A horse, on average, can weigh nearly 1,000 pounds and can defecate roughly 13 times a day. This roughly equates to about 50 pounds of wet manure a day – including urine. The bedding that is gathered in the animal waste, also contributes to the weight. The bedding can increase the total volume to 2-3 feet of waste per day.

Per one ton of manure, the nutrients that can be found include nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium – with bedding having the potential to also affect the nutrient reading. If not managed properly, manure runoff can cause pollution with the potential to negatively impact local waterbody sources.

​Manure Storage
Keeping animal waste as dry as possible results in less waste that must be transported elsewhere. Consider a NRCS Conservation Practice for a waste storage facility which will help prevent runoff and is also helpful for winter storage, since Ohio does not allow manure spreading on frozen or snow-covered ground. For large facilities, cost-share options may be available.
Manure Composting:
Composting utilizes an accelerated decomposition process that uses the organisms and bacteria found growing in the soil that helps break down manure. The process requires proper oxygen and moisture levels, as well as proper feedstock mixture, to ensure proper microbial activity. The composting piles must be turned to ensure proper aeration and the final product of composting is a crumbly and has a low odor and resembles topsoil.
Also, consider the Ohio Livestock Manure Management Guide written by OSU Extension: https://agcrops.osu.edu/sites/agcrops/files/imce/fertility/bulletin_604.pdf.

ODA & Agricultural Pollution Abatement
The Ohio Department of Agriculture administers a set of laws and rules that outline how manure storage and application should be properly handled arounder waters of the state. If you or you operation handle manure and are not sure you if you comply, these rules and regulations can be found in Section 901:13-1 of the Ohio Administrative Code.
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Contact a technician at Warren County Soil & Water Conservation District at (513) 695-1337 or Warren County Extension at (513) 695-1311 if you have questions.

Pet Waste Management
 
Does your pet poop? Of course he does! Do you always pick it up? We hope you do! This month, we talk about how pet waste negatively impacts the quality of our public health/local waters and what you can do to help.
 
According to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, pet waste is a leading source of nutrient and bacteria pollution in urban streams and waterways. Scruffy might be cute and cuddly but his poop spreads zoonotic diseases (transmissible to humans) with ingredients like E. Coli, Giardia, Salmonella, Roundworms, Tapeworms, and more. When it rains, pet waste contaminates storm water which eventually makes its way to your local creek or lake. Considering that more than half of Ohio’s residents get their drinking water from surface water sources, it’s important to keep our water as clean as possible. Have you ever noticed your neighborhood pond or retention basin filled with algae? Decomposing pet waste also pollutes water with excess nutrients, causing algae to bloom out of control and harm other aquatic life.
 
Some communities in Warren County have pet waste management ordinances. For example, the City of Lebanon considers a violation of §505.08 Removal of Dog Excrement (Ord. 6569) a minor misdemeanor and can fine up to $150.
 
Can pet waste be used as fertilizer?
 
Dog poo in its raw form is NOT a fertilizer. Due to a high-protein diet, dog poop is acidic and will kill your lawn and plants. However, a 2005 study by the USDA and Fairbanks Soil & Water Conservation District found that dog waste from healthy individuals is a safe mulch or soil additive for landscaping (NOT for human consumption) when composted properly. The process involves mixing waste with carbon-rich materials, paying attention to air flow and moisture, and maintaining a temperature of at least 145°F for several days. Please note- “Cats may carry parasites that are harmful to human fetuses. We do not recommend adding cat waste or cat litter to your compost.”
 
Pro-Tips

• Repurpose plastic shopping bags or newspaper sleeves for poo bags.
• Hire a pet waste pick up service.
• Install an in-ground pet waste digester.
• For HOAs and residential communities:
  • Install and maintain pet waste station(s).
  • Utilize a DNA-testing waste management program.

Thanks for being a responsible pet owner!

Did you know that you can thank a pollinator for 1 in 3 bites of food! Pollinators help our food supply to be plentiful and enable us to grow fruits and vegetables! Warren County SWCD believes it is important to help our pollinators!

Here are some tips from USDA that will help keep our pollinators plentiful!

• Provide Habitat - Pollinator habitat can beautify your space, increase native biodiversity, increase pollination services and biological control of “pest” insects, and provide community engagement and learning opportunities. Often for smaller scale gardens in urban areas, plugs or transplanted plants from pots are preferred over pure live wildflower seeds.
• Plant Native Plants. Native plants are considered the best choice because of their abundance of nectar and pollen in addition to being low maintenance, generally pest free, drought tolerant, and ability to control erosion. They are good sources of food and shelter for wildlife, and naturally beautiful.
• Plant a continuous food supply. Make sure you have at least 3 different species throughout the spring, summer, and fall seasons to provide adequate food when pollinators emerge from and prepare for winter hibernation. Plant in groupings (clumps) of each plant species for a greater impact.
• Include a diversity of plants. Different flower sizes, shapes and colors, as well as varying plant heights and growth habits, support a greater number and diversity of pollinators. Include a combination of native plant species, heirloom plants and herbs in your pollinator garden. Common herbs such as rosemary, oregano, basil, marjoram, and borage are excellent pollinator plants. Allow unharvested fruits and vegetables to bolt (go to flower) for added pollinator and beneficial insect food.
• Limit or eliminate use of pesticides. A healthy garden with the appropriate plant species and an abundance of pollinators will support natural beneficial insects—reducing the need for pest control.
• Install bat boxes. Bats are also pollinators that need our help. Leave snags for habitat or install a bat box.
• Spread Awareness. Educate others about the importance of pollinators and share how you planted for bees, butterflies, birds and other animals at home.

What can you do to learn more? Come join Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District for a Pollinator Hotel Workshop on May 28, 2024! Registration and details will be forthcoming, please watch the newsletter for more information.  

Additional Resources:
USDA - The Importance of Pollinators - https://www.usda.gov/peoples-garden/pollinators
Pollinator Partnership - https://www.pollinator.org/pollinators
Xerces Society - https://xerces.org/
OSU Bee Lab - https://u.osu.edu/beelab/
Pollinator Pathway - https://www.pollinator-pathway.org/
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For more information regarding pollinators, Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District programs and/or technical assistance on water or soil questions, visit http://warrenswcd.com or call, 513-695-1337. 

As the technology for Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) becomes increasingly more powerful and affordable, it is beginning to have an increased role in the agriculture world.  UAVs, or more commonly drones, can be used for a variety of purposes, from monitoring crops, herds, and infrastructure to applying resources where they are most needed, and they will only continue to be more useful and important in the years to come.  Here are a look at a few ways that agricultural producers are beginning to utilize drones in their businesses.

Monitoring
Many drones with optical sensors can be very useful in remote monitoring of fields or rangeland.  Having an aerial view of a field can give a producer the chance to see patterns that are not readily available from the ground, such as damage to crops from a storm or where plants are not growing as healthily.  Additional optical sensors such as near infrared can be used to create normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI)  imagery of crops, giving a detailed and precise measurement of crop health and showing where water or nutrients can be best applied.  Drones can also be used to monitor and track herds or check for damage to fence rows or other infrastructure much more quickly than it would take to drive or walk a route, saving time and resources for routine tasks.

Application
Some drones are equipped to carry payloads and can be used in the precise application of resources.  If a part of a field is not receiving enough water or needs to receive more fertilizer, then a drone can be used to deliver the precise amount of nutrients exactly where it is most needed to save on cost for the producer.  Conversely, drones can also be used to deliver payloads of pesticide or herbicide where there is active damage to crops.

Repeatability and Autonomy
Many drones today come with software that allows the pilot to preplan flight missions and save them for future use.  This means that the drone can be flown on the exact same path and perform the exact same actions whenever needed.  This frees up the pilot from having to manually control the drone each flight and allows for high accuracy in repeating tasks.  This also allows for repeated missions to collect the same data over multiple flights, an invaluable resource when comparing such things as the stages of construction of a conservation practice or routinely monitoring field health during the growing season.
 
References
https://nebraskacorn.gov/cornstalk/sustainability/four-ways-drones-are-used-in-agriculture/
https://www.tntech.edu/news/releases/22-23/class-demonstrates-variety-of-uses-for-drones-in-agriculture.php

What does it mean to make your home green for stormwater? Green stormwater practices around your home use plants, soils, and other elements to manage water quality and mimic the natural water cycle. Green stormwater practices retain, detain, filter, harvest, and infiltrate stormwater runoff to create healthier urban environments.

Incorporating green infrastructure provides many benefits such as improving water quality by removing pollutants, habitat preservation for native plants and animals, decreasing urbanization stream impacts, and overall enhancement of neighborhood aesthetics. The following is a list of management practices that landowners can incorporate on their own property to help control and keep stormwater clean. (Sources: Penn State Extension, United States Environmental Protection Agency)

• Downspout Disconnect/Redirect - If your downspouts are directed onto a paved or concrete surface or are directly connected to the storm drain system, look for opportunities to redirect them to lawn and garden areas if community ordinances allow. Just be sure that all downspouts are directed away from foundations to avoid basement flooding.
• Rain Barrels - Rain barrels capture and hold water until it can be used or slowly released into planted areas. For rain barrels to be effective at controlling stormwater, it is important to have a plan for using the water before installing one.
• Planting A Stream Buffer - Planting water loving trees, shrubs and/or other native plants is a great way to reduce stormwater runoff. If you have a stream on your property, planting along the stream will help prevent the stream from eroding away your property. The more plants the better! At the very least don't mow your lawn directly up to the edge of the streambank.
• Meadows Plantings or Turf Alternatives - If trees aren't an option on your property, adding other types of plants is a good substitute. Any areas where lawn can be replaced with native ornamental grasses, flowers, and/or shrubs will have a positive impact on controlling stormwater on your property. Whether large or small, these purposefully planted areas will increase the ability of the land to absorb water. Meadow/turf alternative areas can be a great way to reduce the amount of time you spend mowing the grass and can be placed in the areas that are the most difficult to mow.
• Pervious Pavers - Pervious pavers can look very similar to a traditional brick or stone patio, sidewalk, or driveway. The difference is that they are installed with a thick stone base that provides space for water to be stored until it soaks into the ground. They are great for converting hard surfaces that usually make a lot of stormwater runoff, into a surface that absorbs, manages, and reduces that runoff. If you're interested in this, you should probably contact a professional landscaper.
• Rain Gardens - One of the best options for managing stormwater on your property is to install a rain garden. A rain garden is a depressed area in the landscape that collects rainwater from a roof, driveway or street and allows it to soak into the ground. Planted with grasses and flowering perennials, rain gardens can be a cost effective and beautiful way to reduce runoff from your property. Rain gardens can also help filter out pollutants in runoff and provide food and shelter for butterflies, songbirds and other wildlife.

Many of these projects you can tackle on your own. To learn how to build a rain garden on your own property, Warren County SWCD will be hosting the Master Rain Gardener program which is a 6 day course that takes place over 7 weeks. During the course, students are guided through the rain garden design and installation process by experienced regional professionals. The course costs $50. Warren County residents are free by calling 513-695-1337 before registering and students are eligible for 50% discount by calling 513-772-7645. If you have complicated stormwater issues on your property, consider getting help from an engineer, Soil and Water District professional, OSU Extension professional, and/or landscape professional. Also, be sure to check local ordinances to ensure that different management practices are allowed in your area.

For more information regarding green infrastructure for the home, Warren County Soil and Water Conservation District programs and/or technical assistance on water or soil questions, visit http://warrenswcd.com or call, 513-695-1337.