Farm Horizons • Feb. 6, 2017 • Page 6
the goal is to get to six. Other products include oak feeders, fencing, barn doors, gates, dog kennels and custom orders.
The northern white oak in Great Oak Equine products has naturally occurring tannins that act as a preservative and give the wood a bitter taste, which keeps horses from chewing on the wood. All the hardware for the pens and fencing is made in-house, and panels are designed to discourage a head or foot getting stuck.
“ It’ s all about the horse,” said Tusha, whose focus is the safety of horse and rider.
The premium products come at a price, but are built to last three generations. It’ s an investment that’ s not out of reach for most horse owners, Tusha thinks.
“ Our competitors in this industry, their products really aren’ t long lasting,” Tusha said.“ I’ m not after the wealthy horse people. I’ m really after the everyday horse enthusiast.”
Not just horse enthusiasts in Minnesota, either. Great Oak Equine ships constantly to Texas, which has the highest horse population in the country, and across the United States. Most orders come from the Midwest.
Tusha is driven by an interest in design and the appeal of beautiful products that are useful.
“ Everything is done by hand,” he said.“ After they’ ve worked for me for a year,( my employees) are craftsmen.”
For more information, contact Stephen Tusha at( 952) 232-7115, or visit Great Oak Equine’ s website, www. greatoakequine. com. •
Bill authored regarding mowing ditches
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Rep. Chris Swedzinski( R-Ghent) has authored a bill he said aims to protect a sizeable number of Minnesota landowners who have expressed concern over expanded Minnesota Department of Transportation( MnDOT) permitting governing roadside ditches.
The crux of the issue is, MnDOT recently changed its statewide permitting standards for mowing and baling in the right-of-way. Swedzinski said the changes add an unnecessary burden on property owners, altering the way some families have managed their land for more than half a century.
“ People are frustrated,” Swedzinski explained.“ They see this as another example of government encroachment with unelected bureaucrats in St. Paul making decisions that illustrate yet again how out of touch they are with rural Minnesota.”
Specifically, Swedzinski’ s bill( H. F. 124) prohibits road authorities from regulating when ditches may or may not be mowed, and also prevents requiring permits to be obtained for mowing.
“ This is about being practical and protecting property owners,” Swedzinski stated.“ We all care about roadside habitats for birds and other wildlife and want to be good stewards of our land, but this kind of agency overreach needs to be held in check. State statute has been in place regarding mowing ditches since the 1980s, so why are the agencies just now deciding to add more red tape?”
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