• 10:00 - 12:00
• Greenall's Thorny Hills Farm Meet Farm Hosts, Sue and John Greenall
• Horse Pasture and Hay Management
• Soil tests, fertilizer, Soil types
• Crop Plants, Weeds, Pests, Mowing
• Intensive Management, Sizing paddockso Getting water, fencing, streams, ponds
• Maps, record keeping
• Manure Management, Stacking, storage, barnyard, spreading
• Farm Programs, Resources, Water Quality
• Horse Trails
• 12:00 Potluck Lunch
• Continued discussion and questions
• Select future desired discussion and farm topics
• Schedule next group meeting(s)and Host Farm(s)

On a rare crisp cool day in August John and Sue Greenall generously hosted a well-attended farmer discussion group at their horse farm. Everyone gathered in the Carriage house and introduced themselves to one another. John and Sue previously had a larger farm in Pennsylvania before coming to Vermont. They are very happy having a smaller farm that they can run entirely by themselves.

Chuck Armstrong representing the Ottauquechee Conservation District introduced the Horse Pasture topics and offered to the group the possibility of the District sponsoring future horse farm discussion group meetings at other farms on subjects of interest. He noted the District is also exploring the possibility of offering a program to assist horse farms and other small farms do nutrient management including soil tests, nutrient recommendations, manure management, soil and farm maps and farm record keeping.

Kevin Kaija brought a worksheet listing weeds that are poisonous to horses such as Brackenfern, Buttercups, Pokeweed and Choke Cherry as well as specimens of the weeds. He showed specimens of Bedstraw, Lambsquarters, Japanese Knotweed and Burning Bush and also spoke about strategies for control.

Marie Caduto talked about the Vermont Accepted Agricultural Practices law, which outline standards farms must adhere to protect the waters of the state from pollution. There are guidelines farms must follow including such things as nutrient application setbacks and a winter ban on manure spreading from December 15th to April 1st. The law is complaint driven and farms are assumed to be in compliance unless a complaint identifies a violation. It was noted that the law gives protection to farmers who are following good practices.

The group them moved to the Horse Pastures where Willie Gibson talked about pasture management. Willie suggested for best productivity it is best to limit the horses time in a pasture as the horse will tend to keep re-eating the same spots eating selectively. By subdividing the pastures into paddocks and moving the horses the favored spots in the pastures will have a chance to re-grow. This will also help crop species to out compete weeds. After bringing animals off the pasture is also a good time to clip weeds before going to seed and to apply any needed lime or fertilizer as indicated by a soil test. Willie also showed how to use a pasture stick that helps estimate the amount of dry matter in a pasture to help determine proper size and time duration for rotational grazing. Further discussion of paddock design and sizing and watering systems will, hopefully, be another meeting topic.

The group also visited a new manure storage area near the barn. To help with mud problems in the spring and fall Dana Young suggested using geotextile fabric in the area that helps keep the native soil and newly added material separate, which helps improve the load bearing capacity and drainage. Sue showed the group a narrow geotextile/ river run gravel walkway they use in the lower pastures. It is also important to divert surface water from manure stacking area to help keep area dry and surface water clean. Further discussion in the unclipped pasture area centered on weed control, late season grazing, and stocking rates for horse paddocks. The meeting concluded with a very enjoyable potluck lunch and continued conversation. Look for an announcement of the next Farmer Discussion Group Meeting at the Ottauquechee Web Site and let us know if there are topics you would like to have covered.