Liquid or solid fert spreading

Liquid or solid fert spreading


  • Total voters
    78

Adeptandy

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
PE15
Solid, quicker and frees the sprayer up.
Being a tenant farmer I’m not sure on future so holding back in bulk tank install due to expense, I do have the equipment to go liquid though
 

Flatlander

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Lorette Manitoba
Solid is usually cheaper here and liquid is a larger bulk to handle and store. Used to be liquid and liked the accuracy of applications but by the time you buy storage tanks pumps and add the extra cost per unit of NPK or S it’s nit that attractive. Bought an 8 ton pneumatic spreader and I can run in any amount of wind with no striping. Also no issue with sub standard fertilizer that can be found at a discount.
 

Drillman

Member
Mixed Farmer
Just changed to liquid here.

reason been we had an ageing spreader and sprayer as well as storage issues for bags.

So liquid tank in the yard frees up shed space

And on our smaller number of acres, putting the fert spinner replacement money into a better sprayer that would do 2 jobs was the logical way forwards.
 

ajd132

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Suffolk
Gone back to solid after many years liquid. Partly due to in increase in area and not wanting to double up with sprayers.
new spreaders are so much better than they used to be.
Much bigger range of product available and you are less caught in a duopoly.
in genera terms though I don’t think one system is better than the other just whatever works for you logistically.
 

snarling bee

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Bedfordshire
We use both.
Lots of reasons, many expressed above. Works for us.
Usually do one dose on all winter wheats and barleys with liquid.
Sprayer will travel before tractor and spinner so it will probably be first dose this year as new agronomist encouraging N asap in spring.
Section control on spinners nowadays is awesome.
I don't like last dose scorch on cereals with liquid.
We have a lot of in field obstacles.
 

Jim75

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Easter ross
Both have a place. Gone all liquid N next yr, biggest benefit has been on our grass, quicker response, more accurate and no need to worry about flinging fert into ditches and no bags to get rid of and no shed taken up space with bags. Just need to be organised when arranging the next delivery to top up the tank. Only problem with the liquid is having large numbers of stock on a paddock system sometimes requires bit of thinking and assistance to negotiate stock. Did one field half and half with N32 and extran and should really have plate metered it but noticeable difference in terms of growth especially in a drier spell with the liquid
 

PSQ

Member
Arable Farmer
Planning on that how do you melt it down ?
Add urea to water in some form of open top tank and agitate continuously. It’s an endothermic reaction so it needs lots of heat from the surroundings to complete, to the point that the tank will form a frost rhind in anything less than 15 degrees air temperature. Typically it will take 12 hours for the rhind to melt at which point you’ll know the reaction is complete, but have a poke on the bottom of the tank with a stick to make sure. Good agitation is key, so use a 2” pacer / 330L/m pump or larger, with Venturi type jets. The warmer the ambient temperature the faster it will complete. At 5 Celsius it takes an age, above ten a lot better, above 15C is ideal.

Recipe per 1000L of N20.4%:
704L of water
444 kg urea
859183B6-68D0-4B95-AD32-B2308897BDE2.jpeg
 

Oscar

Member
Livestock Farmer
Liquid, 1000t plus / yr , need a lot of sheds for that !! Instead have 7x 50 t storage tanks spread about on 3 farms and use three bowsers , 13000ltr,10000ltr and a 5000ltr to move around plus fastrac.
Oh yes , land is spread over 35 miles long .
Easier to pump and move , no bags to dispose, fix price in summer but only take it when needed and then pay after delivery so better for cashflow , got close but have never run out yet ! ( great service from Hugh Jackson , who does haulage )
 

robs1

Member
Add urea to water in some form of open top tank and agitate continuously. It’s an endothermic reaction so it needs lots of heat from the surroundings to complete, to the point that the tank will form a frost rhind in anything less than 15 degrees air temperature. Typically it will take 12 hours for the rhind to melt at which point you’ll know the reaction is complete, but have a poke on the bottom of the tank with a stick to make sure. Good agitation is key, so use a 2” pacer / 330L/m pump or larger, with Venturi type jets. The warmer the ambient temperature the faster it will complete. At 5 Celsius it takes an age, above ten a lot better, above 15C is ideal.

Recipe per 1000L of N20.4%:
704L of water
444 kg urea
View attachment 1005013
We have our old 3000 litre bulk tank was thinking of using that, fill with the required amount of water turn on the agitators and have a bin above with a slide on to slowly let the fert in
 

ajd132

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Suffolk
Last summer we bought a western drill filler. Means with both drilling and fertiliser we run back to our two main sites which each serve about 1000ha. Can get about 8-10t in it. Worked well with drilling and saves all the hassle of running trailers and loaders around.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 77 43.0%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 62 34.6%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.8%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.7%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 4 2.2%

Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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  • 1
As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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