Do you have a manure management plan in place?

​For being one of the larger Urban counties in the State of Ohio, Hamilton County has many equine operations, both large and small. Any size operation has one major obstacle to overcome, what to do with the manure? What goes in must come out. On average, one horse generates about 50 pounds of waste per day.  That’s a lot of poo!

It is important for all equine operations, from 1 horse to 100+ horses, to have a manure management plan. This is site specific and describes how you plan to handle the manure. Here are some questions to ask yourself when thinking about your manure management plan:
- What are your going to do with the manure? Spread it or have it hauled away?
- How often do you plan on spreading it or having the manure hauled out?
- How are you storing the manure? Are you storing it in a covered area that prevents rain from washing it away, causing it to leach into the ground or surface waters?
- How far is your manure pile from a property line? Current regulations say that the pile must be     500 feet from neighboring residences.

These questions, along with many others are important to discuss to make sure your operation is compliant with statewide standards. The Ohio Department of Agriculture Division of Soil and Water Conservation has developed standards for the conservation and management of farming operations. The purpose of these standards is to reduce pollution in waters of the state by soil sediment, animal manure, and residual farm products. Violating these standards could lead to hefty fines.
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So how do you know that you are doing it right? Give our office a call. We would rather come out and give you assistance and suggestions, over having to come inspect a reported violation. If you would like to have a member of our staff come out and look at how your operation manages your manure send Aaron Habig an email ​or give him a phone call (513) 772-7645.