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Abbey Agri Pro takes the trailing shoe to hilly ground.
Low Emission Slurry Systems (LESS) have driven the Irish effluent application scene for many years, with a government funded initiative targeting dairy farmers to utilise effluent and slurry more efficiently.
This led to many manufacturers offering simple dribble bar set ups, which as the name suggests, sees a tanker equipped with boom that carries multiple outlet pipes that “dribble” effluent onto the ground.
Unfortunately, the latest round of grants under the Targeted Agriculture Modernisation Schemes (TAMS 3) has seen the dribble bar systems excluded, leading to a gnashing of teeth by farmers and indeed, manufacturers.
Leading feeding and effluent equipment manufacturer Abbey Machinery, based at Nenagh in County Tipperary, has taken note of the furore surrounding the exclusion and produced the Agri Pro trailing shoe applicator, which, it claims, can better cope with hilly ground.
Described as a low emission slurry spreading (LESS) applicator, the 7.7m Agri Pro trailing shoe is TAMS grant eligible and maintains direct soil engagement in a new streamlined design.
The company suggests that the failure to recognise the inability of existing trailing shoe applicators to cope with less than flat paddocks was one of the main criticisms of the latest round of TAMS grants.
Abbey has taken the opportunity to design and manufacture an updated LESS applicator that provides precise trailing shoe application and soil engagement on hilly or uneven ground, with enhanced contour following.
The 7.7-metre-wide unit is equipped with a 30-hole distributor to ensure a consistent and homogenous flow of effluent to the 40mm hoses spaced along the leading edge of the boom.
This new applicator is said to be designed to maintain downward force on the individual shoes while remaining as lightweight as possible, aiding stability on slopes.
The vertical trailing shoe is said to leave the slurry in discrete lines on the soil below the crop canopy, with a configuration that also includes a self-levelling boom that adjusts to the paddock’s contours.
Abbey’s head of engineering, Dermot Burke, comments: “At Abbey, we are experts in engineering slurry management solutions, so the new Agri Pro trailing shoe is a natural extension of our Total Cow range.”
While the Agri Pro trailing shoe will pair happily with Abbey’s wide range of slurry tankers, it can be purchased as a standalone unit for retrofitting to other brands of tanker.
Research suggests that up to 90% of the nutrient value in effluent can be retained if the material is used efficiently, with additional benefits being gained by increasing soil organic matter, leading to improved water holding, aeration and drainage.
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