A Vogelsang XSplit slurry separator has helped a Yorkshire farm improve slurry application after silage cuts, ease storage pressures and reduce fertiliser use.
Chris Booth farms with his brother Rob and parents at Village Farm near Bolton-on-Swale. The Holstein herd has doubled to 440 over 30 years, with investment in buildings, a rotary parlour and the separator, installed in January 2026.
“We house the cows and took advantage of the recent FETF grants to invest in a separator. We wanted to improve the quality of our slurry, spread it to the ground more evenly and make better use of it so that we can cut back on fert,” says Chris.
The family farms around 600 acres, including 300 acres of silage leys. Most slurry is applied to grassland after each of four annual cuts.
“In dry conditions we were seeing a lot of fibrous material left amongst the grass. We apply using a 12 metre trailing shoe so this was even more evident than when we used to use a splash plate because we would see lines of solid material between the grass. We have always spread slurry after each cut, but with shorter windows between cuts, often only 5 weeks, we wanted to avoid potential contamination from slurry being picked up when silaging,” he says.
Housed in a purpose-built building, the XSplit receives slurry from an adjoining reception pit, depositing solids in a bunker and pumping liquid to storage.
“We are in the process of building a new lagoon to extend the months of storage on the farm. This will help us over winter and filling it with separated slurry will make pumping out much easier when we come to make our first application in the spring,” he adds.
The separated liquid is quicker to pump and requires less fuel, while solids can be transported for top dressing.
“The separation process helps us to keep the nitrogen-rich liquid in the tank where it can be pumped out using our umbilical kit or transferred to tankers to be sent to areas of the farm that we can’t reach with pipes. The solids hold the majority of the P and K which helps us to balance what the soil and crop needs before and during the growing season,” he says.
Despite dry conditions, the farm produces sufficient silage, although fast-growing grass varieties demand careful timing.
“The grass mixes grow quickly and we want to cut it at its best so we have moved to four cuts a year. This means more labour but we are happy to invest because we know the herd is getting the grass at its best. By using separated slurry, we have a longer application window after cutting which makes a big difference,” he says.
Chris applies 35 cubic metres per hectare in early March, reducing this to 25 after each cut.
“Applying with a trailing shoe enables us to get the liquid on to the ground and, now the solids have been reduced significantly, we have seen it soaking in to the soil rather than being left on the surface. This means we can cut at the right height, knowing that the risk of contamination is far less than before,” he says.
Bought-in fertiliser use has decreased since installation, and Chris expects further reductions. Better slurry management supports the farm’s wider focus on feed efficiency.
More information about the XSplit slurry separator.