Photo: Stephanie L. Church/The Horse

Turn your mismanaged manure pile into an asset with these new technologies.

Equine veterinarian Colleen Gelvin, DVM, has a vision for her 10-horse state-of-the-art equine facility, Drouin Spring Equine Center, in Fairbanks, Alaska. What she’d like to do is find a way to turn her horses’ manure into fuel. “I hope to use the stall waste as a fuel for a manure-burning stove,” Gelvin explains, gesturing toward a growing manure pile. “The design keeps evolving, but I want the stove to provide heat for my indoor arena. I want to heat to about 35°F, which is a fine temperature for working a horse and not freezing your hands.”

Whatever our motivations for managing manure, the environmental handwriting is on the wall. Gone are the days of the unmanaged manure pile behind the barn, strategically placed to be forgotten and ignored; manure has too many potential ecological consequences. Mixed with rain water, manure’s nutrients and pathogens such as bacteria can leach into creeks, wetlands, lakes, or irrigation ditches–all of which usually lead to larger bodies of water such as sounds, estuaries, or oceans. Fish, shellfish, and other aquatic life are easily affected by increased nutrient levels that cause algae blooms, robbing the water of oxygen. The presence of certain bacteria can also make human recreation unsafe. This leachate from manure piles can contaminate groundwater, a particular concern for families in rural areas that rely on wells as their water source. Then there are the other problems that accompany manure piles such as increased flies and odors, which are a nuisance for urban horse owners on small acreage with neighbors close by. Additionally, health issues for horses exposed to manure include possible parasite or pathogen infection.

Aside from the negative impacts of the mismanaged manure pile, we have come to a point in time when we realize we can turn that liability into an asset–something that can save us money or perhaps even make us money. Many new and interesting manure management technologies are on the horizon to help us do just that