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

DairyNZ thanks farm staff

August 6 marks Farm Worker Appreciation Day, a moment to recognise the dedication and hard mahi of dairy farm workers across Aotearoa - and DairyNZ is taking the opportunity to celebrate the skilled teams working on its two research farms.

Editorial: Getting RMA settings right

OPINION: The Government has been seeking industry feedback on its proposed amendments to a range of Resource Management Act (RMA) national direction instruments.

Why is butter so expensive in New Zealand? Fonterra explains

Kiwis love their butter, and that's great because New Zealand produces some of the best butter in the world. But when the price of butter goes up, it's tough for some, particularly when many other grocery staples have also gone up and the heat goes on co-operative Fonterra, the country's main butter maker. Here the co-op explains why butter prices are so high right now.

National

Machinery & Products

Fliegl offers effluent solutions

Founded in Germany as recently as 1977, today, the Fliegl Group employs more than 1100 workers, offering an expansive range…

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Fatberg

OPINION: Sydney has a $12 million milk disposal problem.

Synlait snag

OPINION: Canterbury milk processor Synlait's recovery seems to have hit another snag.

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter