Umpqua Soil and Water Conservation District

09/04/2026

Fire Season Decreases to Low on Thursday 9/3/2026 at 10:00AM

With much needed rain across the CFPA district the Regulated Use Closure has decreased to LOW (green) districtwide.

All debris burning is still strictly prohibited.

Industrial Fire Precaution Levels (IFPL) will remain Level 1 in all zones, CS1, CS2, CS4, CS5, and SK2.

Lands affected by this declaration include state, private, county, city and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) forestlands in Coos, Curry, and Western Douglas counties.

09/02/2026

A strong cold front will bring rain to the area early Wednesday morning through Wednesday evening, with heavy rain for the Coast and Cascades. The remnants of the front will bring enhanced totals to the East Side late Wednesday night through Thursday evening, with additional lighter showers on the West Side.

08/28/2026

Information about Tansy Ragwort and its toxic relatives thanks to our friends at Healthy Pastures, Healthy Horses.

~ Tansy ragwort's toxic relatives ~

We often read about tansy ragwort's (Jacobaea vulgaris) toxicity but in fact, there are a large number of plants very closely related to TR that have similar potential toxicity for our equines. We may not hear of them often, possibly because most are smaller and less showy, aren't as aggressive of invaders, or in the case of some, mature earlier while pasture grasses are still dense and tasty.

These plants contain pyrrolizidine alkaloids (PAs). PAs are the leading plant toxins that cause liver disease in horses (and other grazing animals). These toxins are metabolized to compounds that target the liver in particular, though they can affect the lungs and kidneys. They can cause chronic or acute toxicity, also called hepatotoxicity. Liver cancer is also a possible outcome if the toxic threshold is reached.

Chronic toxicity is the more common of the two types. Clinical signs include decreased appetite and weight loss, lack of energy, yawning, jaundice, aimless constant walking (walking disease). These may not appear until months after ingestion because the liver can be 70+% compromised before clinical signs present. Liver failure is a common result of chronic toxicity.

PA toxicity from this group of plants (mostly the Senecio genus but a few others) is called seneciosis. It's a testament to their danger when a disorder is named after a genus of plants.

Other members of this group include (there are 62 identified Senecio spp. so far containing PAs):

Common groundsel (Senecio vulgaris). A single report stated 20 horses fell ill from contaminated hay; 4 died.

Water ragwort (S. erraticus, S. aquaticus, Jacobaea erratica)

Dusty miller (S. cineraria). Yes, the ornamental or garden plant.

Another dusty miller variety (S. bicolor)

Aleutian ragwort (S. cannabifolius)

Tall groundsel (S. hydrophiloides)

Firew**d groundsel (S. linearifolius)

Threadleaf/woolly groundsel (S. douglasii)

Riddell's ragwort (S. riddellii)

Broom groundsel (S. spartioides)

Butterw**d (S. glabellus)

Lamb's tongue groundsel (S. integerrimus)

Prairie ragwort (S. plattensis)

As we can see, TR definitely isn't the only family member of concern. Only a limited number of related plants have been studied...we have no idea how many others also contain PAs.

One of the dangers of concentrating on only what we've been told are the bad guys is ignoring others that present equal - or worse - dangers to our equines.

The most reliable way we have of heading off toxicity is by preventing the ingestion of toxic plants, which is far less likely when good grasses are plentiful. As their stewards, it's our responsibility to practice good pasture management and promote the growth and vigor of healthy forage species.

There may always be risks hidden in tall grasses, but by far the highest number of toxic events occur when equines are kept in depleted, degraded pastures.

This is not to be alarmist: it is simply a reminder that managing by bold headlines may lead to ignoring dangers for our horses.

(Thanks to E2E friend Alison for her pic of TR and Cyrano 🫶🏼)

08/15/2026

08/13/2026

More composting ideas from our friends at Healthy Pastures, Healthy Horses.

~ Composting horse manure continued... ~

The benefits of composted vs fresh manure. (It's a long-ish post but hard to break up into smaller ones.)

With most subjects, there are separate schools of thought. This is definitely true about utilizing horse manure to benefit pastures. Some are dedicated believers in compost and others like to skip the composting and spread it when fresh. Still others view it as waste but we won't address that here.)

There are merits to both arguments. Let's take a look.

Benefits to composting:

It produces a more lightweight product for spreading.
The volume is reduced considerably, which is significant when one horse can produce 10 tons/yr.
The fragrance is earthy and much more tolerable, especially to neighbors (vs manure piles).
Nutrient release is slower, which may benefit plants.
W**d seed germination rates are much lower than with fresh.
Most bedding (in reasonable amounts) and hay waste composts with manure.
Spreading compost is often easier than spreading fresh manure.
Compost is less likely to create mud than manure.
Proper composting kills parasites and fly larvae.
Compost is gold to gardeners thus there is potential income.
More easily tested for nutrients than daily fresh manure.
Compost builds microbiota which increase numbers in soil, a huge boon to pasture health.
If done appropriately it kills parasitic larvae and eggs (worms)

Benefits to spreading fresh manure:

Avoiding the need for compost bins or structures.
The simplicity of spreading it as soon as it's picked up.
It only needs handling once, not twice.
Manure piles don't need a level(ed) site.

Drawbacks to composting:

The need for a bin of some sort and a system of turning piles.
Some bedding types don't compost well, or at all.
Piles need to be covered so nutrients aren't lost via runoff.
Drainage will have to be considered if not in a covered bin system.
Composting needs at least several weeks to be effective.
Water will have to be added at some point, especially if it's in a covered system.
Can lose up to half of the available nitrogen in manure.

Drawbacks to spreading fresh manure:

The stench may be extreme.
The volume may be more than is easily handled at once.
Horse manure is of the 'hot' type (high in N).
There may be more nutrients than plants can use, thus some are wasted or even detrimental.
W**d and unwanted plant seeds can germinate and create new infestations in pastures.
Can and does spread parasites and diseases to the land and other animals.
May not be legal depending on the watershed and drainage.
It can be detrimental to watershed wee wildlife and may contribute to algae numbers downstream.
Medications, hormones and dewormers may persist in fresh manure.
Animals may avoid areas where fresh manure is spread, often for an entire season.
There is a need to do it more often than with compost due to the sheer volume of it.

Major livestock operations may find it easier to utilize raw manure, especially when liquified. They invest heavily in the equipment and systems to do so efficiently, and the product is usually used for croplands, not for pastures.

Most equine operations are very small, and even though ten tons annually per average-sized horse is a lot of manure, if handled on a daily basis, it doesn't have to be a huge chore.

Cost-share funds and even full grants are often available for building composting systems for small horse properties in the US. We've seen beautiful systems that cost the land steward absolutely nothing except an investment of time. We can contact our soil and water conservation district, extension office, or state ag department if this is of interest.

As you can see, it's not just a matter of personal preference or doing things the way Granddad did. There is logic and reasoning on both sides.

We are huge proponents of composting, if that hasn't been apparent yet. :) After seeing multiple operations utilizing both types of manure treatment, we're convinced that the costs of composting are greatly outweighed by its benefits to our land and our equines.

(Pic courtesy of King County SWCD, WA state)

08/13/2026

Very nice composting system pictured, with more great ideas in the post from Healthy Pastures, Healthy Horses.

~ Composting ideas and links ~

There are a number of ways we can make horsekeeping a little less overwhelming. One of these is in creating a manure management plan. A big part of that is the creation of a composting setup.

Unless our herd is quite large, composting can be inexpensive and fairly easy. The more animals, of course, the more space and materials required.

Our equines gift us with, on the average, 5% of their body weight in manure daily. If we have just two 1000 lb horses, that means a ton and a half of manure each month. Over a year, that's a darn big manure pile.

Composting is really a win-win. It costs little to do, takes just a bit more energy to use than a manure pile, and has a number of benefits. Compost provides free fertility and organic matter for forage and soils, reduces the volume of manure significantly, destroys toxic plant and invasive w**d seeds; results in a decrease in fly and parasite numbers; and greatly reduces manure odors.

We often mention organic matter (OM) in soils. Using manure and waste bedding (not wood-based) and hay sweepings to make compost and then using that to enrich and build OM in soil is one of the most sustainable practices we can do.

Compost bins for the small barn can be simple and cheap, or they may be more elaborate. Many people use pallets, which make sturdy sides and allow for air movement. It's best if they're on concrete, but if the ground is firm year-round, a concrete pad isn't an absolute must. Two more fairly inexpensive options are concrete blocks and railroad ties. If a tractor is used to turn and empty bins, each one must be wider than the bucket. Generally, a three bin system works best, but if space is limited, two are sufficient. Otherwise, they can be as small or as large as an operation needs.

See the bottom link for an idea that fits small operations without space for bins.

While there are wrong ways to do it, there are also loads of right ways too, along with some unique ideas. There are lots of resources online as well as from your SWCD or Extension office. Here are a few to get you started.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmLTD06DLaY

https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2079/2014/02/manure-mgmt.pdf

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6KfRMYp58M

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K9_yWQATxNI

https://biopakwell.com/the-trash-bag-method-a-simple-guide-to-composting-horse-manure-on-your-farm/

(Pic from a conservation district: Clackamas SWCD)

08/13/2026

Umpqua Soil & Water Conservation District Meeting, 5:00 p.m., 08/13/2026.