Slurry

[neilo]

Oh oh! That's another stumbling block for me as well. Why does it need that much power though?

I've only seen one separator working and that was, must be a couple of decades ago. The only thing I really remember about it was the stringent smell of the solids.

The actual separator doesn't need much power (unless it's a 'screw press' type), but the slurry needs pumping to the separator, which is usually on a gantry to allow the solids to fall somewhere. If you have a gantry high enough to allow a decent stack underneath (the solids stack steeply like FYM does, so it doesn't spread out much) then you might need a macerator pump that can lift it 5m or so. That's where the power is needed.

I guess you could use a tractor powered pump, but you'd need to have it running for quite a few hours each day, so hardly ideal.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Yes, I know. That's why I started the topic. There are plenty in a really bad position, far worse than mine, but we haven't heard from them at all, and no wonder with trolls like caveman and 7610superQ being what they think as being clever dicks.

What about giving it to other farmers . Dont you like that idea

 

[lazy farmer]

3 phase electric ?

Yes we put it in with the new parlour. Nearly 20 yrs ago???

 

[Doc]

Interesting thread and some valid points here about paradigms and perspectives.
I think the evidence for climate change is irrefutable, we are not even at the sharp end in the UK. No Significant rain for 3 years and an increasing dry and warming trend would focus thoughts more in this regard than a wetter than usual autumn.
So, we are lucky it’s ‘how do I get rid of slurry’ rather than ‘how do I generate any income as we have no rain/feed’.
But, problems belong most to those who they affect and solutions tend to be local because we are all self interested at the end of the day.
In the context of increasingly wet and mild weather, management systems will simply have to change if we are to stay with status quo and perhaps the ‘rules’ with them.
Oops, bit of politics there.
It really means less slurry or better, sustainable mechanisms to deal with it long term and surely systems better than simply storing/dumping it in big holes. Simply chucking problems in holes never works long term imo.
Maybe complete revision of stocking rate to ‘your country’ or environment and even further, global thinking ie: import what isn’t sustainable locally to produce.
In other industries it’s often outputs in the form of waste and costs of disposal that limits viability as much as availability of inputs to an enterprise. I mean by this that there is little point producing something that costs more to do so than it earns to produce it.

Then again, if the Gulf Stream fades, it’ll be Arctic in Wales and paradigms shift again and you’ll be able to spread it all winter on the permafrost.

With regards the OP. Spread little and often and maybe fill a big bag or two to postpone the problem and hopefully you’ll get weather lucky.

 

[DRC]

What about giving it to other farmers . Dont you like that idea

Does anyone else want slurry at the moment , as unless they have a spare lagoon, the land is too wet to spread it on.
Locally I’m hearing of AD guys, desperately looking for anyone with a spare lagoon .

 

[digger64]

[QUOcan't Cowabunga, post: 6642676, member: 718"]
Yes, I know. That's why I started the topic. There are plenty in a really bad position, far worse than mine, but we haven't heard from them at all, and no wonder with trolls like caveman and 7610superQ being what they think as being clever dicks.
[/QUOTE]
Why cant you as a temporary measure put some chopped straw or similar in the dung passages and scrape out with a loader bucket and load daily as solid manure like a pig farmer would and put in a heap in the field till circumstances change ,would not eliminate dirty water totally but would buy you some time , idiotic thinking I know but us failures have to be resourceful you know sometimes to survive , by the way you might have to put some nice straw in the cubicles to keep the cows laying in the right place like the old cow sheds but I expect you are a good enough stock man to realise that .

 

[pappuller]

Yes we put it in with the new parlour. Nearly 20 yrs ago[emoji46][emoji46][emoji46]

The luxuries you southern boys have [emoji23]

 

[Cowabunga]

What about giving it to other farmers . Dont you like that idea

I've done that before. Must be about 15 years or more ago though. Nobody is keen to take it and certainly not when its wet. It doesn't help perhaps that I only have a semi-circle of land around me. Which limits my potential somewhat or double the distance for the same area as if I had a full circle of land around me.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Does anyone else want slurry at the moment , as unless they have a spare lagoon, the land is too wet to spread it on.
Locally I’m hearing of AD guys, desperately looking for anyone with a spare lagoon .

Tanker would go on mine .
A jetter pipe even better
But i aint having it if it has Docks in

 

[DRC]

Tanker would go on mine .
A jetter pipe even better
But i aint having it if it has Docks in

Thought you’d take some to help @Cowabunga out

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Thought you’d take some to help @Cowabunga out

If he separates it will take all hes got

 

[Tarw Coch]

Interesting thread and some valid points here about paradigms and perspectives.
I think the evidence for climate change is irrefutable, we are not even at the sharp end in the UK. No Significant rain for 3 years and an increasing dry and warming trend would focus thoughts more in this regard than a wetter than usual autumn.
So, we are lucky it’s ‘how do I get rid of slurry’ rather than ‘how do I generate any income as we have no rain/feed’.
But, problems belong most to those who they affect and solutions tend to be local because we are all self interested at the end of the day.
In the context of increasingly wet and mild weather, management systems will simply have to change if we are to stay with status quo and perhaps the ‘rules’ with them.
Oops, bit of politics there.
It really means less slurry or better, sustainable mechanisms to deal with it long term and surely systems better than simply storing/dumping it in big holes. Simply chucking problems in holes never works long term imo.
Maybe complete revision of stocking rate to ‘your country’ or environment and even further, global thinking ie: import what isn’t sustainable locally to produce.
In other industries it’s often outputs in the form of waste and costs of disposal that limits viability as much as availability of inputs to an enterprise. I mean by this that there is little point producing something that costs more to do so than it earns to produce it.

Then again, if the Gulf Stream fades, it’ll be Arctic in Wales and paradigms shift again and you’ll be able to spread it all winter on the permafrost.

With regards the OP. Spread little and often and maybe fill a big bag or two to postpone the problem and hopefully you’ll get weather lucky.

I’m not sure that I understand let alone agree with your ramblings, other than the last paragraph. One things for sure, spreading on a permafrost might not be a problem as far as traveling on the land is concerned but it will be in breach of EA guidelines and I think I’m right in saying, cross compliance rules.

 

[Agrispeed]

Whilst I agree with a lot of sentiments here, a slurry bag would be a good investment.

I'm in an odd position of being a dairy farm that imports slurry. I bought a 80,000l bag for digestate for about £3k, and I know of a 800m3 one that was about £30k. Portable so require no planning (although you could bund it if you were worried) and my small one can be rolled up and moved fairly easily by one person. I know this as the first one they delivered had completely the wrong fittings!

If I had a block of ground i was carting to I would seriously consider buying one so I could cart slurry during winter and save time spreading in the spring anyway.

 

[Cowabunga]

Only need to go back 20 minutes to find this one.

Bye, bye. I'll leave you to stop digging your hole. Probably deep enough to hold most of your surplus slurry now I should imagine.

Yet again I don't see what you are bitching about. I asked you to justify your previous allegation which once more you failed to do and you now allege that my asking you to justify it and therefore proving that you are not a chip-laden troll is somehow unwarranted. Yet STILL you do not come up with the goods. Because, quite simply, you are making it up as you go along.
Where's me calling you a liar? Where are the other things I asked you to substantiate? There's nothing but half arsed, illogical, irrelevant rubbish, which in my book is trolling. It is such fun to watch and read though.

 

[ridger]

The solution to pollution is dilution

 

[Tarw Coch]

The solution to pollution is dilution

Well that shouldn’t be a problem this year then........................allthough I’m not sure the EA would agree.

 

[ollie989898]

No amount of docks would put me off taking free slurry. The value of the potash in it is considerable and would more than pay for you to spray every acre for weeds annually. £30 an acre does not buy much P or K these days.

 

[Doc]

I’m not sure that I understand let alone agree with your ramblings, other than the last paragraph.

That’s ok. Lots don’t either.
It all basically saying short term solutions are fine but maybe to stop having to keep applying the sticking plasters, the root cause may need looking at. Blah, blah.

 

[Ukjay]

The solution to pollution is dilution

I'm afraid it isn't.

The solution to this pollution is better management, contingency or better design - simples.

 

[Cowabunga]

Interesting thread and some valid points here about paradigms and perspectives.
I think the evidence for climate change is irrefutable, we are not even at the sharp end in the UK. No Significant rain for 3 years and an increasing dry and warming trend would focus thoughts more in this regard than a wetter than usual autumn.
So, we are lucky it’s ‘how do I get rid of slurry’ rather than ‘how do I generate any income as we have no rain/feed’.
But, problems belong most to those who they affect and solutions tend to be local because we are all self interested at the end of the day.
In the context of increasingly wet and mild weather, management systems will simply have to change if we are to stay with status quo and perhaps the ‘rules’ with them.
Oops, bit of politics there.
It really means less slurry or better, sustainable mechanisms to deal with it long term and surely systems better than simply storing/dumping it in big holes. Simply chucking problems in holes never works long term imo.
Maybe complete revision of stocking rate to ‘your country’ or environment and even further, global thinking ie: import what isn’t sustainable locally to produce.
In other industries it’s often outputs in the form of waste and costs of disposal that limits viability as much as availability of inputs to an enterprise. I mean by this that there is little point producing something that costs more to do so than it earns to produce it.

Then again, if the Gulf Stream fades, it’ll be Arctic in Wales and paradigms shift again and you’ll be able to spread it all winter on the permafrost.

With regards the OP. Spread little and often and maybe fill a big bag or two to postpone the problem and hopefully you’ll get weather lucky.

You make some interesting points there, some of which I alluded to earlier. Many farmers are needing to and ready to invest in more and new slurry storage. However it is unclear what kind of storage will be needed and be acceptable moving forward. Will open top stores be acceptable? Will lagoons be acceptable and/or will they even be able to capture gas if required?
From the general information being written, it does seem that there are some drastic changes ahead but nobody wants to jump the gun and spend on the wrong systems, ones that may not be acceptable under new regulations and schemes. I was at a meeting a few weeks ago where the new 'environmental payment' scheme was discussed and it seems that any support we get in future will be directly to help fund specific things as I mention above, which will be compulsory as I understand it. That includes banning spreading by splashplate, increasing the area per unit of muck/slurry, phosphate limits as well as tightening N limits, plus a severe curtailment of the months when muck/slurry is allowed to be spread. In fact it will probably impact on most modern dairy farms severely.

The salient point is that nobody really knows the details yet, so most people are waiting to see what is to be expected of us and indeed to see whether any such investment and its management is viable for their own business.