Abstracts / Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 33 (2013) 321-399388

participants received two farm visits from Universityspecialists; an initial visit and a follow-up visit. Prior to thefirst visit, participants completed a farm profile that iden-tified farm goals, and the number of pasture acres andhorses. During the initial farm visit, soil and forage (pastureand hay) samples were collected. Forage species and weedswere identified and percent ground cover in pastures wasdetermined using a line intercept approach. An overallfacilities assessmentwas completed, includingevaluationofmanure management, fencing, water sources, and facilitysafety. Photographs of the farm and pasturewere taken, andhorses were body conditioned scored and measured (bodylength and heart girth circumference) to estimate weight. Asummary of collected data and recommendations forpasture renovation or establishment, soil fertilization, weedcontrol, manure management, and facilities improvement,as well as aerial images of the farm and pasture manage-ment-related Extension factsheets were mailed to theparticipants. A follow-up farm visit was scheduled for thefall or following spring. In 2011 and 2012, 26 farms partici-pated in thepasturemanagementprogram,withmost farms(22) used for personal recreation. Program fees covered alldirect expenses and 25% of a post-doctoral research asso-ciate’s salary. An electronic survey was sent to programparticipants after both site visits had been completed. Onehundred percent of participants planned to implement oneto four changes to their farm based on recommendationsfrom the program. One hundred percent of participantsstrongly agreed or agreed that the long-term recommen-dations addressed the goals of their farm, and 78% ofparticipants indicated the program very highly or highlyimproved their ability to make more informed decisionsregarding their farm. Twenty-two percent of participantsreported feeding less hay since implementing changes, and33% indicated they had extended their grazing season. In2012, the pasture maintenance programwas developed forfarms that were previously enrolled in the Pasture Evalua-tion Program and wanted continued assistance; 3 farmsparticipated. The maintenance program included one sitevisit, forage analysis, distribution of new Extension fact-sheets, and allowed specialists to address any newconcernsregarding pasture management. The maintenance programcosts $300 per year. In addition to providing farm visits andpasture management recommendations, the pasturemanagement program collected data regarding the use ofbest management practices on horse farms in Minnesotaand western Wisconsin, collected preliminary data used topursue grant funding, served as control farms for pasture-related research, and provided an undergraduate researchopportunity for an animal science student.

Comparison of demographic characteristics, animalscience subject knowledge, academic performance andcritical thinking skills in students majoring in animalscience and equine science

M.G. Rossano, S.V. Burk, W.J. Silvia, E.S. Vanzant, A.J.Pescatore, and R.J. HarmonDepartment of Animal and Food Sciences, University ofKentucky, Lexington, KY, 40546, USA

The Department of Animal and Food Sciences at the Univer-sity of Kentucky is conducting a prospective study of studentlearning and degree completion as part of its overall assess-ment program. The first assessment of students occurs whenthey are enrolled in ASC 101 (Domestic Animal Biology), anintroductory animal science class. There, baseline data ofstudent demographics, background, critical thinking skillsand knowledge of animal science are collected. The class isrequired for students in both the Animal Science (ASC) andEquine Science and Management (ESMA) degree programs,and those students comprise the majority of the class pop-ulation. This study was undertaken to describe these twostudent populations and determine whether they differ indemographic characteristics, critical thinking skills andacademic performance. Records from 270 ASC and ESMAstudents in the 2010 and 2011 ASC 101 classes were used forthe analysis. At the start of the semester, students completeda background survey, took a 20-question animal sciencesubject matter test and the California Critical Thinking SkillsTest (CCTST). Later, the students’ final course percent in ASC101 was added to these results. The chi-square test was usedto test for associations in categorical data and the Wilcoxonrank sum or Kruskal-Wallis test was used to test for differ-ences between group means. A p-value of �0.05 was thebenchmark for significance. Results of the study showed thata significantly higher proportion of the ESMA students werefrom out-of-state (62% versus 38% for ASC, p < 0.0001) andwere female (p < 0.005), but the two populations did notdiffer significantly with regard to community type (urban,suburban, rural nonfarm, or rural farm), high school type(public, private religious, private independent or home-schooled), or high school GPA. A significantly higherproportion of ASC studentswere in a pre-veterinary programof study (80% for ASC versus 23% for ESMA students, p <

0.0001) and ASC students scored significantly higher on theCCTST (p ¼ 0.03). The two populations did not differ signifi-cantly in their background knowledge of animal science ortheir final course grade percent in ASC 101. Differences instudent demographics suggest that the twodegree programsattract different populations of students, with a lowerproportion of ESMA students interested in careers in veteri-nary medicine and a higher proportion coming from outsideKentucky. The lower average CCTST score for the ESMAstudents indicates that critical thinking is an area forimprovement that could be emphasized in the curriculum,however the lack of differences in high school GPA, animalscience subject matter knowledge and the final course gradepercent inASC101 suggest thatother skills are also importantto academic performance.

Developing compost management skills throughexperiential learning

R.C. Bott, and E.L. CortusCollege of Agriculture and Biological Sciences, SouthDakota State University, Brookings, SD, 57007

It is critical for college graduates to enter thework force notonly knowledgeable in a topic area, but also confident intheir ability to apply their knowledge.Manuremanagement

Abstracts / Journal of Equine Veterinary Science 33 (2013) 321-399 389

is a major component of horse production. To address thisimportant issue, faculty members from Animal Science andAgricultural and Biosystems Engineering developed anexperiential learningopportunity for SDSU students to learnaboutmanuremanagement and composting. The objectivesof this activity were to assist students: 1) to gain experiencedesigning and constructing a compost pile, 2) to criticallyevaluate compost progress and make appropriate manage-ment decisions, 3) to maintain a logbook of managementdecisions/behaviors, and 4) to develop an understanding ofopportunities and challenges associated with manuremanagement. Twenty-seven collegiate students (sopho-mores, juniors, and seniorswith an equine interest) enrolledin Stable Management participated in the compost activityduring the fall of 2012 geared to exercise their criticalthinking and hands-on manure management experience.This experience included reading assignments, discussions,a field day to construct compost piles, management, andrecordkeeping. A pre-and post-test included content ques-tions, as well as a survey of student’s views on manuremanagement and the associated activity. Survey questionswere designed to have students respond to questions ona scale of 1-5 (1 being minimal or a challenge, and 5 beingmaximal, or opportunity). Students consistently respondedbetween 3 and 4 regarding the importance of manuremanagement, the potential for negative impacts of horsemanure on the environments, and viewing manuremanagement as a challenge or opportunity with no differ-ence between their pre- and post-test. However, whenaskedabout their current knowledge (2.15pre-vs. 3.65post-test) and confidence in their ability to manage manure/compost (2.53 pre- vs. 3.65 post-test), students were moreconfident after the activity (P<0.01). Content knowledgewas also addressed in the pre- and post-tests. Studentknowledge of the optimum temperature and moisturecontent of compost piles increased from 7% to 88%, and 27%to 100%, respectively (P<0.01). More students were able tocorrectly identify the amount ofmanureproduced byhorseseachdayafter the activity (56%vs.100%; P<0.01). During thepost-test students responded on a scale of 1 to 5 (1 beingminimal, 5 beingmaximal) to a series of questions. Studentsresponded with a 3.46 when asked if they enjoyed theactivity, however were more positive when asked if theylearned useful information (4.15), and if they felt theylearned more during this activity than if manure manage-ment had only been covered in lecture (4.1). Points weredistributed so that planning/construction, management/records, and accuracy of responses to content questions onthe post-test were each worth one-third of the activitygrade. Students averaged 92%, successfully meeting theobjectives of the activity. This activity is also suitable for usein advanced nutrient management classes or learningcommunities who meet regularly.

Simultaneous multi-state equine business educationprogram

K. Anderson 1, C. Skelly 2, K.L. Martinson 3, K.L. Waite 2, P.M.Auwerda 4, and G. Heyboer 21 Department of Animal Science, University of Nebraska,

Lincoln, NE, 2Department of Animal Science, MichiganState University, East Lansing, Michigan, 3Department ofAnimal Sciences, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN,4 Department of Animal Science, Iowa State University,Ames, IA

An equine business education program targeted for theNorth Central U.S., but applicable nationwide, was devel-oped byMichigan State University, University ofMinnesota,University of Nebraska, and Iowa State University. Eachstate hosted a simultaneous Extension conference focusingon liability, business finance, marketing, and insurance forequine business owners. There was a single presenter ateach of 4 locations while the other three presentationswere broadcast through an interactive webinar. All fourpresentations were recorded and archived online atextension.org/horses. A Facebook (FB) page and equinebusiness blog were also developed and allow for peerassistance with rural equine business development. The FBpage was also used during the conference to facilitateanswering of questions, connecting the four locations inreal time. Additionally, pre- and post-conference evalua-tions were conducted to determine the impact oneconomic growth within the rural communities in thetargeted states. The Equine Business Conference attracted117 participants between 4 locations. Post-program evalu-ations showed increases in participant learning gains of 138and 150% for the topics of insurance and equine law,respectively.Between 95% and 68% of the conferenceparticipants agreed or strongly agreed the informationobtained from each topic would benefit themanagement oftheir horse operation. All participants indicated theywouldmake at least one change in their horse operationsfollowing the conference, and nearly all (95%) planned tomake changes related to legal issues. Overall, 98% ofparticipants were very satisfied or satisfied with theprogram, and 76% of participants stated the conferenceimproved their ability to make information decisionregarding their horse farm or operation. Thirty-ninepercent of participants owned 11 or more horses, 48% ofparticipants were recreational horse owners, while 26%were industry professionals. A majority of participants(63%) were over age forty, 72% were female, and most (72%)drove less than 75 miles to attend the program. Ninety-eight percent of conference attendees stated they wouldattend a similar program (combination of in-person andonline) again. As of January, 15, 2013, the Equine BusinessNetwork FB page had 677 “likes”, with females (88%) � 35year olds (54%) making up the primary users. An onlinepost-conference survey was conducted approximately 6months following the conference; 21 of the 117 conferenceattendees responding. Fifty percent of respondents madechanges to their liability contracts, waivers and /or equineinsurance. Additionally, 35% indicated they implementednew marketing plans to improve profitability of theirbusiness. Most (60%) respondents indicated they expectedto increased profitability, in part due to their enhancedunderstanding of how to reduce their risk of liability andimproved insurance. The Equine Business conferenceappears to have provided horse business owners valuableinformation.