We would love to hear your feedback on a new Severn Trent Fertiliser we're developing

Badshot

Member
Location
Kent
To a greater or lesser extent sludge gets hauled all over the country too... if eventually all sludge went through the process it would end up being transported no further than sludge whist being perhaps 40% lighter without the water content. For most farms the sewage works is a lot closer than the docks too....

I would expect properly calibrated twin discs should spread the pellets at least as accurately as a muck spreader can spread sludge, even if that might mean putting it on to stubbles at 12m rather than 24 or 36...

We really can not afford to pee P and K out to sea, we do need to recover as much as possible.

However I do share the concerns of many commentator here. The NPK is all welcome but its all the other difficult chemicals and microplastics that give concern around any applications of recovered sewage be they sludge or pelleted sludge. Independent analysis is really important.

I do like the suggestion that if ST are confident in the safely profile the best route would be give the product for free to farmers in catchments with water quality problems...

Growers should expect to pay for high purity crop nutrients but landowners should be paid and paid very well when providing a commercial waste disposal service.
But you won't be allowed to put it on in the autumn because they've banned it!!!
No nitrogen applications of any kind unless there is a crop need, and that means osr only.
Which with insecticides useless is diminishing in area rapidly.
 

Steevo

Member
Location
Gloucestershire
To a greater or lesser extent sludge gets hauled all over the country too... if eventually all sludge went through the process it would end up being transported no further than sludge whist being perhaps 40% lighter without the water content. For most farms the sewage works is a lot closer than the docks too....

I wonder which is more efficient....

1) hauling "wet" sludge direct to farm and spreading it, or
2. using energy drying the sludge to then haul that more concentrated form to farm and spreading that

It seems a little strange to spend energy drying a product, that as soon as it's spread on farm will only get wet again. Yes it's saving "haulage" energy in terms of diesel etc., but it's also using energy that could be used to replace gas/electricity to heat a domestic home.
 

Tamar

Member
Hi Katie,

Your product is a waste from your industry, that is going to cost you a considerable amount to dispose of if farmers don't take it. I hope you don't expect farmers to pay for it, especially as it probably contains some shocking amount of contaminants ?

As a farmer I pay firms to take my waste, even though they then turn it into a saleable product.

So could I please ask, 'How much are Seven Trent paying farmers to dispose of their waste?'
 

Humble Village Farmer

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
Essex
But you won't be allowed to put it on in the autumn because they've banned it!!!
No nitrogen applications of any kind unless there is a crop need, and that means osr only.
Which with insecticides useless is diminishing in area rapidly.
I suspect the catalyst for developing this technology is more flexibility in the transport storage and spreading opprtunities, so it's easier to get rid of (and charge farmers more to take their waste away).
 

farmerm

Member
Location
Shropshire
I wonder which is more efficient....

1) hauling "wet" sludge direct to farm and spreading it, or
2. using energy drying the sludge to then haul that more concentrated form to farm and spreading that

It seems a little strange to spend energy drying a product, that as soon as it's spread on farm will only get wet again. Yes it's saving "haulage" energy in terms of diesel etc., but it's also using energy that could be used to replace gas/electricity to heat a domestic home.
fair point, I guess that depends on how portable and how suitable the energy form is domestic purposes...
 

farmerm

Member
Location
Shropshire
But you won't be allowed to put it on in the autumn because they've banned it!!!
No nitrogen applications of any kind unless there is a crop need, and that means osr only.
Which with insecticides useless is diminishing in area rapidly.
maybe, maybe not... the current interpretation of that is unstainable and counterproductive....
 

JSmith

Member
Livestock Farmer
Severn Trent polluting the environment AGAIN!!! Thought they’d of had enough on their plate decontaminating all the land they’ve polluted in the past!! All very well pleading how green you are now an what your doing to change your spots, but there is a historic back log of damage done to the environment by YOUR firm to deal with first, damage to land, the environment and people’s lives that can’t be undone!!
 
I’m sure I read somewhere that we should be price makers, not price takers. Perhaps those in the area should state how much they would be prepared to pay/ get paid.
That was sound advice from George Eustace ( the very first sensible thing I have seen from him )
But, he is out of touch with reality. The only farmers who set their own prices are those who have diversified away from mainstream commodity production.
 

Humble Village Farmer

Member
BASE UK Member
Location
Essex
That was sound advice from George Eustace ( the very first sensible thing I have seen from him )
But, he is out of touch with reality. The only farmers who set their own prices are those who have diversified away from mainstream commodity production.
Maybe he means if you want to stay in business...
 

yellowfrog

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
somerset
back in the early 90s we tried pelleted sewage sludge in conjunction with wessex water . 25ton was made by wessex water in big bags 750kg? each . put through our fert spinner problem 1/ had to go so slow to get the correct rate .problem 2/ spinning discs annialated the pellets almost to dust problem 3/ any moisture what so ever and the pellets sucked it up like sugerbeet nuts in a puddle , rendering it to a horrible mess in the hopper . only way to spread that was in a dung spreader. problem 4/ any whatso ever pin pr*ck in plastic bag see problem 3/. due to the problems we encounterd the idea was quickly forgotten about
 

Banana Bar

Member
Arable Farmer
Location
Bury St Edmunds
I think it has mileage. 5-10% N is too low however. I’ve taken Thames and Anglian Water Biosolids for 20+ years, if this product could replace the massive amount of bulk in Biosolids and the often difficult spreading in the autumn I would be very interested.
Im happy for you to PM me.

BB
 

wr.

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
Breconshire
Only if they want to be…
And there will be those who will be willing to contaminate their land with this stuff because it's cheap.
There are loads of semi dried sewage going to farms up the road from me every morning now. It's dumped, FOC in fields adjoining the roads for farmers to spread at their convenience. Heavy rain washes this stuff into watercourses, pushing the P levels up in rivers and it's agriculture takes the blame. The whole of Wales is now in an NVZ as a result.
It's been heartening to read the negative positive responses to this thread. If I'm correct, only one has expressed an interest in taking it. 🙄
 
And there will be those who will be willing to contaminate their land with this stuff because it's cheap.
There are loads of semi dried sewage going to farms up the road from me every morning now. It's dumped, FOC in fields adjoining the roads for farmers to spread at their convenience. Heavy rain washes this stuff into watercourses, pushing the P levels up in rivers and it's agriculture takes the blame. The whole of Wales is now in an NVZ as a result.
It's been heartening to read the negative positive responses to this thread. If I'm correct, only one has expressed an interest in taking it. 🙄
Probably those on an FBT with no long term responsibilities.
 

SFI - What % were you taking out of production?

  • 0 %

    Votes: 79 42.5%
  • Up to 25%

    Votes: 65 34.9%
  • 25-50%

    Votes: 30 16.1%
  • 50-75%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 75-100%

    Votes: 3 1.6%
  • 100% I’ve had enough of farming!

    Votes: 6 3.2%

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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