Best Management Practice Demonstration Horse Farm

Introduction to the Farm

Introduction

  • In 2005 a team of Rutgers researchers affiliated with the Equine Science Center and several state and federal agencies began a multi-year collaboration. They sought to develop a demonstration working horse farm on the G.H. Cook Campus that would use agricultural best management practices to provide solutions to many of the problems facing farm owners and stable managers today.
  • Our researchers have identified numerous environmental issues, such as preserving water quality, proper nutrient and waste management, farm and pasture management. These are just a few of the many facets of farm management that the project addresses.

Farm map overview

Goals of the Project

  • To develop and maintain the Ryders Lane facility as a demonstration working horse farm by implementing best management practices (BMPs) which address pasture management, stormwater, and manure issues. BMPs are cost-effective and easy to implement.
  • To conduct educational programs at the farm which demonstrate the implementation of best management practices to enhance and maintain pasture and water quality.
  • To utilize the farm site to conduct research on new forage varieties.
  • To provide learning experiences and educational programs in pasture renovation, forage varieties, soil fertility, weed identification and management, rotational grazing, storm water management and manure storage, composting, and utilization.

Equine Science Center Project Partners

  • Region II of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency
  • The New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection
  • The Natural Resources Conservation Service
  • The Northeast Sustainable Agriculture Research and Education Program of the U.S. Department of Agriculture
  • The New Jersey Department of Agriculture
  • The Department of Animal Sciences, Rutgers University
  • The Department of Environmental Sciences, Rutgers University
  • Rutgers Cooperative Extension of the New Jersey Agricultural Experiment Station

For more information

We invite you to take a tour of our BMPs listed below, however for your safety and ours, please close the lane gate behind you and DO NOT enter the barn or any horse pastures. Thank you and Enjoy your tour!

For more information on the BMP farm, see our website at

Equine Science Center