Market update      

While driving neighborhoods is an excellent idea to help you decide which locations you prefer, it’s not a very efficient way to find your new home. Gas is expensive, and your time is valuable. Your Buyer’s Agent will listen to your needs, make fantastic suggestions based on your likes & dislikes, and provide you with a list of homes that ALL match your wants & needs. Your Buyer’s Agent has helped MANY new homebuyers through MANY purchases, and will help you better organize your search & decision making process – saving you valuable time.3) Representation

Listing Agents enter into legally binding agreements that require them to ALWAYS act in the best interest of the seller. They are the seller’s “coach” and will make sure that their clients’ best interests are looked after. Luckily, your Buyer’s Agent is there to make sure YOUR best interests are accounted for. With your expert Buyer’s Agent in your corner, you can rest assured that you’re on, at least, even ground with the home seller. A football team would be at a pretty significant disadvantage without a coach – just as you would be without a Buyer’s Agent.4) Negotiating Power

The MLS maintains a record of, not only all homes listed by Realtors in a given market, but also the sales price of those homes. Your Buyer’s Agent will run a Comparative Market Analysis (CMA) to determine a prospective home’s Fair Market Value (FMV). In simpler terms, your Realtor will look at similar homes in the same neighborhood that have sold recently. This way, you will know whether or not the seller has their home priced fairly. If the home is priced over Fair Market Value, your Buyer’s Agent can present your “under asking price” offer with plenty of firepower – and a greater chance that the offer will be accepted.5) Experience

It takes a lot of people to close a real estate transaction – Buyer’s Agent, Listing Agent, Loan Officer, Inspector, Appraiser, Insurance Agent, General Contractors, and sometimes more! A good agent will come with a strong closing team that has performed in the past, and will continue to perform. A transaction is only as strong as its weakest link – with your strong Buyer’s Agent & their closing team, you can rest assured that you will have plenty of support.7) Piece of Mind

 One of the first questions asked that day was how old is a senior horse.  The answers were all over the place.  Some said 30 and others said 25.  The industry standard is 20 and over.  My mare is pushing 20, but she wouldn’t appreciate being called a senior.  She’s still as active as ever and enjoys a good hunt.  Some horses are still performing at 25. 

If you ever get the chance to sit in on this class again, please treat yourself as well as your horses and come on out.

Topics include better preventative medicine, nutrition and management. This  program will help any horse owner or barn manager that currently cares for or will care for a geriatric horse. It is being offered in response to the growing number of older horses in the area and will provide the most up-to-date information on adequately caring for aging equines.

The November 8 Charlottesville Program will be held in the Department of Forestry Building from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m., and the November 9 Front Royal Program will be held at Celebration Hall in the North Warren Volunteer Fire and Rescue Building from 8:00 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Early registration received by October 26 is $20; late registration is $25 and must be received by November 5.

The registration fee includes attendees’ conference materials, lunch and refreshments. Both sites are easily accessible from major interstates and offer plenty of free onsite parking. For more information on the Charlottesville Program, please contact Carrie Swanson. Extension Agent at the Albemarle-Charlottesville VCE Office, (434) 872-4580 or cswanson@vt.edu. And for more information on the Front Royal Program, please contact Crystal Smith, Extension Agent at the Warren County VCE Office, (540) 635-4549 or crystal.smith@vt.edu.

1. Seed pasture and lawn grasses - August 15 to September 15 is the best time of year to seed or reseed your pastures. Common grass species used are timothy, orchard grass, and smooth brome. Turf type lawn grasses like Kentucky bluegrass can be used for higher traffic areas and serve as a good  base for your pasture.
2. Take soil samples - See if your pastures need any nutrients. Any time from now until the ground freezes is a good time to take samples because the soils are drier and more stable. The plants have also taken up the majority of nutrients for the season. Contact your county Extension office or a university soils lab for a sample kit.
3. Take manure samples - If you are going to fertilize your pastures with manure, sample the manure first so you know how much you should spread. The Department of Agriculture has a list of certified manure testing labs. Only spread manure on your pastures if you have more than two acres per horse. However, spreading additional manure (other than what the horse naturally leaves behind) on your pasture can result in greater chances of parasite exposure.
4. Fertilize - Use manure, compost, or a commercial fertilizer. As stated in points 2 and 3, test your soils first so you know how much you need. Often, only nitrogen is needed in pastures since manure provides quite a bit of phosporus.
5. Weed control - If you want to control perennial weeds with an herbicide, now is the time. Perennial plants are storing nutrients for winter in their roots. As the nutrients go into the roots, so will the herbicide, giving the best change for a successful kill. It is best to have mowed the perennials through out the summer so they are not so mature. Herbicides usually work best on re-growth or plants that are four to eight inches in height.
6. Check fences - Make sure your fences are in good shape before winter.
7. Rest the pasture - If you have a pasture that is over grazed, rest it for the rest of the year. This will give the grass a chance to store up nutrients for next year so the pasture will be healthier in the spring. On average, a pasture needs 30 days of rest after two or three weeks of grazing. However, this depends on time of year, number of horses, acreage, quantity and quality of forage, and soil fertility.
Generally speaking, pasturing horses over winter causes damage to plants and offers the horse no nutrition. Keeping the horses in a sacrifice paddock where they have access to hay, water and shelter is preferred.
8. Get ready to take animals off pastures during frosts, if that is common in your area - Hoof traffic after a frost can damage grasses. Have a sacrifice area set aside where the animals can be held until the grass thaws.

- by Betsy Gilkerson, Technical Advisor, University of Minnesota Extension Service.

Hay generally falls into one of two categories - grasses or legumes. Legume hay is higher in protein, energy, calcium and vitamin A than grass hays. While hay alone may not meet the total dietary requirements of young, growing horses or those used for high levels of performance, high-quality hay may supply ample nutrition for less active adult horses.

Once you’ve determined the best category of hay for your horse, most people select hay based on how it looks, smells and feels. Use the following tips from the American Association of Equine Practitioners to select the best hay for your horse:

 1. It’s what’s inside that counts.
Ask that one or several bales are opened so you can evaluate the hay inside the bales. Do not worry about slight discoloration on the outside, especially in stacked hay.

2. Choose hay that is as fine-stemmed, green and leafy as possible, and is soft to the touch.

3. Avoid hay that is overcured, excessively sun-bleached, or smells moldy, musty, dusty or fermented.

4. Select hay that has been harvested when the plants are in early bloom for legume hay or before seed heads have formed in grasses. Examine the leaves, stems and flowers or seed pods to determine the level of maturity.

5. Avoid hay that contains significant amounts of weeds, dirt, trash or debris.

6. Examine hay for signs of insect infestation or disease. Be especially careful to check for blister beetles in alfalfa. Ask the grower about any potential problems in the region.

7. Reject bales that seem excessively heavy for their size or feel warm to the touch, as they could contain excess moisture that could cause mold, or worse, spontaneous combustion.

8. When possible, purchase and feed hay within a year of harvest to preserve its nutritional value.

9. Store hay in a dry, sheltered area out of the rain, snow and sun, or cover in the stack to protect it from the elements.

10. When buying in quantity, have the hay analyzed by a certified forage laboratory to determine its actual nutrient content.

For more information about choosing hay, ask your equine veterinarian for the “Hay Quality and Horse Nutrition” brochure, provided by the AAEP in partnership with Educational Partners Bayer Animal Health and Purina Mills, Inc. More information about nutrition also can be found online at the AAEP’s horse health Web site, www.myHorseMatters.com.

-Virginia Horse Journal (July 2007,pg. 26)