| Muck & Slurry
Maximising slurry value
Michael A.O’Grady, Sales, Marketing & Business
Development Manager, Abbey Machinery.
nimals typically
only use 15-20% of
what they eat. The
rest comes out as
waste and it needs
to be stored and
applied to land in an
environmentally friendly and
efficient-manor as possible. But,
slurry as a waste product provides
very valuable nutrients that can
help to reduce purchased fertiliser
burdens on farm.
A
www.farmingmonthly.co.uk
Fertiliser value of slurry
The value of slurry depends on
the current price of chemical
fertiliser - Nitrogen (N),
Phosphorus (P) and Potassium (K)
and the quantity of chemical
fertiliser it replaces. Teagasc
(Irelands National Agricultural
Research and Advisory body for
farmers) estimate the value of
slurry (based on March 2017
fertiliser prices) to be
approximately €1 per kg N, €2 per
kg P, and €1 per kg K (convert to
Sterling for local values against
local purchased fertiliser costs).
The fertiliser value will depend on
the amount of nutrient that is
actually available for plant u ptake
at time of application and weather
conditions.
The Nitrogen content in slurry
exists in the form of ammonium-N
(which is readily available for plant
uptake) and inorganic compounds
(which are less available for plant
uptake). Slurry, typically contains
40-60% of the total N content in
the form of ammonium-N and the
efficiency of recovery of
ammonium-N depends on the
weather conditions at the time of
application. Applying in cool moist
weather in spring rather than
summer increases the amount of
ammonium-N that is captured by
the crop and reduces losses of N
resulting from ammonia
volatilisation.
Launching NEW Slurry
Management
Abbey Machinery’s new ‘Guide
to Slurry Management’, involves 6
key steps:
1. Storage & Preparation of
Slurry
2. Slurry Transportation
3. Application Technology
4. Environmental
Considerations
5. Minimising Compaction
6. Nutrient Management
Unveiling New DM Band Spreader
Applicator
This is a class leading, 7.5
metre Door Mounted Band
Spreader that can be retro-fitted to
the rear door of a Slurry Tanker.
There are additional support
brackets and a welded bracket on
the dish end for improved working
life. It is mounted close to the
slurry tanker for optimum weight
transfer to the hitch. Comes
complete with a Vogelsang ExaCut
distributor to prepare and present
the slurry to each of the 40mm
pipes. The booms are vertically
folding for convenient
transportation. The applicator
presents the slurry in lines on the
soil with the benefit of trapping the
ammonia nitrogen below the crop
canopy to harness more nitrogen,
reduced smell and overall faster
crop performance.
The value of slurry depends on
the current price of chemical
fertiliser - Nitrogen (N),
Phosphorus (P) and Potassium
(K) and the quantity of chemical
fertiliser it replaces
Shows in November
Abbey have a stand At
AgriTechnica in Germany in Hall
27, Stand C56 from 12-18th
November and at Agri-Scott on
14th November.
For further information contact
Michael A.O’Grady, Sales,
Marketing & Business
Development Manager, Abbey
Machinery on 00353-67-26677 or
visit www.abbeymachinery or visit
their Facebook page.
November 2017 | Farming Monthly | 35