How to maximise the value of slurry

Pat Tuohy and William Burchill join Emma-Louise Coffey on this week’s Dairy Edge podcast to discuss how farmers can maximise the value of slurry through tactical use and having optimum storage facilities on farm.

At the outset, William says, if you are not prepared to go with bagged fertiliser, you should not be willing to slurry. In order for this to play out on farm, William explains that farmers need sufficient storage to allow flexibility in their system, particularly in late January and February.

William quantifies the value of slurry at €40/1,000 gallons with a nutrient profile of 9 units of Nitrogen, 5 units of Phosphorus and 32 units of Potassium. 

William explains that 80% of the value of slurry comes from the P & K components and how farmers need to be tactical about where they spread (paddocks with low P & K or silage ground), how (LESS technology) and how much (using the appropriate rate). 

William acknowledges the variation in nutrient value of slurry, be it covered or uncovered tanks or the type of stock feeding into the tank, and recommends farmers consider slurry sampling to know the exact profile of the slurry product.

Patrick has put an estimate of capital investment in slurry storage for typical options farmers choose from slatted tank, €790 per cow (€450/foot), to over ground tank, €835 per cow, and slurry bag, €325 per cow.

In an ongoing study across 100 dairy farms in Ireland, Pat recognises the contribution of rainwater whether to uncovered storage facilities and runoff not being channelled away from tanks. This can put existing facilities under significant pressure throughout the closed period.

For more information:

https://www.teagasc.ie/media/website/events/2023/Slurry-Storage-and-handling---how-best-to-invest.pdf

For more episodes from the Dairy Edge podcast go to the show page at: 

https://www.teagasc.ie/animals/dairy/the-dairy-edge-podcast/

The Dairy Edge is a co-production with LastCastMedia.com