NEWS & VIEWS continued
Environment (MDE) of composting facilities that accept waste from off -site. T e goal was to ensure that composting take place in a manner that prevents nutrient runoff , protects nearby residents from nuisance and ensures that the fi nal product is safe for end users. T e 18-page MDE Permitting Guidance was published June 12, 2015 (see
equiery.com for a link). Our county’s farmers and clean water
advocates alike were proud when the MDA announced that a grant was awarded to Veteran Compost and 02 Compost to construct a state of-the-art composting facility here. We have 4,500 horses on 950 diff erent properties in this county producing 81 million pounds of manure annually, and we have more shoreline than any other county in Maryland. Our Soil Conservation District eff ectively monitors manure management to mitigate waterway contamination, but cannot require every horse property to operate its own composting program. T e state is investing $350,000, and a business from outside the county is investing another $200,000 to partner with our beloved Homestead Gardens to protect our waterways from the threat of poor manure management. T e project will not only practice and demonstrate state-of-the-art composting practices, but will also provide educational programs about those methods for farmers and the public. Anne Arundel County lost 8,327 acres of farmland between 1997 and 2012, according to the USDA agricultural census. T e only large
sector of agriculture that has grown here is the horse industry. While elected offi cials and the public in our
county have consistently expressed a desire to preserve farmland and open space, zoning and permitting laws here make modernization of farming practices a challenge. Our grading permit law has no agricultural exemption, so farmers must hire urban engineers to design plans for work on farms while also complying with state regulations through our Soil Conservation District. Our industrial impact fee law has no agricultural exemption, giving the Offi ce of Planning and Zoning authority to assess farm operators whenever they expand or initiate new farm activities. Our Animal Control law allows Animal Control offi cers to demand that shelters be constructed in pastures even when adjacent barns have stalls where animals are protected from weather. It would be hard to make the case that this is a farm- friendly county, but we can change that. T e fact that Anne Arundel County’s zoning law makes no mention of composting facilities as a permitted use is not surprising. T e state only started regulating them separately from other agricultural practices last year. What is very surprising is that any resident or elected offi cial would oppose the simple legislation off ered by Councilman Jerry Walker to allow composting facilities as a conditional use in RA (Rural Agricultural) districts. Walker’s bill does not aff ect the vast majority of composting that takes place on farms,
Getting social with The Equiery! continued...
15, they their tweet about donating to @TBaftercare in honor of National Philantrophy Day was retweeted 30 times and loved by 39 followers. @ FriendOfPimlico’s
tweet that
same day, annoucing the launch of a new MTHA T oroughbred aftercare program, was retweeted 22 times but loved by followers.
41
Instagram (@equiery) T e end of October
through T anksgiving has been busy! Our most liked photo on Instagram was a photo of Children’s Jumper Reserve Champion Emma Seving and Sophie Gochman, who earned 10th place (31 likes) taken by Equiery intern Leanna Bostrom at Washington International Horse Show. Coming in second was another WIHS post by Leanna, this time a collage of photos taken back stage (30 likes).
A video of Judy Smith riding her mule Sweet Sue doing dressage at the FADS show at Loch Moy was our most viewed and liked video,
IF YOU HAVE NEWS, VIEWS OR UPDATES TO CONTRIBUTE, PLEASE SEND THEM TO Editor at The Equiery, P.O. Box 610, Lisbon, MD 21765 • FAX: 410-489-7828 • email
editor@equiery.com.
Be sure to include your full name, phone number and address. All submissions become the property of The Equiery.
www.equiery.com | 800-244-9580 DECEMBER 2016 | THE EQUIERY | 9
with 97 views and 22 likes. Two more popular videos taken at the Potomac Valley Dressage Association’s Fall Show at the Prince George’s Equestrian Center were of Katie Domino and Reveille garnered 84 views and 26 likes, and Olivia Colella and the adorable Crackerjack earning 60 views and 16 likes. In case you weren’t following along with us this month, we also posted photos from the Maryland 4-H Horsemen’s Dinner and the Vixen Hollow Farm/Caiti Kuczynski Eventing Open House.
businesses, and residences throughout the county, whether it involves manure, food scraps, or animal carcasses. Instead it recognizes the fact that the state of Maryland has created a rigorous permitting program for composting operations that accept materials from places that do not have the capacity to compost on-site. T e bill allows these facilities to exist in our county, but only under specifi c conditions and only in RA districts. No facilities would be allowed without fi rst obtaining the MDE permit. Reasonable amendments have been made to the bill. T e county council needs to support it.
Hagerstown Man Guilty 37 Counts of Animal Neglect
On October 24, 2016 Joseph Bowers, Jr. was found guilty of 37 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty by Judge Mark T omas in the Washington County District Court. On January 22, 2016 fi eld service offi cers for the Humane Society of Washington County (the county’s offi cial animal control division) seized two horses from Bowers, charging him at that time with 12 counts of animal cruelty for failure to provide food, water, veterinary care, and causing unnecessary pain and suff ering. On April 1, 2016, the HSWC received a complaint concerning the welfare of additional horses owned by Bowers. A properly executed search and seizure warrant was then served on April 3rd, and this time a total of fi ve horses were removed from two separate properties. Of
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