125 A forage-based educational needs assessment for equine operations in Maryland

Abstract

The objective of this project was to collect and formally document information on the forage-based educational needs, preferences, and challenges for equine operations in Maryland. To accomplish this, a needs assessment survey was conducted online using Qualtrics TM during April/May 2020. The survey was open to all equine owners and managers and consisted of 36 questions designed to collect information on educational preferences, management practices, and forage-related challenges or successes. The survey was completed by 47 respondents within the equine industry. Most respondents were female (64%) and 35 to 64 years old (76%). Most respondents owned or managed 1 to 25 equids (90%), and many had been involved in the industry for more than 20 years (44%). The most common grazing method was simple rotational grazing (rotation every 3–10 d; 54%), followed by continuous pasture (no rotation; 38%). Pasture supplied 51 to 75% of their horses’ forage intake for 44% of respondents and 26 to 50% of forage intake for 29% of respondents. Only 17% of respondents had completed a forage analysis within the last 2 years, while 71% of respondents completed regular soil testing (every 3 years or less). Rank-type questions were used to determine preferred educational resources and formats (including both in-person and online options), topics of interest, and forage-related challenges; questions were analyzed on a scale of 1 to 4, with 1 indicating no value/interest or least challenging and 4 indicating a high value/interest or most challenging. Respondents used a variety of resources to obtain forage-related information, with other owners receiving the highest rating (3.11), followed by internet websites (2.94) and local farm suppliers/dealers (2.89). The most preferred formats for receiving information were internet webpages (2.94), online videos (2.89), and newsletters (2.81). Interest was greater for topics pertaining to grazing/pasture management and soil health/fertility compared with forage/hay production. Specifically, respondents showed the greatest interest in education on weed control (3.62), extending the grazing season (3.45), fertilization practices (3.30), and grazing management for utilizing spring growth (3.23) and combating the summer slump (3.23). When asked to identify limitations to improving forage production, a lack of adequate time or labor (2.55) and a lack of machinery or equipment (2.40) were listed as most limiting. The results of this assessment will be used to help Extension educators generate more effective forage-related educational programming to better meet the needs of the equine community in Maryland.