Slurry - use it wisely!
Mark Kingston, Countryside Management Branch, DARD
Is your storage capacity still holding out? December saw above average rainfall and with the flooding in January there is no doubt considerable pressure on storage capacity with dirty water having to be collected and stored. Hopefully clean water has not been adding to this volume.
Under the Nitrates Action Plan the closed period for spreading is 15 weeks but the minimum storage capacity required is 26 weeks for pig and poultry enterprises and 22 weeks for other livestock. This additional storage is a valuable buffer in case spreading conditions are not suitable when the closed period comes to an end.
Under the Nitrates Action Plan organic manures must not be applied when:
- Soil is waterlogged. This is when water appears on the surface of the land when pressure is added.
- Land is flooded or likely to flood.
- Soil has been frozen for 12 hours or longer.
- Land is snow covered.
- Heavy rain is forecast within the next 48 hours.
- Land is steeply sloping with an average incline of 20 percent or more and where other factors such as waterways, soil conditions, ground cover and rainfall presents a significant risk of water pollution occurring.
With the increasing cost of fertiliser it is essential to make best use of the range of crop nutrients in slurry. Effectively used, it can reduce the need for buying chemical fertiliser.
When conditions improve slurry and dirty water must be applied close to the ground using spreaders with, for example inverted splash plate, bandspreaders, trailing shoe, trailing hose soil injection or soil incorporation methods. Sludgigator type spreaders and upper facing splash-plates must not be used.
The message? Save nutrients and save the environment – use slurry wisely.
For further information please contact Countryside Management Branch at your local DARD office.
