Success stories - pig farmers - cattle farmers
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Crossways Farm, Bury St Edmonds
Pig Farmer
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“You just mix it up, put it in the tank, job done” says Anthony.
I used the product a number of years ago when it was sold under a different name. I was very happy with its performance but my supplier stopped selling it. I then tried different products but wasted no time in returning to the product, re-branded as Epizym, as the competing products simply didn’t deliver the right results.
Initially smell. We had very bad odour one winter time when ventilation was poor. The smell really was very strong in the pig house, it hit you when you opened the doors. On emptying, we couldn’t spread too close to the houses nearby, it was really very strong. Flies were also an issue within the farrowing shed. We were using fly sprays and bait to try to curb the problem. We also had problems with flies on our flat decks - a continuous cycle of maggots which we couldn’t curb.
A few weeks after applying the Epizym I noticed a really big difference in the smell. I have a neighbour who often complained about the smell, but since using Epizym along with a low level applicator, they've noticed a vast improvement in smell and flies. Nothing else we tried really hit the flies quite like Epizym did. It worked to the point where could count the flies on one hand.
The slurry then gets pumped into a large tank where it's held for up to three months. It then goes back to the fields.
It’s far easier now to empty out and clean down the tanks. We wash one room a week and in the past it used to be a hard job to get all the slurry out through the little plug hole, but now we pull the bung, wash the pen down without even thinking about the slurry.
Absolutely. I like Epizym as all I have to do is mix it up, put it in the tank and forget about it. Haven’t got to do anything with it. As long as you put the right amount in and the top up dose, job done. I have tried other products. They haven’t been successful for us – they took more work than it was worth bothering for. With one of them I had to dose the tank every week, which for someone like me is too time consuming. I want to put it in and forget about it. Others required stirring every week and adding a bit more product. Some dealt with smell by encouraging a crust to develop, which was not what I wanted as I wanted to spread the slurry on the fields.
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Wragby, Wakefield
Pig Farmer
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“The slurry literally ran out - like gravy” says Richard.
I decided to use a slurry additive when I encountered problems with smell and sludge.
I applied the Epizym to my 80,000 gallon above ground circular slurry store when I was fattening pigs. Previously we'd had problems with at least two feet of heavy sludge that wouldn't shift without a lot of power and blasting. We applied the Epizym and when we came to empty in the autumn, the slurry literally ran out - like gravy.
A noticeable reduction in smell was an additional bonus – very helpful as we have some large and expensive residences not far from the farm.
I recommend Epizym to anyone with slurry to manage - it takes all the hard work out of it.
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Gritt Farm, Bodenham, Hertfordshire
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“I have been able to cover all OSR and wheats this year saving thousands on fertiliser” says Martin.
I installed a new liner in an existing slurry store last year. I wanted to avoid the need to stir the slurry as I feared this would disrupt the lining.
Having read an article about the success of such products in the farming press, I decided to try a bacteria based slurry and chose Epizym. Initially I was sceptical, but that feeling vanished when I clearly saw there was no need to stir the slurry and I have not had to do so in over 12 months. There is no crusting on the top at all, and also no sediment either. I've also found the consistency of the slurry is more even when I spread it on the growing crop. It's easier to spread the required width, and there's less scorching and residue on the plant.
I have been able to cover all OSR and wheats this year saving thousands on fertiliser.
The farm is close to a residential area and I used to avoid spreading in the fields next to the houses for fear of complaints about odour. With Epizym, the smell was definitely less on emptying. I now spread in all of my fields, as it no longer smells anywhere near as bad as it did. It must be a great improvement, as my wife usually comments. She now comments how much less the slurry smells!
Yes
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Wellhouse Farm, Essex
Pig Farmer, 18,000 pigs
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“My aim is to have production costs as low as anyone in Europe. Using Epizym is central to achieving this on my farm” says John.
We put in some totally slatted accommodation in 1992-3. By 1994 flies had become a problem and when the neighbours started to complain I knew something had to be done.
I saw an advert in a Pig World magazine, called the number and spoke to Giles Dadd.
Giles came to see me on the farm and we developed a programme to treat the slurry. I followed his advice and as we introduced new batches of pigs, the slurry tanks underneath were treated with Epizym. I then treated the tanks regularly, topping up the dose each time any slurry was drawn off.
I was delighted to see that the crust didn’t re-form. I was left with a consistent, liquid slurry, which, when it came to emptying the tanks, ran through the channels and didn’t cause blockages. I now use a boom irrigator to apply the slurry more accurately on the land. The nozzle is far narrower than before and so a consistent mixture is very important.
I decided to use Epizym on my second unit where the slurry is separated and the liquid runs via a ditch into two 10 million gallon reservoirs I use to irrigate the arable land. I’ve got 35 acres of surface water here at the farm and the programme delivered a drastic improvement in my reservoir situation, to the extent that the wild birds have returned to the water – something I was told would never happen.
More recently I’ve focused on maximising pig yield. I was advised to install a completely slatted system into my weaner house to keep the pigs clean all the time to improve their environment and thus reduce the mortality rate. As the Epizym made me feel confident I could deal with the slurry, I went ahead and installed the fully slatted system and it’s worked. My cost of production is going down as I lose fewer pigs to disease. An added benefit is that I don’t have to ask my men to work in straw and dust and faeces. They’re also delighted not to have 8,000 tons of muck to spread each year, saving on labour costs.
I make sure I always re-apply every six weeks to keep on top of it. My wife always lets me know when to do it as she notices the flies start to come back again. We have a conservatory which, based on bitter past experience, would be black with flies if we didn’t use Epizym.
“Since 1996 I’ve made a saving of about £6,000 a year on bagged nitrogen alone. We quantified the nitrogen value on the arable crops. Originally it was 20 units per acre inch but after treatment with Epizym that went to 30 units per acre inch.
In addition, I save the £1500 I would need to put by annually for contractors to come every five years to dredge out the accumulated sludge. As the Epizym gave me the confidence to go ‘all slurry’ in my new fattening sheds, this saved me about £6 for every pig. Of course, some things are hard to quantify, such as the improvement in growth of the crops.
Saving on bought in fertiliser
Contractor costs
Going all slurry - 18,000 pigs @ £6
LESS cost of Epizym Pigs |
£12,000
£2,500
£108,000
- £2,800 |
| TOTAL |
£119,700 |
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What other benefits have you noticed?
Priceless
“Without being able to handle slurry properly I simply wouldn’t be able to farm as many pigs as I do. Epizym has enabled me to decrease my labour and production costs dramatically. It’s the key to achieving my aim of getting my cost of production as low as anyone in Europe.”
Yes, without hesitation.
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Faulkeners Farm, Hadlow College, Kent
Dairy farmer & one time pig farmer
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“Epizym has definitely saved me money. I would certainly recommend it to other pig farmers” says David.
"An effective slurry digester was important to me for a number of reasons but particularly as I farm close to a large residential area. I had tried a number of proprietary brands in the past but with only partial success."
"I virtually emptied the tanks but left about 10% slurry in so the product would work when I put it in and fresh slurry went in after it. The usage instructions were easy to follow. It worked successfully from the initial purge and then carried on working effectively - reducing solid residue, crusting and smell."
20kg less nitrogen per hectare over 50 hectares = 1000 kg N
| Saving on bought in fertiliser |
£467 |
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Priceless
“Significantly reduced odour – I don’t need to worry about complaints from the residents in the area.”
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The Brades Farm, Shropshire
Pig farmer, 360 sows
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“Cutting mortality was a significant extra benefit we hadn’t expected from Epizym Pigs” says Jim.
"Epizym Pigs has worked successfully for us since the initial system purge early in 1997. It does the job and therefore saves us both time and money."
For 1442 average pig numbers,
feed savings = £3.10 x 1442
Mortality reduction from 3.8% to 0.86%
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= £4,470
= £1,406
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Cost to treat slurry
17 kg of Epizym £40 a kg |
£680 |
| TOTAL |
£5,196
or £3.60 per pig |
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The product has helped us cut mortality. I hadn’t appreciated this benefit when I first bought it.
“We would have no hesitation in recommending Epizym.”
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Crossways Farm, Bury St Edmonds
Pig Farmer
read on ››
Wragby, Wakefield
Pig Farmer
read on ››
Gritt Farm, Bodenham, Hertfordshire
Pig Farmer
read on ››
Wellhouse Farm, Essex
Pig Farmer
read on ››
Faulkeners Farm, Hadlow College, Kent
Dairy farmer and one time pig farmer
read on ››
The Brades Farm, Shropshire
Pig farmer, 360 sows
read on ››
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