Reduce Slurry storage pressure
Following recent grants, slurry separation has become an investment priority for many livestock farms. However, the full benefits of separation are rarely considered or appreciated when installing separators, as Vogelsang’s Andy Hayhurst explains.
“Most now know that separators can reduce the amount of slurry being stored by up to 25 percent. This is an attractive goal for those reaching the top of their storage, but it is only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to benefits of slurry separation,” he says.
He suggests that separating slurry helps improve its nutrient value, reduces crust formation, creates green bedding, helps with nutrient use efficiency and will reduce the strain on pumping and application equipment. The combination of which can save a farm many thousands of pounds.
“Not everyone wants to work with green bedding, although the cost benefits are clear to see and we have worked with farms to install Vogelsang XSplit separators that are saving £40,000 a year on bought-in bedding material. Even if there is no intention of using the solid fraction for bedding, the cost saving of transporting it long distances can be up to 40 percent less than transporting liquid,” he says.
With growing pressure on farms to cover slurry comes a new consideration about how to manage stored slurry that is harder to access and stir.
“If no rainwater is reaching a slurry store, then stirring is going to be critical to stop a thick crust forming. A crust is essentially wasted space. The material can’t be extracted or pumped and, even when mixed, it is hard to break up all the lumps. Separating slurry makes it much easier to store under cover and, with a relatively small internal stirrer, a crust shouldn’t form,” he says.
The knock-on benefit to never having a crust but maintaining a store with homogenous liquid slurry is that the whole store is full of ready to go, natural fertiliser. In addition, the liquid fraction is also higher in nutrients because there is no crust forming to lock up any available nutrients.
“When it comes to wanting to use slurry, separation is the ultimate preparation. A separated liquid fraction will be much cheaper to pump as it will require narrower pipe and less power from a PTO or engine driven pump. It will also pump faster and over longer distances, making umbilical application possible for upwards of two miles,” he adds.
To maximise the nutrient value of separated slurry and guard against a crust forming in covered slurry, some farms are using slurry inoculants such as SlurryBugs. Research has shown that SlurryBugs can reduce crust formation by 29 percent.
“Using inoculants with beneficial bacteria and fungi helps to increase the nutrient value of slurry. In some cases this can mean increases in nitrogen, potassium, phosphorus and sulphur of up to 15 percent. The further benefit is that the bugs reduce the likelihood of any crust forming even if slurry is covered, which means no more checking the slurry and wasting time breaking up a crust,” he says.
Having a nutrient-rich, liquid slurry that pumps more easily will also help with application accuracy. Mr Hayhurst suggests that a well-maintained liquid slurry will flow more evenly, enabling it to be applied and incorporated more efficiently.
“A further benefit of a well-maintained liquid is reducing crop contamination and making sure all the nutrients reach the soil. If thick slurry is applied in dry conditions, the dry matter forms lines on the surface that lock up nutrients. When the crop is cut or baled this can cause silage or bale contamination,” he adds.
Machinery efficiency and longevity will benefit from maintaining a homogeneous slurry without a crust. Reducing dry matter will reduce the strain on pumps and macerators and the likelihood of any blockages or blow outs.
“The lower the dry matter content, the easier and more accurate application becomes. With a well separated liquid, a flow meter or variable rate application, it then becomes possible to accurately apply slurry like chemical fertiliser. This will save time, money and labour, all by getting slurry management right from the start and treating slurry as a valuable fertiliser not a problem,” he concludes.
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