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As Ohio's equine industry continues to grow, so do the challenges, particularly manure management.

"Unfortunately in the northeastern part of the state, the majority of complaints involving animal manure are often from horse farms. And we're seeing an increase in complaints in other parts of the state," said David White, OFBF's director of commodity relations.

To help address the issue, OFBF has partnered with the Ohio Livestock Coalition (OLC) and Livestock Environmental Assurance Program (LEAP) to create the Equine Environmental and Liability Awareness Program. The program offers a series of workshops aimed at helping horse farm owners, operators and managers develop and implement practices that are economically viable, environmentally friendly and socially acceptable.

"This is a very proactive move for Ohio's horse industry. It's a way to reach out to a growing segment of Farm Bureau's membership and help them," said White, who is also OLC's executive director.

According to a report by the American Horse Council, Ohio had 306,898 horses in 2004, up from 192,000 in 1995. That makes Ohio one of the top 10 states for horses, White said.

County Farm Bureaus, along with numerous ag and conservation organizations, participated in train the trainer sessions last year to learn how to conduct, organize, host and coordinate a local training session, White said.

Specific topics that will be addressed during local training sessions include protecting water quality, manure and nutrient management, pasture management, facility design and management, conservation practices, neighbor relations, regulatory compliance and Ohio's equine liability law.

"All sizes of farms need to understand management principles, storage, application and handling of horse manure," White said. "Many horse farms do not have a direct link to crop or forage production, making it essential that they learn management practices that address natural resources concerns and potential liability issues."

The first workshop was held last November in Miami County, and the goal is to have 25 within two years with 500 participants.

Upcoming workshops are:

• Feb. 18 at 8 a.m. – Butler County Ag Building; contact Kevin Fall of Butler County SWCD, 513-887-3720 or fallke@butlercountyohio.org.

• Feb. 25 at 9 a.m. – French Quarter/Holiday Inn, Perrysburg; contact Lori Slagle, Farm Bureau's organization director for Ottawa, Wood and Lucas counties, 419-463-4138 or lslagle@ofbf.org.

"The equine program is a very thorough program covering many topics, and participants' time will be well spent with the materials and resources they walk away with," Slagle said.

More workshops will be posted throughout the year on LEAP's Web site, www.ohleap.org, and can be found by clicking on Calendar.