15th annual Draft Horse Plow Day postponed to MOTHERSDAY :-)

Newbury Daily News

Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm in Newbury, MA  rolls out its 15th annual Draft Horse Plow Day Saturday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. on the fields of the historic Little’s Lane property.

The Plow Match continues a long tradition of work horses on the farm used to prepare the soil for spring planting. In the 1880s, brothers Edward Francis Little and Daniel Noyes Little imported draft horses by rail from Iowa to Newburyport. Trained at the Spencer-Peirce-Little Farm, the horses were sold to other farms and coast guard stations.

“Green Horsemanship” ???

I came across this new phrase a couple of days ago and it triggered my brain cells … “Green Horsemanship”, what is it supposed to stand for? What would it actually look like in our daily routines? Is it a valid expression?

"Legends of the West"

The proud american history - not to say world history - was and in a way still is based on "horsepower". How come we are not able to honor this fact?

Equestrians, don't look away !!!

Start POINTING FINGERS !!!

During my daily visits with the equestrian communities worldwide I came across this project, which from my point of view is worth looking into.
One starts thinking about the roots to this "evil" and somehow I come to the conclusion, that regulatory efforts in our communities by members of the community would work much better than governmental interventions....
We as equestrians must take a stand and educate others in order to create a more responsible approach towards our forlegged friends. This project here could be one way to do so.

Green Equestrians to the Rescue !!!!!

Thirty Horses in Dire Need – Need Your Help

The Washington Area Humane Society received numerous calls of concern about a horse farm in North Franklin Township where the animals have been starved by their absent owner. Newly sworn-in Humane Officer, Matt Walsh’s first encounter at the Bedillion Road farm on Friday, February 20th left him horrified at the sight of the emaciated frames. Worse than that were the horses that were no longer standing, several of them dead on the frozen ground.

News from the "Swat-Team"

Last month I published an article about WNV and preventive measures to take in order to avoid infection.

The feedback from "The Green Equestrian -Community" was great and so was the input.

It makes me happy to see, that so many of you take interest in this blog and help to make it a unique resource for equestrians around the world by providing usefull information.

So here are the trophies for you :-))
Below I have listed some of the input from "Swat-Team-Members" and I hope this will be of help to our readers.

West Nile Virus - Join the "Swat-Team"

"Green" Tips for "Fighting the Bite"

WNV is a mosquito-borne infection that horses and humans can develop from the bite of an infected mosquito. Mosquitoes lay their eggs in standing water, which develop into thousands of mosquitoes in 7-10 days. Take the following simple steps to minimize the risk of disease in your horses. Controlling mosquito larvae is important because it limits the number of adult mosquitoes in the area. Adult female mosquitoes bite humans and animals and can spread diseases such as West Nile virus, malaria, and several types of encephalitis. By controlling mosquito larvae, you can lessen your chances of getting bit by mosquitoes that spread these diseases.

Can You Help Azafady in Madagascar?

I am working with a wonderful environmental and humanitarian charity. It's called AZAFADY. They are based in London and conduct operations in Madagascar. They're not one of the "big guys" who get lots of publicity and support, or attention from celebrities and the media, but they are doing wonderful things in perhaps the most environmentally significant spot on the planet.

I hope you will take a moment to visit http://www.azafady.org/ to read more about their work. I hope you will make a donation, or even volunteer to become a "pioneer" with them in Madagascar. And I hope you will tell others about this caring, effective organization that needs your help.

Thanks in advance for caring, learning, and doing. Together we are making a difference.

What does your presidential candidate stand for ?

Electronic Farm Hands – High tech among the crops

• Alternatives to wasting fossil fuels ?
• Alternatives to bio-fuels ?
• Solution to environmental problems of corporate farming ?
• Support of regional markets in agri-businesses ?
• Funding of environmental research ?

Well, tomorrow is on its way.

http://www.goethe-bytes.de/dw/article/0,2144,3753995,00.html

http://www.goethe-bytes.de/dw/article/0,2144,3751384,00.html

Those are the type of research-projects which need to be funded !!

We urgently need alternatives to todays energy patterns.

I am asking myself today: "Which of the presidential candidates represents a more down to earth approach towards energy alternatives and environmental issues ? Who will be able to get the backup of key players in the global market in order to do so ? "

"I will end three decades of failed energy policies; stop sending $700 billion to countries that oppose American values and finance our enemies; and drill for oil and natural gas. We must strengthen incentives for all energy alternatives -- nuclear, clean coal, wind, solar and tide. We will encourage the manufacture of hybrid, flex fuel and electric automobiles. We will lower the cost of energy, and create millions of new jobs." ( John McCainSeptember 5, 2008 Acceptance Speech)

" We've got rising food prices here in the US. In other countries we're seeing riots because of the lack of food supplies. So this is something that we're going to have to deal with. There are a number of factors that go into this. Changes in climate are contributing. There's no doubt that biofuels may be contributing to it. My top priority is making sure that people are able to get enough to eat. And if it turns out that we've got to make changes in our ethanol policy to help people get something to eat, then that's got to be the step we take. But I also believe that ethanol has been a important transitional tool for us to start dealing with our long-term energy crisis ultimately. Over time we're going to shift to cellulosic ethanol, where we're not using food stocks but we're using wood chips & prairie grass. " (Obama on Meet the Press: 2008 "Meet the Candidates" series May 4, 2008 )

(Click on Picture to read more)

To me it is clear: Whoever sets foot on the right path will succeed in all respects. The world turned into one giant marketplace where cause and effect dictate the rules. Bio-fuel for one means hunger for someone else and less money in our pockets.

For us equestrians the wrong path could cause a rise of feed prices, land loss due to corporate farming, loss of regional markets, less alternatives in regards to our resources ec... just to name a few..

Think about it twice before you cast your vote.

(Click on Picture to read more)

Will your presidential candidate stand for this ?

Organic Hay for Sale ???

As I promissed all of you I went on the search for

"ORGANIC HAY"

BUT this was not an easy task and the results are not very satisfying, maybe even questionable.

Even though organic hay prices tend to be higher than hay that isn’t organic, there is still a very high demand for it. In fact, demand is so high that it is difficult for producers to keep up. Currently, the demand is about 20 percent higher than the supply. This is great news for anyone considering the addition of organic hay to their farm’s crops.

GREEN Trailriding ?

Planning to go on the great adventure, again ?

Thinking about packing up a camp, saddling horses , pack stock, and heading into the backcountry ? Well think about it twice ! Restrictions for horse and rider on trail have multiplied over the years and opposite to this development less land is available for trail riding, due to America becoming subdivided and paved.

Reseeding Time !!!

As some of you might already know, our family currently resides in Germany. Over here days are getting shorter now and autumn is running its full programm as scheduled :-)

Rain, storm, fog, a little ice here and there.. Generally I love this season. The forests turn into glowing fireworks, the wind is blowing cold, but the sun still has enough power to warm one up.

However my garden is calling for help and so are the meadows. So for me cutting, digging, planting, raking and reseeding will take off an extra hour or two of the time I have available to work and take care of my family (including horses and all)

Snakes ? Call 911-Raptor !

First of all I would like to thank you "guys n gals" for the positive feedback and the load of questions I received in regards to this block.

So having said this I would like to pick up one of the question I received in connection with the article about Barn Owls.

"Do Barn Owls take care of my "snake-problem", too ? "

No unfortunately they don't. However keeping up the principles of the food-chain, nature did provide a snake-eater for us to make use of.

The North American Kestrel, the smallest and most colorful raptor on the continent !

The American Kestrel is the smallest falcon in North America—about the size of an American Robin and are often incorrectly called “sparrow hawks.”
Kestrels like exposed perches such as telephone poles, wires, fence posts, and dead branches on trees. They are swift, erratic fliers, and in a flat flight they may travel at up to 39 mph, and they can dive at speeds up to 60 mph. They pump their tails and bob their heads while perched, especially when agitated. Kestrels are capable of hovering when hunting, and this behavior is seen frequently over highway medians. They will dive feet first when hunting insects and usually capture them by pinning them to the ground rather than capturing them with their beak. They will dive for other prey items head first to gain additional speed and force.

Its diet consists of snakes, lizards, bats, smaller birds, mice, voles, and insects (beetles, grasshoppers, cicadas). Kestrels will feed mainly on mammals and birds during the early parts of the breeding season and lizards, snakes later in the breeding season. They concentrate on hunting invertebrates when readily available.

Despite the overall health of American kestrel populations throughout the New World, some populations, including those in Florida, Texas, Arkansas and some northeastern states, are decreasing due to habitat alteration.

Many raptor species are in danger. Human-caused changes in land use are escalating, and this affects the habitats and migratory corridors required by some raptors for survival. Vast forests are removed for timber and other paper products, and industrial emissions pollute water and air resources.
Critical shoreline and riparian zone habitats are rapidly converted by expanding human communities and agricultural needs. Illegal shooting and trapping are also lowering raptor numbers. It's only a matter of time until more raptor species may face extinction, unless we protect their habitats.

However humans need raptors !

Here are only a few of the benefits raptors provide:

• Raptors help keep animal populations in balance.
• Raptors consume many animals that humans consider as pests, including mice, rats and destructive species of insects. This helps to control disease and damage to crops.
• As top predators of their food chain, raptors are an indicator species of the overall health of the ecosystem in which they live.
• Of equal importance, witnessing wild raptors enriches each of our lives. Imagine what life would be like if we could no longer gaze upon the grandeur of raptors soaring high above.

Efforts to save threatened and endangered raptors require cooperation and support at international, national, regional and individual levels. You can help in this cause. Installing nesting boxes and protecting vital habitat required by these raptors will help to stabilize these populations. Recycle forest products, plant trees around your meadows, eliminate or reduce pesticide use. Support breeding programs for endangered birds of prey at zoos and other animal care organizations. Let your elected representatives know your views about the conservation of migratory birds and their wild habitats.

Here we have it, another project for those long winter nights :-)
Building Nesting Boxes for kestrels

I am looking forward to those pictures coming in from all of you and even more important, I would like to hear from you and your experience with your own little "raptor community"

If you would like some more input on how to deal with those "little guys" you might want to check out: http://www.americanartifacts.com/smma/per/b2a.htm

Have fun :-)

"Soil Compaction " Beware of Big Wheels !

Due to structural and technological developments in cultivation of fields the agricultural sector has been subjected to profound changes over the last 30 years. The use of ever heavier machines left its “footprints’ on the way farmers are forced to do business these days.
We call this footprint “Soil Compaction” and it could be one of the reasons why today’s farmers are complaining about heavy losses in yields. “Soil Compaction” is one of the major problems we are dealing with in “modern technology farming”, because losses in harvest caused by this phenomenon could go all the way up to 20%.