NEWS & VIEWS continued
viability of Maryland’s agriculture community and these do nothing to move in that direc- tion. I gather from the fi rst proposal these are crafted with TMDLs in the background with the counties and towns facing the real costs of compliance. Ironically, the state, in another unwise economically, but otherwise purely po- litical move, accelerated the required Federal deadlines which is a hardship to all. “Serving on the Budget and Taxation Com-
mittee, I know the state does not have the money to assist, much less fi nance, any of these requirements. We can’t even mow the medians of our highways! Yet the war on rural Maryland from Annapolis continues with a fanaticism determined to eliminate the best Agricultural Preservation Program there is: the opportunity to earn a respectable profi t on the land. “Since the state doesn’t have the money to do
this, where in the world does the state expect a struggling agriculture industry to fi nd the resources to do this, particularly during these horrifi c economic times? “I urge the state not to adopt these stringent
proposals.” -Senator David Brinkley, New Market, Frederick Co.
“T ese proposed regulations seem to me to
be very heavy-handed and lacking in fl exibility. A one-size-fi ts-all approach may seem to make enforcement easier, but in fact, it will only cre- ate scoffl aws and more horse farms turned into more subdivisions. “I am glad that Maryland is getting serious
about cleaning up the bay, but it must be done more thoughtfully and carefully than this, if we are to succeed.” -Anne Davies
“I am with Senator Brinkley all the way… impossible guidelines to follow in an already
heavily regulated and tax-burdened area of this country and to stay in farming of any type is ex- ceedingly diffi cult not to mention that it is al- ready physically hard work! Enough Already!” -Anne Cowles, Greystone Farm
“T ese are burdensome and arduous re-
quirements for equine facilities. Many farms have wet-weather creeks and streams that run through them and the fencing of such occasion- al waterways will place a tremendous fi nancial burden on most facilities. Not only would fenc- ing have to be erected but gates and access and in some cases a complete redesign of existing paddocks and fi elds would be necessary. In such an economic climate as the horse industry cur- rently faces, this could be the straw that broke the camel’s back for many horse operations. “T e word intermittent is particularly trou- blesome in that the rainfall pattern of recent years has been so varied that a series of particu- larly hard rains (such as we had during April of 2011) can create streams that come into ex- istence overnight and a gully may remain but it may not fl ood again for many years. It will be impossible to determine which intermittent stream should be fenced off . “With this proposal, manure must be tilled or injected into the soil to get rid of it, and not be allowed to be spread any longer. T at is not pos- sible with horse pastures/manure and then we will have to pay someone to haul it off for us. Most equine facilities could not sustain such a fi - nancial hit. Manure management plans state that we can spread so much per acre based on output per 8k of animal weight. All plans are based on this formula. T ey work for us, and we then do not need to buy commercial fertilizer because we produce our own naturally. T is would be anoth- er expensive burden to keeping farms going. “T is is a disastrous plan and needs to be
Ashley Tara Beheler, Owner 2640 Jennings Chapel Rd. Woodbine, MD 21797 (301) 580-8051
taraequestrianllc@gmail.com Find us on Facebook - Search Tara Equestrian LLC
Full care stall board Eventing & Pleasure
Lessons & training for all ages & levels
Emphasis on natural horsemanship
Trailer loading and other behavior fixes using natural techniques
Trailer-ins welcome Off-site lessons and much more…
stopped. It will put many of us out of equine- related businesses and in the process lose many thousands of acres of open space.” -Frederick County Equine Alliance
“T e equine community needs to read the
entire document with the proposed changes to the nutrient management law. “For example, Page I-D-1, the document de-
fi nes the term “setback.” In this section the term “stream fencing” never appears. I do understand that is implied, but the document does not in- clude that stream fencing is required. Without using the word stream fencing, the Department of Agriculture does not need to use USDA NRCS fencing standards (see attachment 382) to mandate this setback. T e word “setback” is also implying an “Access Control” (see attach- ment 472). T ese conservation practices can be recorded, then used in the Chesapeake Bay module to lower nutrient and erosion deposi- tion (pollution) to the bay. “T ese regulations are designed to lower the
agriculture sediment and nutrient impact to the bay. T e University of Maryland does the re- search to validate these regulations. “In my opinion, all of these regulations are based on the need for the Great State of Mary- land to meet the [federally mandated] EPA Total Maximum Daily Load (TMDL) require- ments by 2017. “Unless the agriculture community germi-
nates from dormancy, the Chesapeake Bay regulations will destroy present-day farming practices as we know it. -Eddie Franceschi, Equine Resource Conserva- tionist, Montgomery Soil Conservation District
“T e Maryland Horse Council represents the 40,000 people in Maryland who own or work
continued on page 82
The ALL NEW lineup from SUNDOWNER of all their aluminum trailers, 8 yr warranty, loaded with options at an introductory price is here.
2011 Sundowner Charter SE w/dr room $13,900. Loaded.
2011 Sundowner 2+1 GN w/dr room $22,900.
Limited Supply!
Loaded with stud doors to make stalls.
The sunset is closer than you think…
www.equiery.com | 800-244-9580
(856) 697-4497 Fax: 856-697-3835
sales@crossroadstrailers.com
1230 Harding Hwy. Newfi eld, NJ 08344
www.crossroadstrailers.com AUGUST 2011 | THE EQUIERY | 11
837180-110811
836347-110711
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96