, an abundance of red clover emerged. Hopefully, the freeze and thaws of 98-99 will cause the seeds to germinate and produce a stand of Gamma Grass and Causcain Blue Stem in 1999.
Regardless, the use of horse manure/sawdust compost took this bare field to produce abundant forage through October of 1998.
Check with your local Extension Service or USDA Soil Conservation for available grants in help with your equine forage problems in your area.
The forest in
the background is an allotted acreage that is a part of this program that the USDA
Forestry Service, Soil Conservation helped us to fence, making a wildlife sanctuary for
our Missouri wildlife.