This isn't a new idea, not quite sure why the issue is being wondered about...
Posted on 11/21/2005 2:29:46 PM PST by NormsRevenge
SAN RAFAEL, Calif. (AP) - Researchers here are looking to horse manure to study the spread of invasive weeds.
Dominican University has received a $100,000 National Park Service grant to study how to slow the spread of nonnative plants and weeds in state parks, school officials said. Horse manure might be part of the problem, according to scientists.
Researchers began collecting horse manure samples from trails and pastures this summer. They want to test an assumption that seeds can pass through horses, leading to sprouts of invasive weeds.
"We need to know through scientific research if horses do or do not spread weeds and if they do, what is the impact on the parks," said Sibdas Ghosh, chair of Dominican's Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics.
Colorado, Nevada and Montana require horse owners to give their animals feed that has been certified as weed free.
What a load!
It's the Lone Ranger's fault!
Tonto (the Native American) warned him!
Yet another bunch of pointy heads who think they should be in charge of nature. Seeds getting spread through animal manure IS nature. They should just deal with the fact.
[i]"Colorado, Nevada and Montana require horse owners to give their animals feed that has been certified as weed free."[/i]
We use cleaned oats and alfalfa cubes. That and whatever grass is growing in the area.
Dont worry, we dont need money for important things, say, cancer research or something, so lets investigate horse $hit instead. great.
Birds will eat seed from horse turds. Send me my 100K now.
I'll do it for $90K. The answer is yes. In fact, I've already finished my research:
My dog likes tomatoes. I've got them coming up in my lawn.
I've got all kinds of strange plants coming up along my fence. Birds did it.
And, if I had horses running around, there would be all kinds of other stuff coming up.
There. End of my scientific report.
This Spring, we had nasty weeds in and around that lantern that were foreign to our yard.
My husband swears they came from the Straw bale. Who knows?
sw
The main weed I'm worried about is Goatheads! It's the spawn of Satan! Keep yer horses outta my garden! :)
Progressives are inordinately preoccupied with the southbound end of northbound farm animals, aren't they? Farts, cow patties, horse puckey ... what's next, urine as "art?" Oops, too late.
Sorry folks there is no question at all this happens. I put moo doo in gardens and I get weeds out of it. The question is why do we need to spend money to study this when anybody should know it happens.
By the way, if the government wants something to do, tell them to check a fence line and see if birds are sitting on it. Then they should check back to see if something grew where the bird took a dump. Just don't pay them to do so.
We spend $100K to determine this? I and any farmer who plowed with mules or horses could have answered that question for free! Yes, they do. But they have to eat the seeds from whatever they're fed to do it.
Can't have common citizens on horse back enjoying their forests.
"Then they should check back to see if something grew where the bird took a dump. Just don't pay them to do so."
Anybody raised anywhere near a farm knows where all those cedars and pokeweed lining the fences comes from. I guess effete urbanites have to "rediscover" common knowledge from time to time, and charge big bucks to do it.
I know this. My dad knew it, my grandfather knew it, and probably every every single person who ever shoveled it knows it. But pointy head liberal univeristy envirowacko twerps don't know s*** about anything.
We all know how this study is going to turn out.
Do they make pooper-scoopers for horses?
One hundred thousand dollars?
THAT is a pile of horse manure.
If horses weren't vegetarians, this would not be happening. We need to train them to eat hamburgers (NO sesame seed buns), fries, and chocolate shakes so they can dump seedless crap.
"But pointy head liberal univeristy envirowacko twerps don't know s*** about anything."
They're trying very, very hard to get to know s***.
Well, at least this time they're admitting they're wasting tax dollars on pure horse sh*t. I don't know how sewer plants work now days, but not that long ago the prettiest tomato plants in town were popping up on their own in the brown stuff. Break up any cow patty and it's full of seeds. Duh, everyone knows birds help "move" vegetation around the world.
Dont worry, we dont need money for important things, say, cancer research or something, so lets investigate horse $hit instead. great.
Boy, truer words never said. What a waste of money, but with this congress, what do you expect
"Do they make pooper-scoopers for horses?"
I'm thinking diapers. As in "if it's good enough for Central Park, it's certainly good enough for the hinterlands."
here ya go...
I blame the birds.
Thats a no brainer. You alway put a certain amount of grass seed in the horse feed to help reseed the pasture.
Horse crap is left in a pile for a year. During that time the crap goes thru a heat , it gets warm , The warmth kills the seeds, If you use it before it is cured it will get you weeds. Everyone knows that.
By the way when they used treated sewage from Blue Plains treatment plant around the beltway Tomatoes,cucumbers, watermelons and a lot of other things were growing the next summer. People were stopping and picking the fruit. So Yes seeds go thru humans too.
This isn't a new idea, not quite sure why the issue is being wondered about...
But invasives can be a real problem. True, most hay fed to horses would not include plants that would be considered invasive and harmful. But nonetheless, horses nowadays are fed exotic grasses that do not grow naturally, that may be unwelcome in pristine areas.
Groups such as the Backcountry Horseman Assn advocate the feeding of seed-free feed in pristine areas like parks and wilderness areas, as a matter of good stewardship.
Goatheads! ARGHHHH! I use a wheelchair to get around and if they are not sticking in my tires they are getting into my push gloves. Now that's something that gets your attention.
Yep! Mapelthorp beat you to it, didn't he.
I was blissfully ignorant of Goatheads until moving to the San Joaquin Valley. Shortly after moving here my daughter and I decided to go for a bike ride along the train tracks near our house. We limped home with 3 of 4 tires flat, and never knew what hit us.
Now I buy "Aramadillo" tires for her bike, and use a heavy duty tube, but it's still a losing battle if you ride directly through a bad patch of them.
Goatheads are the nastiest weed I've ever seen!
Yes, horse manure spreads manure seeds. As does most herbivore fecal matter.
What is wrong with you people? Just ask a horseman. Cheap. Even with a call to 1411 you spend maybe $1.39.
***The main weed I'm worried about is Goatheads! It's the spawn of Satan! Keep yer horses outta my garden! :)***
NO! NO! Not GOATHEADS! The worst thing about the American WEST! Worse than sandburs or ticks! The nightmare of my youth! GOATHEADS!
Basically "they just don't know poo poo"
Heh... me too.
This is probably to keep horses out of the wilderness where vehicles are already banned.
Yes, and I believe that the term Puncture Vine is more correct. Here's some data from www.goatheads.com
Tribulus terrestris
Caltrop family - ZygophyRaceae
OTHER COMMON NAMES: Ground bur-nut, caltrop, goat head, bull's head, Texas Sandbur, Mexican Sandbur. NATIVE RANGE: Eurasia and Africa. ENTRY INTO THE UNITED STATES: The seed pods of the plant probably contaminated the wool of sheep imported from the Mediterranean region into the Midwestern United States. Puncturevine was first reported in California in 1903.
BIOLOGY Life duration/habit:
The plant is a prostrate, herbaceous annual.
Reproduction: Seeds.
Roots: The root system of puncturevine consists of a simple taproot branching into a network of fine rootlets.
Stems and leaves: The plant produces prostrate stems that radiate from the root crown to form a mat. The stems often grow to 2 in (6.6 ft) long, are green to reddish or brownish in color, and are very hairy. The leaves are pinnately compound, opposite, and hairy.
Flowers: Flowering occurs from June to September. The small yellow flowers are produced leaf axils.
It is most commonly found in dry, sandy areas such as waste lots or on areas that rain is artificially implemented such as irrigation ditches. Puncturevine spreads by seeds which are protected by the tack-like fruiting structures.
FRUITS AND SEEDS: The spiny fruits are made up of five burs that break apart at maturity. Each bur has two stout spines and contains two to four seeds.
INFESTATIONS:Worst infested states: Puncturevine is widespread; the worst infestations are in Arizona, California, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, and Texas.
Habitat: This plant is found most often in crop lands, pastures, along transportation rights-of-way, and in urban areas.
Impacts: The spiny burs can cause injury to the mouths and digestive tracts of livestock, are a nuisance to people, and diminish the value of alfalfa hay and wool.
STATUS: Puncturevine is a problem weed because the seeds have strong spines which are strong enough to puncture auto tires! It is also a problem in agriculture because of aggressive nature of this weed.
COMMENTS: The plant has been controlled with biological control agents in areas without cold winters.
Seriously, the birds do spread weeds and so does the government. The government is always paying for some sort of program that ends up disastrous to us farmers. I can name 2 horrible weeds off the top my head that came from government experimentation and now cost us thousands every year.
Well my folks didn't bring it to Fresno county. They didn't flee Texas until 1921...
Horses don't chew their food as completely as do sheep or cows.
If you've got a field handy we'll plant it with leafy spurge and see how you like it.
Actually, In Zion National Park, they want a cert that the horse has been eating certified weed-free hay for three days before entering. Compared to the cost of dealing with the consequences, it's cheap prevention.
There one purpose to this study, to ban horses from federal lands. Remember, for all government studies, the outcome is determined before the study begins.
Such wisdom when you least expect it.
How typical. Around here, government is the single biggest propagator of weeds with their road mowing equipment.
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