Installing two separators has improved slurry management for a dairy unit milking 680 cows, by increasing storage and helping the wider farm benefit from more accurate nutrient use efficiency.
The Vogelsang XSplit separators were installed for Joe Spiby at Chalder Farm in West Sussex as part of a more comprehensive slurry system that includes a new lined lagoon and a series of settlement lagoons which have been designed to help manage the large quantity of sand used to bed the herd.
“Sand is the enemy of most machinery, but it is the most hygienic way to bed cows. Because we were happy with the bedding system we wanted to find a way to reduce the amount of sand in our slurry and use it more effectively by not having to dig it out so often from our reception pits,” says Joe.
The solution was to install the separator above the lagoon receiving slurry from the farm’s sheds. Acting as a reception pit the contents of the lagoon are fed through the separator which removes up to 25-30 percent of the dry matter along with some of the sand.
This provides a top dressing which is exchanged for straw with neighbouring farms, and a liquid which is pumped through a series of smaller lagoons to remove as much sand as possible before reaching the new lined lagoon.
“It is very costly to remove the silt and sand from the main lagoon. We do this twice a year and wanted to reduce the time and machinery cost needed to manage the process. This has the knock-on benefit of giving us a homogenous liquid that is easier to apply to crops,” he explains.
As part of a Marks & Spencer contract, the herd is grazed during the season with only high yielding cows housed during this time. Despite the grazing system, the slurry burden was too high to meet new regulations. Joe conceded that there needed to be a change to reduce the amount of slurry be stored.
“The separated liquid is much easier to store, pump and apply so we feel like we have had multiple benefits from the system change and bringing in the separators,” he says.
The two XSplits have been mounted on a trailer to provide flexibility and reduce the installation costs by not having to build a concrete platform. This has created an additional benefit and income for the farm because Joe now offers separation as a service to neighbouring farms, by towing the trailer with the separators and a generator to other stores.
“We don’t intend to offer a full contracting service, but having the XSplits on a trailer gives us options and doubles up as a way to make use of them locally,” he adds.
Having established the new system, he is already starting to see the benefits of applying separated slurry. The liquid fraction is easier to pump, the flow is more consistent through the dribble bar applicators and it is absorbed more efficiently into the soil.
“We are still in our infancy with this system, but the application of slurry is so much better than before, and because we have very little sand, the liquid is not so damaging to our machinery,” he says.
The farm has 12 metre and 24 metre Vogelsang dribble bars that can be used with a tanker or the farm’s umbilical system. Since using separated slurry from the new lined lagoon, Joe has noticed benefits throughout the system.
“Pumping to both the umbilical and tankers is faster which is saving time. The liquid is also passing through the macerators faster and the flow is more even which means we can work both more accurately and efficiently in the field. The further benefit is to soil health because we are applying a liquid that can be absorbed faster.
“In the past we have had thick slurry that has sat on the soil surface, with much of its nutrient value left unutilised. Now it sinks in straight away,” he says.
As part of the farm’s Marks and Spencer contract, there is a focus on fertiliser usage efficiency (NUE) with a secondary aim to reduce its carbon footprint.
“We are unlikely to get to a per field tailored application rate, but we do want to know what the soil needs, and what the slurry can offer because this is helping us to reduce our bought in fertiliser use. At the moment we are applying at 25 cubes per hectare after first cut and 30 cubes is going down on maize ground before we drill,” he says.
Half of the farm’s 500 acres is set to permanent pasture using an SFI herbal ley which is grazed and foraged. 150 acres is used for grass silage, which is double cropped with maize and clamped with the remaining area used for further grazing.
“It gives us ample opportunity to make good use of slurry. Now we have more capacity and greater control over how we use our slurry I think it will translate into a more cost-effective system for the whole farm,” he concludes.
More information about the XSplit slurry separator.