Trailing Shoe Slurry Spreading Demonstrations
By Martin Mulholland
Demonstrations of Trailing Shoe Slurry Spreading systems have been held at venues across Northern Ireland over the past two months. These local events have been well attended with over 300 farmers observing the system in operation. Demonstrations were held at: Antrim, Ballymoney, Cookstown, Donaghcloney, Dungiven, Hilltown, Markethill, and Newtownards.
Value of Slurry Nutrients
Slurry from housed livestock in N. Ireland has a fertilizer value of £20 million as it contains valuable sources of plant nutrients in the form of Nitrogen, Potash and Phosphate. The method and timing of slurry spreading dictates how successfully these nutrients are used by the growing crop whether grass or arable. Spreading slurry using systems such as the Trailing Shoe can improve the utilization of slurry nitrogen and maintain high rates of grass growth. This is particularly important where inorganic fertilizer application levels are limited under the Nitrates Directive.
Trailing Shoe Technology
Recent research at AFBI, Hillsborough has demonstrated that spreading slurry using a Trailing Shoe slurry tanker increases the utilization of slurry nitrogen by up to 25 percent compared to conventional splash plate application systems. The resultant saving in fertilizer costs is worth up to £16 per hectare depending on application rate. This new technology has been adopted as management policy on the Greenmount Campus dairy unit to increase nitrogen utilization from slurry and reduce fertilizer costs. Additional benefits of the technology include:
- A wider window of opportunity to apply slurry before and between silage cuts,
- Opportunities to utilize slurry in grazing systems without tainting the grazing sward,
- Reduced smell from slurry spreading, and
- A less visible operation in the countryside
Ongoing Research
Research studies to date have proven that the Trailing Shoe slurry spreading technology has many benefits to offer in terms of improving slurry nitrogen utilization and widening the spreading window during the growing season. Research studies into this technology are continuing at AFBI, Hillsborough to determine the impact of repeat applications by trailing shoe and splash plate on sward characteristics and grass quality.
Slurry being spread by Trailing Shoe at Greenmount Campus following first cut silage harvested at the beginning of May