Anne Ryan
Owner and Manager of Stoneybrook Stables in Kent, WA.
Anne Ryan. Stoneybrook Stables.
What is your area of expertise, and how many horses are in your barn?
"I have owned this farm since 1993, and we specialize in Eventing and Dressage. I am particularly interested in the farm making less of a carbon footprint, and being more self-sustaining. There are 20 horses here."
Please describe the process the manure goes through. How long does the composting process take and how costly is it? Is it cheaper than having the manure removed from the site?
"The manure gets cleaned from the stalls, and put into cement bins that have air piped into them. When the bin is full, the pile is covered and the air is turned on, so every hour there is air being pushed through the pile. This adds O2 to the pile, which speeds the composting process. During the 5-6 weeks of air, the pile will heat to over 160 degrees, which kills pathogens and weed seeds. After 5-6 weeks, the pile moves to a “curing” area and sits for another month. It is then ready to be used. The pile decreases in volume as is composts and cures. The cost of building the system was the big factor and will be depreciated over time. Running the tractor, diesel fuel, and employee time are the other costs. Having manure removed is much more costly over span of 10 years. (It is about 250 per month) One of the benefits is having compost to fertilize my fields, since topsoil is thin in my area."
Horses are relatively messy creatures--what means do you take to make sure that your barn is sanitary?
"Yes, horses are messy. Stalls are cleaned daily, buckets scrubbed weekly."
Given that there was an overabundance of horses during the late 19th century, what do you feel would have been the best solution in terms of dealing with all of the excess manure? Is there one?
"Excess manure in the late 19th century…probably having manure collected and taken to an area in the city to decompose would have been the best solution."
"I have owned this farm since 1993, and we specialize in Eventing and Dressage. I am particularly interested in the farm making less of a carbon footprint, and being more self-sustaining. There are 20 horses here."
Please describe the process the manure goes through. How long does the composting process take and how costly is it? Is it cheaper than having the manure removed from the site?
"The manure gets cleaned from the stalls, and put into cement bins that have air piped into them. When the bin is full, the pile is covered and the air is turned on, so every hour there is air being pushed through the pile. This adds O2 to the pile, which speeds the composting process. During the 5-6 weeks of air, the pile will heat to over 160 degrees, which kills pathogens and weed seeds. After 5-6 weeks, the pile moves to a “curing” area and sits for another month. It is then ready to be used. The pile decreases in volume as is composts and cures. The cost of building the system was the big factor and will be depreciated over time. Running the tractor, diesel fuel, and employee time are the other costs. Having manure removed is much more costly over span of 10 years. (It is about 250 per month) One of the benefits is having compost to fertilize my fields, since topsoil is thin in my area."
Horses are relatively messy creatures--what means do you take to make sure that your barn is sanitary?
"Yes, horses are messy. Stalls are cleaned daily, buckets scrubbed weekly."
Given that there was an overabundance of horses during the late 19th century, what do you feel would have been the best solution in terms of dealing with all of the excess manure? Is there one?
"Excess manure in the late 19th century…probably having manure collected and taken to an area in the city to decompose would have been the best solution."
Ryan, Anne. Email. 4 April 2012.