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Wales Farmer 2 ADVERTISEMENT September 2013


SOIL NUTRIENT MANAGEMENT PLAN VALUES TREATED SLURRY


Welshfarmers workingwithspecialistADAS advisors on nutrientmanagementplans are realisingthattreated slurry canproduce massive


savingsonthe costofcompoundfertiliser.


“Iffertiliser is accurately appliedand more useismade of slurry nutrients there’sthe potentialfor farmerstosavea small fortune,”saysADAS consultant Gethin Evans.


NorthWales dairyfarmer TudurJones, TynRhos, Betws-y-Coed, lookslike saving over £5000 ayearon hisfertiliser followinghis


decisiontotreat hisslurrywithaninoculant accordingtoan on-farm trialcarried outbyADAS.


Figures producedbyADASrevealedthatanutrientmanagement plan undertakenatthe farm hadenabled £9.30 an acretobesaved on fertiliser applications forthissummer’s second cutsilagecrop.


At an eventheldatTyn Rhos, organisedbyFarmingConnect andthe Lancashire-based companyEnvirosystems whichhas developedthe inoculantSlurryBugs, theimportanceofsoil analyses to produce aclear profile of all nutrients present, was explained to farmers.


Butaswellascapitalisingonthe valueofslurrybytreatingitwith an inoculanttoexploit it’s full manurial benefit,farmers heardwhy it wasnecessary to analyseslurryprior to use.


ADAS consultant Gethin Evanshas been monitoring soil indices on upland farmsinnorth Wales. “Theresults of thesoil nutrientanalyseswe’ve been workingwithindicatethatmany farmerscould make significantsavings on fertiliser billsand ensure their land receivesprecisely what it needs. It’s away of making themosteffectiveuse of on-farm resources –and slurry is apartofthat.”


LizRussell of Envirosystems told farmersthattreatingslurry with thebacterial inoculantSlurryBugs hadthe potentialtomake savingsofupto75% on nitrogen fertiliser costs by capturingthe nitrogen that wouldotherwise be losttothe atmosphere.


“That representedasavingof£5anacre(£12/ha) on N, 80p an acre(£2/ha) on Pand £3.50 an acre(£9/ha) on K. That’s£9.30 per acreofslurryspread. On 250 acres at £9.30 an acrethat’s£2325 per application,”saysLiz Russell.


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Shesaidthere hadbeenabig increase in thedry matter of the treatedslurryatTyn Rhos whichhad reached242kgDM/1000 gallons. Andevenafterthisshort period therehad been an improvementintotal nitrogen -from3.6 units perfresh tonne of slurry to 4.88 units. There wasamarkedimprovement in the slurry’s phosphorus contentwhichhad almost doubledaswellas increasesinsulphur,potassium andmagnesium.


“Thetwo most relevant aspectsofaslurryanalysisare thepHand thedry matter.Theaim is to improvethe nutrientvalue of liquid slurry andtoachieve apHthatwill encourage aerobic activity. Andtreatingslurryinthe summer is important. It’s atimewhen bacterialactivityinthe storebenefits from risingtemperatures, even though treating slurry is often considered to be awinterjob.”


SlurryBugs is theonlyslurryinoculant verifiedbyADAStrials. To ensure youuse theoriginalSlurryBugs contactthe advisory team at Envirosystems on 01772 860085


“Evenafterlessthan12-weeks of weeksoftreatment with SlurryBugs at TynRhosthe analysishad alreadyshown significant improvements in both thedry matter of theslurryand arange of nutrients.


“Based on an applicationof3000 gallonsanacre(33 cubicmetres aha) thetotal Nhad increasedby17.4 units an acre(21kg/ha), theammoniaNwas up by 13.5 units aacre(17kg/ha), totalPhad risenby6.87 units an acre(98kg/ha) andtotalKwas up by 28.26 units an acre(35kg/ha).


BenefitsoftreatingslurrywithSlurryBugs


✓ Cutfertilsercosts by at least33% ✓ Reduce crusting &odour ✓ Liquifiedslurryfor easier spreading ✓ Increase retentionoforganic N,P&K ✓ Reduce risk of leaching&run off ✓ Reduce carbon footprint


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ACCEPT NO IMITATIONS


INNOVATION FORAGRICULTURE


www.envirosystems.co.uk |find us on www.slurrybugs.co.uk


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