Combating high fertiliser costs and taking hard work out
of slurry management may now be easier by using a new
bacteria-based product.
Trials undertaken by
Kite Consulting found
that Epizym increased total nitrogen content by 5% and ammonium
nitrogen by 21% in slurry.
Epizym contains specially selected, naturally occurring bacteria
which are activated when mixed with water and are added to the
liquid fraction of the slurry. The bacteria use the slurry as a
food source, digesting molecular-weight compounds - thus lifting
the solids into suspension. This produces a more liquid and
homogenous mix and has also been found to reduce odours by as much
as 50%.
Trials conducted by
Kite Consulting on two
neighbouring dairy farms in Staffordshire found that reduced
agitation time alone brought a saving of £180 for every mixing. And
as agitation takes place up to three times a year, there's a
potential saving of £540.
The increased ammonium nitrogen content has a direct comparison
of 1021kg for 140 cows, valued at £1021. However the liquefaction
process also makes more phosphate available in the year of
application and is valued at £453.
Taking part in the trial, Martin Brown was happy with the
results. "The trial showed an improvement of 21% in ammonium N,
which will hopefully deliver good savings on bagged fertiliser.
Epizym's slurry additive is worth giving a go."
At the start of the trial Mr Brown's tank was 25% full with a
crust on top. But eight weeks after Epizym was applied it was
noticeable the slurry was a more consistent liquid mix and the
odour was greatly reduced.
