 June 2007 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
The official newsletter of Horses for Clean Water, http://www.horsesforcleanwater.com
Message from Alayne: SummertimeSummertime and the living is easy—or at least it’s warm and wonderful! It’s exciting to see everything green and growing and it’s something I never tire of. It was only months ago that we were struggling with frozen pipes but now it feels magnificent to simply see a golden finch darting past—or even the spiders (shudder!) crawling in my barn. This means that it’s finally summer and the earth is alive!
It makes me feel alive, too, and I can’t wait to get out on the pastures and see how productive I can make them this year. It’s a good thing to feel alive with summer energy because, even though the “living is easy,” it’s so busy there is never enough time for all the horse and farm work I’d like to accomplish. There are pastures to mow and harrow, temporary fencing to move, compost to turn, horses to rotate to the next grazing area... This year, dark clouds on the horizon lend an added incentive to making our pastures more productive. For all of us horse owners, no matter where we live in North America, it seems that the price of hay is likely to climb (see Hay stocks lowest since 1950). This means that having productive pastures will help save us money. With these thoughts in mind, this issue of The Green Horse is devoted to several aspects of summer living and pasture management. As I say in many of my classes, soils are the bottom line for having a useful and productive horse property. Knowing your soils will help you determine where to place structures like barns and paddocks so they will be less muddy, and where the best locations are for pastures to grow. Knowing your soils will also help you manage your pastures better to be more useful to you and your horses. Weeds and weed control are always high on everyone’s pasture management list. The article on weeds we offer you this month will help with understanding ID, toxicity, and control options. We are also offering many upcoming workshops that focus on aspects of pasture management, including this month’s farm tour in Hobart, WA which, among other wonderful features, highlights rotational grazing, pasture management and pasture equipment. Next month we offer an excellent manure management course in Olympia, WA. Manure management is the companion to good pasture management—learn about several great options for composting as well as how and when to apply it to pastures. So enjoy your pastures and the summer ahead and let us at HCW know how it’s going for you. Alayne Farm Focus: Three Sisters Mule Farm
Saturday, June 9th—meet mules and tour a pristine property in Hobart, WA (you’ll feel like you just stepped into Montana!) Three Sisters Mule Farm, a private 10-acre equine property lies above Hobart and is surrounded by Seattle’s Cedar River Watershed. This pristine property is superbly managed for benefit of the mules and their humans—as well as the environment. Join Horses for Clean Water and the King Conservation District on this tour of an environmentally sensitive horse property to see:
Saturday, June 9th, 10:00 a.m. to 12 noon - FREE!To register and receive a map contact the King Conservation District at 425-277-5581x125 or e-mail. Join your fellow horse owners beyond where the blacktop ends!
Do You Know Your Soils?by Chuck Natsuhara, Soil Scientist, Natural Resources Conservation Service, Puyallup, WA
Much of what we do is affected by the soils we have. Whether you have horses or other livestock, grow crops or a garden, want to build a house or a road, manage for forestry or wildlife habitat, or for hundreds of other uses, the soils you have will affect what you plan to do. For over one hundred years, the US Department of Agriculture, first as the Bureau of Soils, then the Soil Conservation Service and now the Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) has been mapping soils and providing soil data and interpretations to the public through the publication of soil surveys. What is soil? Soil is the collection of natural materials in the earth’s surface containing living matter and supporting or capable of supporting plants. When you look at a soil you will typically see different layers which are called “horizons.” Some soils may have many horizons (such as older soils), others just a few (younger soils). How horizons are formed is dependent on the five soil forming factors: parent material, climate, living organisms, landscape position and time. Climate, living organisms, and landscape position interact with parent material over some period of time to produce the different properties and horizons which make up the different soil types that we see. Soil texture, depth, water holding capacity, color, and rock fragments are just some of the many soil properties that are described and used to develop soil survey maps and interpretations. But it’s just dirt so why should I care? The properties of different soils greatly influence potential uses of that soil. Depth to water table can determine if a septic system can be used, what crops can be grown, or the tree species that can be established. Soil texture affects the availability of nutrients and water to plants and consequently how productive a soil is. Soil pH (how acidic or alkaline a soil is) can affect nutrient availability or how corrosive a soil is to uncoated steel or concrete. These are just a few of the soil properties and related interpretations that can help a landowner make sound decisions on how they plan to manage their property. Where can I find soils information? Like many things today, soils information is now available online. To access soil maps and interpretations, the NRCS has developed Web Soil Survey. At this site you can navigate to any place in the United States and find soils information if the area has been mapped. The NRCS also has a national web site for soils information. At this site you can find general information about soils, technical references, information for students and teachers, and other soil data not found in a soil survey report. Soil fertility information is not included in NRCS soil surveys. WSU Soil Testing gives information on how to sample your soil and a listing of soil testing labs where you can have your sample tested. At Soil Data Mart, you can download soil data to your computer. Washington State University also maintains web sites with information about soils. So if you don’t know your soils, you can certainly find out. There’s a wealth of soils information ready for you to dig into! Horse owners may want to check with their hay supplier about the availability of hay for this coming winter. The following is excerpted with permission from a May 18, 2007 article in The Capitol Press, entitled Record Corn Crop Forecast by Peggy Steward.
Hay stocks lowest since 1950From the rancher’s perspective, a separate crop production report, also released May 11, may have more immediate impact, Robb said. In that report, the USDA estimated May 1 hay stocks at a record low 15 million tons nationwide, down 30 percent from the same time last year and the lowest since 1950. Same-date hay stocks were 21.3 million tons in 2006 and 27.8 million tons in 2005. Last year’s widespread drought caused pastures to deteriorate, forcing cattlemen to feed more hay, reducing the Dec. 1 hay stocks, the report said. Midwinter storms and cold in the Plains and Midwest also resulted in more fed hay. Hay supplies are likely to be tight this year, and prices are likely to be significantly higher, Robb said. When grain and soybean prices are pushed higher, generally hay prices are also pushed up, he said. Robb forecasts this year could see the second-highest hay prices in history. Nationwide average for all-hay was $109 a ton, a record in 2006. Robb estimates the nationwide average could be around $105 a ton initially this year. Peggy Steward is based in Ellensburg, WA.
Don’t Let These Weeds Take Over Your Pastures!by Laurel Shiner, Whatcom County Noxious Weed Control Board It’s weed season again in the Pacific Northwest and time again for the questions: Just what IS that thing growing out in the pasture? Is it bad for my horses or just a nuisance? How do I get rid of it? The answers to the first two questions are pretty straightforward. The third is more complicated because not all weeds behave the same way and there are other factors to consider: nearby water sources, soil types, slopes, preference whether to use herbicides or not, current land practices, time available, and cost, to name a few. The good news is that most of the time horses that have lots of good food sources available will not feed on poisonous plants. However, there can be toxic plants mixed in with pasture plants or if pastures are overgrazed bad plants will have more room to spread. The following is a quick summary on a few of our more common and toxic bad actors to watch out for. Poison hemlock (Conium maculatum)
Poison hemlock is an erect biennial plant, growing up to 8 feet high, commonly 4-6 feet high. It has a long, white, fleshy taproot that is sometimes branched. The stems are branched, smooth, hairless, and hollow with purple spots and blotches near the base. It has fern-like leaves, very similar to carrot leaves. The flowers are numerous, white, and grow in umbrella shaped clusters. After producing seed, the plant usually dies. All parts of the plant are poisonous to both humans and livestock who ingest it (remember Socrates?). Management: It’s important to keep this plant from setting seed as that is the only way it reproduces. Learning to recognize the young plants helps if you are removing by hand digging. While it is unusual to be affected by the toxins in the plant simply by handling it, always wear gloves when digging.
Common Groundsel (Senecio vulgaris)Common groundsel is a summer or winter annual weed, but can sometimes be found flowering year-round in this area. It is a distant cousin of Tansy ragwort (see below). It has hollow stems and grows from 6 to 18 inches tall. The leaves are lobed and can be up to 4 inches long and 1.5 inches wide. It has small, yellow, tubular flowers borne in clusters at the end of the stalks. Seeds are produced in a small dandelion-like puffball. It generally has a small taproot, with small, secondary, fibrous roots. Common groundsel is toxic to animals that ingest it, whether in its wet or dried form. The toxins build up in the liver and are irreversible. It is important to be watchful of this plant in hay—particularly first year alfalfa hay—just look for the little puffballs of seed. Management: This is another plant that reproduces only by seed, and the root system makes it easy to pull, so hand removal is a good option. Tansy Ragwort (Senecio jacobaea)
Tansy ragwort is a biennial plant that can sometimes behave like a perennial plant (coming back year after year). The daisy-like yellow flowers bloom from July through September and produce seeds that are transported by wind, water, and animals. The plant grows from 30 inches to six feet in height. It can be distinguished from other plants by counting the yellow petals on the flowers. There are typically 13 petals per flower on tansy ragwort. Tansy ragwort is commonly confused with common tansy and St. Johnswort. St. Johnswort has five petals on the yellow flowers, while common tansy has no petals (it has a round button-like flower). Tansy is toxic in the same way as Common groundsel. Management: Plants can be dug by hand or a well-timed (spring or fall) broadleaf herbicide application is effective control. Before applying herbicides, check with your local Conservation District, WSU Extension or your county’s local weed board for recommendations.
Creeping Buttercup (Ranunculus repens)Although there are several members of the buttercup family in this area, both native and introduced, creeping buttercup is the most difficult to control. This plant spreads both by seed and by creeping stems. This allows the plant to out-compete other plants, especially in an overgrazed pasture. Additionally, creeping buttercup can be toxic to livestock. Although buttercup is harmless once it is dry, hay contaminated with buttercup can spread the seed to new locations. Buttercup prefers moist areas, but once established, can survive if sites become drier. Creeping buttercup is a perennial herb that grows 6 to 12 inches high, with the flowers growing up to 24 inches high. The stems creep along the ground, taking root at the nodes. It has bright yellow flowers with 5 petals (sometimes up to 10). Flowering occurs from spring through summer. Tall buttercup, which is also common in this area, has similar leaves and flowers, but does not have creeping stems. Management: Practicing good pasture management and avoiding overgrazing is the key to managing buttercup. Creeping buttercup can be killed if you are vigilant about digging it up but mowing will not control this plant.
Common Horsetail (Equisetum arvense)Horsetail can be a troublesome plant due to its extensive, creeping rhizome system. Pieces of rhizome can easily be moved on equipment, spreading the plant to new locations. Field horsetail prefers moist sites but will also grow in dry sites. This plant is poisonous to livestock, either wet or dry, although it usually takes a large quantity ingested to produce symptoms. Symptoms include incoordination, slow pulse, arched back, trembling, and lying down. Horsetail contains a toxin which interferes with vitamin B1 metabolism. Because horsetail is not palatable to animals, it is generally avoided. Poisoning typically occurs when plants are included in hay. Management: As with all weeds, prevention is the best management tool. Once established, horsetail can be difficult to control. Shallow or occasional weeding will not control horsetail, and may spread the problem, however if you are thorough and consistent about digging them up, you may effectively reduce the number of mature shoots. For small patches, consistent pulling of the sterile stems should control the plant to some extent. More information on more weed species can be found in the “Factsheets” section of the Whatcom County Noxious Weed Board’s web site. Other sources of information are your county’s local weed board, the WSU Extension and Conservation District offices.
Weed season is upon us and if you’d like some books to help with identifying those weird plants growing in your pasture here are a few good ideas. These can be purchased through Amazon.com. Purchases made at Amazon.com through the HCW website help support The Green Horse, too!Weed Control Resource List
Educational EventsDiscover great ways to get your horse property in ship shape for you and your horses to enjoy this summer! Check out the web site, for new events added regularly.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
If you have any questions or would like to submit an article for publication in The Green Horse, please e-mail info@horsesforcleanwater.com. |
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
