Discover the Surprising Benefits of Hemp for Stall Bedding

Read the full article for our recommendations!

Also Included in this newsletter:

• New Aerataed Static Pile (ASP) System for Fundacion Puntacana in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic!
• O2Compost Q&A  - Should You Layer Compost Ingredients?

What is Hemp?

Hemp, or "industrial hemp", is a plant in the botanical class of Cannabis sativa cultivars grown specifically for industrial and consumable use.

• Along with bamboo, hemp is among the fastest growing plants on Earth.
• Hemp was one of the first plants to be spun into usable fiber 50,000 years ago.
• It can be refined into a variety of commercial items, including paper, rope, textiles, clothing, biodegradable plastics, paint, insulation, biofuel, food, and animal feed.

Hemp as Stall Bedding

Hemp stall bedding is made from the stalk of the hemp plant, also known as the hurd. The hurd is dried and mulched into a straw-like structure to create the bedding.

Hemp bedding is often used for smaller farm animals such as chickens and rabbits, but it can also be used as a sustainable bedding option for horses.

Read the full article on our blog to find out why Hemp is now emerging as the preferred alternative to shavings and wood pellets for managing horse stalls.

New International Project!

Aerated Static Pile (ASP) System for Fundacion Puntacana in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic!

Jake Kheel, with Punta Cana in the Dominican Republic, studied different options for composting Sargassum (a problematic type of seaweed in the tropics) and determined O2Compost fit their needs best. Read more

O2Compost Q&A

Layering Compost Ingredients

"I recently read a composting book that said I should layer the individual feedstocks as I fill the bin. Is this correct?"

ANSWER: As a procedure for filling a compost bin, layering the feedstock components is an outdated idea. To a degree, this approach will work but not nearly as well as preparing a homogeneous blend of materials, from top to bottom and side to side.

For example, if you add a layer of grass clippings to the bin and then cover it with a layer of horse manure and stall bedding, the grass will collapse and create a barrier to airflow. It would be perfectly acceptable to add the grass clippings, but they should then be turned into the underlying feedstocks to combine the two to a depth of at least six inches.