Muck & Slurry continued from p17
ing gone before. We are look- ing forward to be working on a project looking at new potential food systems, with sustainabili- ty and closed loop ideals at their core.”
Durham University research- er Elaine Fitches described the project as a fantastic opportuni- ty to join forces with experts in crop nutrition at Warwick Uni- versity to understand the value of insect frass for crop and soil health in the UK. She said: “At Durham, we will
conduct complementary funda- mental research to explore how frass can be used to boost plant immunity and will seek to explain the molecular mechanisms un- derpinning enhanced plant re- sponses to pathogen attack.” The project is part of a £10m
funding package from the UK Government’s Industrial Strat- egy Challenge Fund to construct the UK’s fi rst large-scale indus- trial insect farm and accelerate the development of sustainable food production systems.
Fliegl launches chain manure spreader to market
G
erman machinery man- ufacterer Fliegl has launched a new chain manure spreader aimed at larger farmers and contractors. The company has introduced
the KDS 270 Muck Control spreader to meet increased de- mand for machines to spread sol- id manure as opposed to liquid slurry. It follows a prototype mod- el exhibited at last year’s Agritech- nica event.
Since then, Fliegl says there has been a lot of tinkering, devel- opment and testing to get the KDS spreader ready for market. It is a universal spreader with a scrap- er fl oor and a horizontal two-disc spreader.
The loading space of the KDS
270 is 1.4m high, 2.15m wide and 7m long, giving it a capaci- ty of around 21m³. The load com- partment with side walls and fl oor made of fi ne-grain steel sits on a tandem chassis consisting of a hol- low beam frame.
Both materials are extremely stable and yet light. The mechani- cal suspension of the axles and hy- draulically sprung drawbar with pivotable drawbar ensure a high level of driving comfort and prac- ticality.
The scraper fl oor consists of
two chains with 140 chain links each. Each individual chain link has a breaking load of 50tonnes. The scraper fl oor is driven hydrau- lically via a side gear and the speed can be continuously adjusted.
A hydraulic feed control valve separates the loading area from the spreading unit. To guarantee an optimal sealing, it has an inter- nal frame guide. The opening posi- tion can be adjusted continuously on the control terminal.
The driver receives informa- tion about the opening width of the gate valve via a fi ll level indica-
On-farm emissions reduced by proactive management
Better slurry management is vital for UK agriculture to achieve its goal of reaching Net Zero carbon emissions by 2040, say experts. Livestock farmers need a com- prehensive understanding of the environmental impact of slurry for the sector to reach the ambi- tious target a full 10 years ahead of the government’s 2050 goal for the UK as a whole.
Adopt change A proactive approach to slurry management, coupled with the willingness to adopt change, is going to be key in achieving the sector’s aspirations, explains An-
18 MIDLAND FARMER •DECEMBER 2020
drew Sincock, commercial direc- tor at Agriton UK.
“Many dairy farmers will use lime as a bedding powder to help prevent mastitis and other path- ogenic diseases. But what many don’t currently know is that the reaction between the ammonium in slurry and the lime can lead to the release of large volumes of car- bon dioxide and nitrogen.” There is evidence to suggest that 1000kg of lime can react with ammonium in the slurry to release up to 440kg of carbon di- oxide, and 280kg of nitrogen in the form of ammonia, says Mr Sincock.
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