Friday, 22 March 2024 09:55

Dealing with effluent efficiently

Written by  Staff Reporters
The new 24m BacPac Umbilical ground-level application boom with section control and variable rate flow meter. The new 24m BacPac Umbilical ground-level application boom with section control and variable rate flow meter.

With slurry and dairy effluent being recognised as an asset by most farmers, it makes sense to have it applied in a way that makes the most of the nutrients carried within.

Indeed, by considering it a fertiliser, it should be applied as any other dressing.

German effluent specialists Vogelsang has provided equipment for many years, either attached to a tanker or via an umbilical system, so took the opportunity at the recent LAMMA Show in the UK to display its new 24m BacPac Umbilical ground-level application boom with section control and variable rate flow meter.

At the heart of the BacPac unit is a Krohne flow meter, while Section Control is achieved by the inflation of small balloons in the feed pipes to the part of the boom that needs to be switched off, a valve system said to be unique to the company.

The system is ISOBUS compatible so may be used with prescription mapping or, in the future, a Near Infra Red (NIR) sensor such as John Deere's harvest lab.

The company was also showing its DoubleFlow shoe which splits the flow of slurry, delivering two lines at 12.5cm apart, rather than a larger, more typical layout at 25cm spacing. The company claims this will help achieve a more even distribution of slurry, as well as increasing the surface area in contact with the soil and air, thereby accelerating absorption by the soil and faster aerobic breakdown of the product.

Vogelsang DoubleFlow FBTW

The DoubleFlow shoe splits the flow of slurry, delivering two lines at 12.5cm apart.

Vogelsang notes that the greatest number of complaints about ground spreading is that the process can leave unabsorbed slurry on the surface that can lead to contamination of the cut sward and in severe cases, kill off the grass. By spreading material thinner, this problem is largely avoided.

The double runner system will be available for the UniSpread and BlackBird trailing shoe linkage series from May 2024 and can also be retrofitted to older machines.

More like this

Featured

Editorial: Drones Are Not Toys

OPINION: David Seymour and James Meager's plan to make it easier for farmers and orchardists to operate drones can best be described a 'courageous' move.

Opuha Dam Commissions New Valve in Major Flood Safety Upgrade

Opuha Dam's ability to protect South Canterbury communities from major flooding has taken a significant step forward, with Opuha Water Limited (OWL) successfully commissioning a new outlet valve capable of releasing record volumes of water from the dam ahead of a weather event.

Freshwater Farm Plan Changes Welcomed by Primary Sector

There's been widespread support from the primary sector for the Government's announcement on changes to freshwater farm plans that come under the Natural Environment Bill, which is now set to replace the existing RMA.

National

Machinery & Products

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Domestic Focus

OPINION: After hogging the media limelight for telling a NZ Chinese MP to "go back home", Winston Peters has decided…

A No-Brainer

OPINION: With fuel prices soaring, one would have expected most farmers to be reclaiming excise duty on petrol.

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter