Maximise nutrient retention in slurry to reduce fertiliser costs, crusting, odours and greenhouse gas emissions.

Treat your slurry as an asset

Slurry produced by, and stored on farms is a valuable source of nutrient which can be used as a fertiliser to improve the growth yield and quality of crops. However, with European legislation forcing farmers to store their slurry for longer, the retention of these beneficial nutrients becomes a more arduous task. During long periods of storage up to 80% of fresh slurry nitrogen can be lost to the atmosphere as ammonia and methane gasses.

The combined action of the specialised blend of naturally-occuring bacteria and enzymes in "SlurryBugs" with our unique micro-nutrient supplement "SlurryBooster" retains 70% of the nitrogen that would normally be lost to the atmosphere as ammonia gas (odour). Additionally the extra phosphate and potassium retained within the slurry maximises long term soil health allowing increased microbial activity and growing capacity for crops.

Untreated cattle slurry is worth approximately £25.00 per cow/annum and by treating slurry and targeting the true potential through treatment with SlurryBugs and Booster this figure can be worth at least £95.00 per cow/annum.

Issues to consider when storing slurry

Crusting

When storing slurry, the formation of a crust caused by fibrous particles floating to the top of the lagoon prevents oxygen and light entering the lagoon resulting in lower microbial activity to break down the manure solids.

The enzymes produced by SlurryBugs in combination with the enzyme mix in the SlurryBooster application degrade much of the undigested fibre that causes crusting. This achieves more liquefied slurry with less odour.

Odour

The production of ammonia from slurry releases unpleasant odour and can lead to acidification of soils and over-fertilisation of sensitive crops due to ammonia deposition. The SlurryBugs process of metabolising ammonia into organic nitrogen reduces odour and provides a slow release mechanism that helps prevent acidification of the soil.

Greenhouse Gas Emissions

Slurry is responsible for the emission of greenhouse gases carbon dioxide, methane and nitrous oxide. If carbon dioxide is considered as the baseline strength of greenhouse gas then methane is 25x more potent and nitrous oxide 250x more so.

Furthermore, despite ammonia not being classed as a greenhouse gas, it can be effectively converted to nitrous oxide which as decribed above is an extremely potent greenhouse gas.

Recently published data from ADAS and DEFRA assume 70% of all nitrogen in 6% dry matter cow slurry is lost to the atmosphere. Through use of SlurryBugs and Booster at the correct rate over 2/3rds of this lost nutrient can now be captured for plant uptake.

Gas tests at Lancaster University, during summer 2010 revealed that after 5 weeks treatment of slurry with SlurryBugs there was a threefold decrease in CO2 levels and a twofold decrease in methane emissions in comparison to the untreated samples taken from the same cows.

Action of SlurryBugs and Booster

SlurryBugs is composed of a combination of freeze dried bacteria and enzymes in powder form which must be mixed with warm water and can be applied to slurry collection tanks, channels and lagoons.

The bacteria work by establishing themselves in the slurry, dominating the environment and competitively excluding other bacteria from the lagoon. The addition of our unique micronutrient pack SlurryBooster maximises the microbial action of the SlurryBugs and increases biological activity by 8 times.

The specific strains of bacteria in this inoculant combination achieves retention of nitrogen by metabolism of ammonia into organic forms of nitrogen which is then fixed and more available for plant uptake

Improvements in available nitrogen following SlurryBugs and Booster treatment have been proven in recent trials at Myerscough College, Lancashire.

Summary

• Increased Nitrogen retention
• Reduced odours
• Liquefied slurry for easier handling
• Reduced fibrous crusting
• Optimised plant uptake
• Potential savings of £20,000 in ammonium nitrate fertiliser bills per annum

Methods of Application

Manual Application

Requires mixing 100g SlurryBugs and100ml SlurryBooster with warm water. This mixture must the be added to slats/collection tanks for every 10,000 gallons of slurry (approx. 45,000 litres) to be treated. For optimal results this application should be implemented when the lagoon is almost empty, leaving enough slurry in the base of the tank to allow the added bacteria to populate this space. For every 10,000 gallons added this process should be repeated.

This New extra-strength formula allows you to experience all the highly effective benefits already provided by the original SlurryBugs formula however can provide double the power for extreme situations. SlurryBugs Crust Buster is suited to deal with busting more difficult cases of fibrous crust.

Automated Application - The SlurryBooster System

The SlurryBooster automatic dispensing system is supplied as a complete serviced unit with a 20 litre SlurryBugs and a 20ml SlurryBooster drum. Run by
a solar panel the SlurryBooster System dispenser is installed at the farm lagoon and automatically administers the recommended rate of SlurryBugs
and SlurryBooster per day. The System is fully maintained by EnviroSystems providing improved efficiency and reduced man hours.