On Farm Mortality: Consider Composting

Many horse owners will eventually face tough decisions regarding animal mortality and disposal. The Unwanted Horse Coalition receives many calls from concerned owners regarding the legalities and options for disposing of horse carcasses. The problem arises with the diminishing disposal options for animals and livestock. Burial is not legal in all areas, many landfills do not accept animals,
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Many horse owners will eventually face tough decisions regarding animal mortality and disposal. The Unwanted Horse Coalition receives many calls from concerned owners regarding the legalities and options for disposing of horse carcasses. The problem arises with the diminishing disposal options for animals and livestock. Burial is not legal in all areas, many landfills do not accept animals, rendering plants are not accepting as many animals and are now charging larger fees and incineration is expensive. What other legal options do horse owners have, especially in today’s economy? Many farms are successfully using composting as a legal, beneficial, and inexpensive disposal alternative. The Unwanted Horse Coalition has researched the method of composting in order to assist horse owners during troubled times.

Shea Porr, PhD, superintendent of the Middleburg Agricultural and Research Extension Center, suggests composting as a disposal method for larger farms and facilities, "Composting works better on larger farms with a higher population of animals and farms that are isolated and not close to neighbors. I would not suggest this as an option for small farmettes."

Composting can be a relatively inexpensive process for livestock and farm owners, as most of the materials necessary for the process can already be found on farms. To successfully compost an animal, a front-end loader is needed, as are composting materials such as old hay, manure, grass clippings, chicken litter, rotten corn silage, and finished compost. Bobby Clark, an extension agent with the Virginia Cooperative Extension, estimates the cost of composting per head as $50-$75.

Farms can utilize the finished compost material to fertilize crops, re-vegetate barren areas, create forage, or compost other animal mortalities. If done successfully, composting can be extremely beneficial to farm owners; not only is it an inexpensive process, but the process is environmentally friendly

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