Bacteria save fertiliser costs

Combating high fertiliser costs and taking hard work out of slurry management may now be easier by using a new bacteria-based product.

Trials undertaken by Kite Consulting found that Epizym increased total nitrogen content by 5% and ammonium nitrogen by 21% in slurry.

Epizym contains specially selected, naturally occurring bacteria which are activated when mixed with water and are added to the liquid fraction of the slurry. The bacteria use the slurry as a food source, digesting molecular-weight compounds - thus lifting the solids into suspension. This produces a more liquid and homogenous mix and has also been found to reduce odours by as much as 50%.

Trials conducted by Kite Consulting on two neighbouring dairy farms in Staffordshire found that reduced agitation time alone brought a saving of £180 for every mixing. And as agitation takes place up to three times a year, there's a potential saving of £540.

The increased ammonium nitrogen content has a direct comparison of 1021kg for 140 cows, valued at £1021. However the liquefaction process also makes more phosphate available in the year of application and is valued at £453.

Taking part in the trial, Martin Brown was happy with the results. "The trial showed an improvement of 21% in ammonium N, which will hopefully deliver good savings on bagged fertiliser. Epizym's slurry additive is worth giving a go."

At the start of the trial Mr Brown's tank was 25% full with a crust on top. But eight weeks after Epizym was applied it was noticeable the slurry was a more consistent liquid mix and the odour was greatly reduced.

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