BD500 Horn Manure dug up May 18, 2010

Horn manure, aka BD 500, is made by filling empty cow horns with fresh manure from Jack Rabbit Hill’s own lactating cows, and burying the filled horns in the ground from Sept thru May every year. Stored in horns and buried for the winter, the raw green manure becomes a woodsy-smelling, dark, spongy humus. The humus is then stirred in water for an hour and quickly sprayed in the vineyard, hopyard and pasture.

The horn manure spray stimulates life (fungus, animals and plants!) in the ground, which in turn keep our vines, hops, pasture, and livestock happy!  Our 5 horns above can make a year’s worth of “compost tea” for our entire farm!