Bugs boost value of slurry Farmers can boost the nutrient value of their slurry and make significant input cuts by adding one simple minimal cost treatment to their waste storage tanks.
It’s no longer just a case of where there’s muck there’s brass! Farmers are now able to able to go that one step further, boost the nutrient value of their slurry and make significant input cuts by introducing one simple minimal cost treatment to their waste storage tanks this season.
Savings of £4,100 per year in nitrogen fertilizer costs, based on a 150 cow herd producing 1,200 tonnes of slurry per winter, and an average nitrogen retention of 70% were recorded in trial findings at Myerscough College with Liverpool John Moores University featuring slurry inoculated with SlurryBoster + SlurryBugs. In addition, grass silage dry matter levels also increased by up to 20% and soil nitrate levels were reduced.
The trials were carried out on third cut silage swards at Myerscough College’s dairy unit and featured three treatment plots; slurry treated with SlurryBooster + SlurryBugs innoculant, slurry treated with SlurryBooster + SlurryBugs innoculant plus 65 units N/ha and a control of untreated slurry. Each treatment was applied to RB209 requirements at 70m3N/ha during July month, and replicated four times.
“When SlurryBooster + SlurryBugs treated slurry plus fertilizer was applied to swards they yielded on average 17.7t/ha of fresh grass, a value 10% higher than that observed when innoculant treated slurry only was applied, and 40% higher than the control,” explains Myerscough College farm manager, Roger Leach. “However, swards treated with innoculated slurry yielded the highest dry matter percentage grass of 20.3% DM. More importantly, these swards returned the largest grass dry matter yield of 3.25t/ha of all the treated slurry plots.” See table 1.
Table 1: Comparison of the three treatments on grass yields and residual content
|
|
Untreated slurry (control) |
Innoculant treated slurry |
Innoculant treated slurry + 65 units N |
|
Grass yield (t/ha) |
12.6 |
16 |
17.7 |
|
Grass DM content (%) |
17.1 |
20.3 |
16.1 |
|
Grass DM yield (t/ha) |
2.15 |
3.25 |
2.85 |
|
Grass sugar content (kg/t) |
49.6 |
60 |
59.3 |
|
Residual Soil Value |
|
|
|
|
N as nitrate (mg/kg) |
2.9 |
2.36 |
2.6 |
|
Ammonium nitrate (mg/kg) |
0.74 |
0.54 |
0.65 |
|
Phosphorus (mg/l) |
3.8 |
4.8 |
4.8 |
|
Potassium (mg/l) |
185 (2+) |
161 (2-) |
155 (2-) |
“In addition, all plots receiving treated slurry returned a higher grass sugar content when compared with the control, thereby lending to the silage’s potential for an improved fermentation, and subsequent palatability. Finally, when the soil was tested for residual N one week after cutting, the plots to which innoculant treated slurry had been applied recorded levels lower than the control suggesting that nutrient uptake by the plants has been more efficient.”
Liz Russell of Envirosystems who sponsored the trial says: “These findings confirm the potential opportunities available to all farmers to reduce the fertiliser bill as well boost the nutrient value of their slurry and subsequently forage value by introducing one simple treatment at minimal cost.
“The system comprises two active ingredients; SlurryBooster is a complex micronutrient formulation that actually increases the bacterial activity in the slurry while SlurryBugs contains naturally occurring bacteria which metabolise ammonia, reducing odour and preserving N content. These same bacteria also produce enzymes that breakdown the organic material in slurry,” she explains. “When introduced to slurry together in the lagoon, they supply an innoculation that improves the nitrogen concentration and also reduces the need to mix by ensuring efficient conversion of solid material into liquid nutrient.”
David Phillips manages a 250 cow pedigree Holstein herd at Trebared Farm, Carmarthen where he has found that introducing the SlurryBooster + SlurryBugs innoculation to the unit’s 500,000 gallon storage tank is contributing to savings in nitrogen and fixed costs worth approximately £1,000 per year. “We have to empty the tank five times a year, a far from straight forward operation because of crusting and separation,” he explains. “We had the hassle of turning out the cows so we could lift up the slats to get in and agitate the slurry, a job that took five hours managed by one person before he even started spreading.
“Since we first introduced the bugs three years ago, agitation has been virtually eliminated apart from a five minute mix at the tank exit. We’ve saved on labour and fuel and we now have a slurry that lends itself to injection – it’s consistent and in spreadable form. In addition, odour has been naturally reduced.
“Furthermore, we’re aware that the bugs have helped to increase the slurry’s N content and we’ve made instant savings to the fertilizer bill; we’ve cut back on bagged nitrogen by 25 units N/acre across 200 acres of silage swards,” he says. “I’m also aware from our silage analysis that sugar content has consistently improved.”
David says he is now able to depend totally on nitrogen in the inoculated slurry applied to his 60 acre maize crop, and he is aware that it is helping to improve the soil’s residual N. “We take samples of soil for analysis every other year and N indexes have improved by x, over an x year period.” He adds: “Overall, apart from the financial savings, I think the improved slurry is encouraging better root development and a healthier plant which has to bode well for our farm’s overall sustainability.”
Call Envirosystems to find out more: 01772 860 085
Or fill in our enquiry form HERE and we'll contact you!!
