The Ohio Forage and Grassland Council will be hosting an
Equine Pasture and Hay Management Workshop on Saturday July 28, 2012 9:00 a.m.
to 4:00 p.m. at AC Acres, Vicki Ayotte
farm, 8481 Pontius Road, Groveport , Ohio.
The farm is in the southeast corner of Franklin County; west of State
Route 674, east of Rickenbacker, and south of Groveport, Ohio along the Walnut
Creek. This will workshop will be
covering information on Pasture Management, Pasture Soil Fertility, Forage
Species Selection, Tall Fescue Management, Horse Nutrition on Pasture, Manure
Management, and a pasture walk where plants will be identified and designing a
grazing paddock system will be discussed.
The day will end with a Hay Quality discussion and hay evaluation
session. Attendees are encouraged to
bring a sample of their own hay for evaluation.
Bob Hendershot, retired NRCS State Grassland Conservation and now
part-time ODNR-DSWR Grazing Specialist will be leading the discussion. Bob helped develop the Forage for Horses
program and has presented this material across the country.
This workshop will provide tips to make better use of your horse
pasture. Improving the productivity of
your pastures can reduce the amount of hay needed. A well managed pasture can provide a large
portion of a horse’s forage requirement mid-April through mid-November. Horses grazing well managed paddocks will
spread their manure over the pasture instead of in loafing areas or in their
stalls. Healthy grass and legume plants
are more productive if given the opportunity to regrow in-between grazing
events. You can improve forage growth by dividing the pasture into smaller
paddocks and rotate the animals among the separate paddocks. Managing the forage is an important concept
to understand to protect the environment, soil, water, plants and animals.
Weeds compete with forage plants for moisture, sunlight and nutrients. Grazing management can keep most weeds
out. Horse owners need to be aware of
toxic plants and their control measures.
A pasture that is continuously grazed, over grazed, or has inadequate
soil fertility can make weed problems even worse. Selecting the right forage species for the
use and the soil type can help in providing a healthy pasture. Horse grazing areas should be long and narrow
rectangles because horses tend to graze in a linear fashion different than
cattle. The location of animal watering
facilities is also a concern in designing a grazing system. This information and more will be discussed
register early to secure a place for the Central Ohio Forage for Horses
Workshop.
Producers need to register by July 20, 2012 by contacting
OFGC at bobhendershot2011@gmail or 740-477-1114. A registration fee of $65 per farm will
include materials, a 400 page Forage for Horses
notebook, Pasture Stick, refreshments and lunch on Saturday July 28,
2012. A pdf registration form can be found at this link.
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