Slurry Utilisation Demonstration
A large crowd of farmers gathered recently on the farm of William Moore, Limavady to view a demonstration of slurry spreading using shallow injection and discuss the benefits of using this technology on grassland.
The evening began with a presentation from Paul McHenry, CAFRE Business Technologist. Paul highlighted the impact on farm profitability of the escalating cost of inputs, such as bagged fertiliser, concentrate, and fuel. Beef and lamb producers were urged to use the CAFRE Benchmarking Programme as a means of monitoring their farm production costs and identify areas for future cost control.
The focus of the evening then turned to the issue of Nutrient Management with emphasis on the efficient use of slurry. Allister Calvin, CAFRE Beef and Sheep Development Adviser, Limavady, outlined the need for soil analysis to provide a foundation for nutrient planning. He emphasised the importance of lime to correct the soil pH. Having the soil pH between 6.0-6.5 allows the full and efficient uptake of the nitrogen, phosphate and potash in slurry and bagged fertiliser. For example, at a soil pH of 5.5 only 48 percent of phosphate is available to the plant.
It was stressed that with the rising cost of artificial fertiliser, slurry should be considered as a valuable farm resource. Table 1 gives an indication of the nutrient content of various slurry types and their associated values based on the current cost of bagged fertiliser.
Table 1: Nutrient Value of 2000 gallons of slurry (Spring Application)
| Nitrogen (units/2000 gallons) |
Phosphorous (units/2000 gallons) |
Potash (units/2000 gallons) |
Value (£ per 2000 gallon) |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pig Slurry | 36 | 36 | 42 | 50 |
| Dairy Slurry | 20 | 22 | 42 | 35 |
| Beef Slurry | 14 | 22 | 42 | 32 |
Allister stressed the following advantages of slurry injection over the splash plate method of spreading:
- Reduced ammonia loss resulting in higher nitrogen availability compared to splash plate spreading. This improved efficiency covers the extra cost of injection.
- Slurry injection allows spreading on grazed areas to become a viable proposition with each 1000 gallons applied saving the equivalent of one 50 KG bag of fertiliser per acre.
- Very low grass contamination was observed at the demonstration even when applied to moderate grass covers. Stock readily graze pasture one to two days after injection.
- To satisfy environmental regulations slurry can be spread up to 3m from a waterway (compared to 10m with splash plate) allowing a bigger area of the field to benefit.
- Reduced smell is an attractive proposition for farmers who live near built up areas.
- The value of placement of nutrients closer to plant roots was illustrated by the improved grass growth on areas previously covered with the slurry injector.
CAFRE acknowledges the assistance provided by W Moore, Drumsurn and W and J Stewart, agricultural contractors, for their contribution to the success of this event.
Allister Calvin (CAFRE) centre and James and William Stewart agricultural contractors discuss the merits of the slurry injector.
Local farmers discuss slurry injection with agricultural contractor Jimmy (James) Stewart.