Success stories - pig farmers - cattle farmers
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Barton Church Farm, Penrith
Dairy farmer - 70 cows, 200+ acres
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It was the crusting on the top of my lagoon. The time it took to do away with the thick stuff on the top. Also, it was making too much smell. I had houses next door to the farm and didn’t want the complaints.
I spoke to Mike Haslam, my local distributor. We put the additive in and in a few weeks it did away with the thick stuff. There is no crust now.
Yes, using the Epizym has cut the amount of time it takes to agitate.
Much less odour.
Yes. If anyone asked me about it I would say it did the job.Back to top ››
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Green Farm, Lower Knightley
Dairy farmer - 90 Friesian Holstein
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”My only regret is that I didn’t use it 10 years earlier”
The crust on our 390,000 gallon store was causing us a problem. It was taking a lot of time to break up, about 2-3 days to stir up and make a consistent mix before we could pump it out. We’d tried several mechanical solutions, including a paddle in the bottom of the store itself as well as jetters. The diesel bills were horrendous. But it would dry out quickly – we couldn’t control it. At its worst the crust was eight feet thick – half the depth of the store itself. I knew the next step would have been a Hi Mack high reach digger but we couldn’t face the expense of hiring that and the additional diesel to run it.
My farm worker went on the internet and found Epizym’s website. He gave me the phone number and I got in touch.
Epizym’s FACTS registered advisor Giles Dadd got in touch. He explained the product and how long it would take to work. I ordered some, followed the instructions which I found very simple. Within about a month I could see it was eating away on the rear side of the slurry store. We agitated it then to ensure it had circulated throughout, left it some weeks longer and then emptied half the store after first cut silage. There was a marked difference. Three quarters of the crust had gone in that time
I used to use two tractors and two jetters for the job. As it’s taking no time now to agitate and mix I’m saving at least £300 on diesel a year. I save approximately £31 an acre on bagged fertiliser as I need less of it now the slurry is treated and the organic fertiliser value is boosted by the Epizym. Man hours spent on slurry management are reduced to minimal. It used to take one man three days to mix the slurry to make it consistent and then two to three days to empty the tank. That’s all saved now.
I noticed that when I opened the slurry tanker that I no longer get the top froth like before. This meant that the tank would go out full each time. Again, making the process more time efficient and hassle free.
It’s also positive for the environment that I’m not suing as much diesel.
Yes and I have done to one of my neighbours who’s going to give it a try. Fair enough, we were sceptical at first as to whether this additive could make a difference and solve our slurry problem, but as soon as I saw the effect it was having I was amazed. My only regret is I didn’t start using it 10 years sooner.
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| Saving on diesel |
£300 |
| Saving on bought in fertiliser |
£3,800
(based on 120 acres with cattle) |
| Saving on labour costs |
£200 |
| LESS cost of Epizym |
- £200 |
| TOTAL saving |
£4,100 |
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Manor Farm, Gloucester
Dairy farmer - 140 plus followers |
“It’s rare to find a product that does exactly what it says on the tin (or tub in this case), but Epizym does”
says Perry.
Three years ago, during a conversation with a farm supplies distributor, I complained about the crust on my lagoon and the fact that it was taking a long time to stir. Smell had become an issue as well as I’m right on the outskirts of a village. Some years prior I’d had complaints about smell when I was spreading the slurry onto the land.
The distributor suggested I try a slurry digester, as it would help with both the smell and the crust problems. I thought ‘why not, try it once’, because if it worked, I’d have two problems solved in one go. If it didn’t work, I wouldn’t have wasted much money at it anyway.
I’d emptied the lagoon in the September and put the Epizym into it in November, when it only had a small amount of slurry in it. After what seemed like a short time, maybe a few weeks, I could see a noticeable difference in the crust – it had halved in thickness. When the umbilical contractors came, I didn’t tell them about using the Epizym. However, the difference in the slurry was so apparent, they commented on it as well as on the reduction in smell when spreading.
We now treat our slurry as a valued asset; it’s not a waste product. The Epizym frees up the nitrogen and phosphate improving its value from a fertiliser perspective. We use it after the 1st cut silage instead of bagged fertiliser - saving us buying three or four tons.
Other savings are hard to work out. For example, I’ve definitely saved on time and diesel. Another thing I’m keen to save myself from is hassle, and this has definitely happened since using Epizym.
Fertiliser saving
Less cost of Epizym |
£1,680
- £280 |
| TOTAL saving |
£1,480 |
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It’s rare to find a product that does exactly what it says on the tin (or tub in this case) but Epizym does. For the reduction in hassle on the farm it is money well spent.
I would and have. I mentioned it to my neighbour. He tried it and now uses it regularly. The key is having an open mind and giving it a try. It’s well worth the money and has greatly eased slurry management and saved me money on my farm.
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Thornton Hey Farm, Cheshire
Dairy farmer - 60 milkers, 30 young stock |
“I can’t imagine farming without it now. The amount of hassle it takes out of slurry management is nothing short of amazing,”says John.
“I had a problem. In 1997 I changed the bedding from sawdust to chopped straw to benefit the cows. I have a 50,000 gallon lagoon and a 160,000 gallon slurry tank, both of which are emptied every four months. We were having big problems with blockages when emptying the tank as the straw was forming a thick crust that wasn’t breaking down. Both systems would need to be stirred before emptying which was an expensive, time consuming task that usually took several days. We often found there wasn’t enough time to do it thoroughly, so the slurry varied in consistency and the nutrients didn’t get applied evenly. Thicker slurry stuck to the leaves and contaminated them, forcing us to wait longer before we could graze the land. This was a real problem as we were totally dependent on grass.
I saw an advert for Epizym in Dairy Farmer and gave it a try from the autumn of that year.”
“Treatment was easy. I simply mixed the Epizym with warm water and poured it into the reception pit before it was pumped into the tank, ensuring the bacteria were introduced into the liquid fraction of the slurry and not wasted on the surface.
The treated slurry is so much easier to handle. There is very little crust and the slurry has a more even consistency, even before mixing. This has greatly reduced the time and energy spent stirring the stores before spreading (it only takes me an hour to an hour and a half now), reducing hassle and allowing us to take advantage of weather windows for spreading. When I put the thinner slurry on the land I saw that the grass was growing noticeably quicker almost straight away. So much so, that by the springtime, I was able to drastically reduce the amount of fertiliser I put onto the land, buying only a couple of bags as an ‘insurance policy’ almost.”
"I’ve now been using Epizym Cattle for eight winters with good success. The product is unquestionably effective as a slurry digester provided it is always applied correctly. This I am able to apply to either mowing or grazing land without problems and with little odour throughout the growing season.
Obviously fertiliser saving is the key area, and the fact that I have lower contractor costs is a substantial saving. Also, with greatly reduced mixing time, diesel savings come into the picture.
John’s annual saving on a relatively small non intensive farm
Fertiliser saving
Contractor saving
Diesel saving
Less cost of Epizym |
£8,625
£300
£200
- £250 |
| TOTAL saving |
£8,875 |
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Priceless
I’ve noticed Epizym treated slurry doesn’t stick to leaves so contamination risk is reduced on silage grounds and we can get the cows back to grazing sooner.
The benefits I have enjoyed since first using Epizym Cattle back in 1997 are certainly worth having, and I would most certainly recommend the product to other dairy or cattle farmers. But to achieve these benefits I would stress it is important to always adhere to Epizym's easy-to-follow instructions and apply the product correctly."
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Crossgates Farm, Skipton, North Yorkshire
Dairy farmer |
“Using Epizym meant I got to see the bottom of my tank for the first time ever” says Thomas.
“I found one year I had particularly stiff slurry. Epizym was recommended to me by a distributor.”
“I followed the instructions, mixed the Epizym with warm water in the right quantities and put it into the liquid fraction when the tank was almost empty (about 10% slurry left in it) at the start of winter housing time. Within about six weeks it had done the job.
Once I slipped on using it and the slurry thickened. When the umbilical men came it took much longer for them to pump it.”
“Yes. I would.”
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Vale Farm, Shrewsbury
Dairy farmer, herd of 140
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“Using Epizym saves me money in more ways than one” says Richard.
“Giles Dadd, Agricultural Consultant to Epizym, contacted me to see if I’d be interested in trialling Epizym on my farm. As I had a crust on my slurry I thought I would try it and I’ve used it ever since. I produce milk for cheese and so I was also interested in anything that could improve the quality of the milk. I was interested in the promise that Epizym would reduce odour.”
"Giles came to the farm and applied the Epizym in the right quantities. After about six weeks, the crust had reduced by at least 50%.
It has definitely saved me money. I save 30 units of bagged fertiliser per acre on the first cut alone. I have saved on contractor costs but do much of the mixing myself and Epizym has drastically reduced the amount of time this takes me so I can do other things. The reduction in smell is another good benefit. I’ve moved to a more rural area now but I used to have a farm with neighbours. They were happy once I started to use the Epizym, as is my wife to this day."
Richard’s annual saving
Fertiliser saving (on first cut only)
Less cost of Epizym |
£978
- £300
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| TOTAL |
£678 |
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“When my slurry isn’t treated with Epizym I can see that it’s inconsistent on the land - lumps and fibre being visible"
“Yes. I wouldn’t go back to not using it.”
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