Can the grass be greener?

UK government has released guidance for farmers and landowners that explains the rules they must follow if their land is in a nitrate vulnerable zone (NVZ). NVZs are areas designated as being at risk from agricultural nitrate pollution. They include about 55% of land in England. The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) reviews NVZs every 4 years to account for changes in nitrate concentrations. If land was in an NVZ for the first time in 2017, farmers have until 31 July 2019 to comply with some of these rules.

• storing slurry and poultry manure
• spreading manufactured fertilizer
• equipment you can use to spread slurry
• spreading some types of organic manure
• separating slurry

Farmers must be able to store all the slurry they produce and all poultry manure produced in a yard or building, during the storage period, unless you reduce the volume by:

• sending it off farm
• spreading some of it on fields with a low risk of runoff

In addition to storing the slurry produced, farmers must provide storage for any slurry, rainfall, washings or other liquid that enters the store during the storage period. 

Separating manure by decanter centrifuge makes it possible to manage the solid and liquid fractions individually, with greater flexibility and efficiency. 

While primary separation has a minimal investment, the effectiveness of separating nutrients into the liquid fraction is quite low. Over 90% of the nutrient value remains with the liquid. Additional separation steps partition nutrients into different usable streams. Of the three major nutrients (N, P and K) presenting manure, nitrogen and phosporus are often the most difficult to manage and can have the largest environmental impact. A secondary separation step with a manure Decanter we segregate the nutrients based on the customers need.

By removing more solids from the liquid, phosphorous and nitrogen levels are reduced giving greater leeway in the manure spreading schedule to apply the necessary nutrients at the time when the crops need them the most, getting more liquid onto the land in consent with local legislation, while maintaining balanced soil conditions. 

The higher capture of solids from the liquid fraction ensures little or no settlement in storage lagoons and tanks, maintaining storage capacities and removing the requirement for regular agitation and digging out. The drier solid fraction, which is more nutrient-richer, is easier to store and cheaper to transport to nutrient deficient fields further away, as a soil conditioner it can be applied in a controlled manner. Use as green bedding is also an option under the right conditions and in compliance with legislation.