Umbilical Slurry Spreading: Hillsborough, Co Down, Northern Ireland
Background
The client is a mixed enterprise farm in Royal Hillsborough, Co Down, Northern Ireland.
Spreading 4.5 million gallons of slurry per year on 800 acres of silage, growing cereal crops and stubble ground.
Due to:
- remoteness of ground from slurry source, justification for mobile ferry tankers with transfer booms, 65m3 mobile nurse tank feeding to a high efficiency umbilical system with direct soil surface application via 12m Premium Plus trailing shoe injector to reduce the number of passes in each field.
- desire to protect the soil from compaction
- application monitored with precision NIR – SlurryKat Flowmeter system in real time (RTK) application not just in volume but can be applied in units of N, P & K.
- adhering to the strictness of ammonia emissions
The SlurryKat umbilical Trailing Shoe system was chosen for its fast delivery, high productivity and precision slurry placement on the field.
SlurryKat Equipment and Specification
Product Used | Specification |
Integrated DODA® AFI HD 35 high pressure centrifugal Pump with inlet chopping system | 350m3 per hour @ 17 bar pressure c/w headland management system (HMS) which allows headland turns without the slurry flowing from the trailing shoe and reducing stress on headlands and associated mess or over application of slurry during turns. |
3 x 16m3 SlurryKat ferrying Slurry tankers | High efficiency, low noise pumps, quiet run vacuum pumps with high efficiency fuel saving transport tyres, low set recessed design, with internal compartmentation for stability and smooth road transport. |
1 x SlurryKat 65m3 Mobile nurse Tank with integrated Doda pump | Easily placed in field location with set up time less than 5 minutes.Delivery flat hose coupled to high pressure pump. |
1800m of 5" Oroflex Hose with Patented stainless steel SlurryKat rotating swivel couplings | Safety couplings ensure locked closed during operation eliminating spillage pollution risks.They also swivel under pressure to allow untwisting of the hose during spreading eliminating twists and downtime. |
SlurryKat Front and Rear Drop Off Hose Reelers | Novel High torque, double drive system, allowing 800m of 5" hoses to be reeled up, all coupled together, in one length.This eliminates the need to cross the slurry applied area reducing soil compaction and reducing double traveling in less favourable conditions. |
SlurryKat Premium Plus Trailing Shoe | 12metres working width, 48 delivery outlets, 250mm spacing.Super-Flow™ delivery nozzle system with 2 x SlurryKat distributor heads. |
Tractor with low pressure tyres to protect the soil | John Deere 155R with auto track (GPS steering system), and infinite vario transmission for precision speed selecting allowing precision application with star fire 600 guidance |
SlurryKat Flow Meter | Unique SlurryKat developed technology for precision monitoring of flow rates, application rates and automatic adjustment on the move. John Deere HL 3000 NIR sensor for dry matter, N P K monitoring. |
Results
Application rate of 170-240m3 per hour depending on varying factors.
Environment considerations
Ammonia Pollution
The Trailing Shoe delivers the slurry in a very uniform and precise line on the soil surface without soiling the crop leaves and avoids slurry being smeared by the trailing umbilical hose onto the crop foliage. This avoids ammonia loss through reduction of exposed slurry surface area to the atmosphere resulting in greatly reduced ammonia pollution and loss of valuable nutrients in the slurry which can be absorbed and retained in the soil.
Soil Compaction
The SlurryKat Umbilical system greatly reduces soil compaction experienced with heavy, slurry filled tankers as these are not driving over the soil. Soil compaction effects the growth of roots, and reduce the pore size in between particles causing reduced water infiltration and drainage.
SlurryKat trailing shoes are built to be as light as possible using high quality, strong, light weight UK steel.
Tractors and tankers are not driving over the same gateways and ground to reach the furthest away fields which can erode grass and soil.
The tractor used with the trailing shoe has low pressure tyres to reduce soil compaction and field damage.
Fuel reduction
SlurryKat products are all designed to take the weight out of them. SlurryKat equipment is also made from high quality, strong, light weight, UK steel. These factors result in the lightest weight products reducing fuel consumption compared to competitors.