Every barn manager and anyone who keeps his or her horses at home knows that disposing of manure and soiled bedding is a mounting problem. If allowed to accumulate, raw manure serves as a vector for parasites and other organisms, attracts flies, and, if extensively amassed, increases the risk of thrush and other hoof-related problems. After it dries, copious amounts of fecal material create a dusty, spore-laden environment that can cause respiratory distress in horses and aggravate allergies, lung problems, and eye irritations in humans. If situated incorrectly, raw manure can leach nitrates into wells, water tables, or streams, posing health risks to consumers.

Besides the problems caused by the manure itself, increased environmental regulations in many areas dictate how manure must be handled or stored. Several states now require that farmers prepare management plans for spreading chemicals and manure, while encroaching suburbs into rural areas demand storage solutions that aren’t offensive to sensitive, countrified urbanites