For a farm with 60 dairy cows, manure and slurry represent €27,000 to €38,000 in added value per year. However, surveys carried out among farmers show that only 40 to 60% of these effluents are actually utilised. This therefore represents an immediate source of autonomy for farms.
Reducing dependency on inputs such as fertilisers involves three key steps:
- Improving the fertilising and soil-conditioning value of effluents
- Analysing soil functioning to understand its needs and its capacity to make use of effluents
- Adapting spreading practices to best nourish the soil and crops
Improve the fertilising and soil-conditioning value of effluents
Vertal offers VERTAL FERTIFUM, an easy-to-apply solution designed to improve the fertilising value of manure. It helps stimulate aerobic microflora at the expense of anaerobic microflora in order to retain nutrients in organic form rather than mineral form (which is volatile and prone to leaching). On average, Vertal Aerobiosis makes it possible to gain 30% more organic nitrogen available to plants and increase the economic value of one tonne of manure by €25 to €35 per tonne (gross).
Assess soil needs to determine its capacity to make use of effluents
If you are a dairy farmer, it would be unthinkable to feed a Holstein and a Montbéliarde in the same way, even though both produce milk. While this is obvious when it comes to cows, it is far less so when it comes to soils, which nevertheless produce the same crops.
Optimising effluent management on the farm requires a good understanding of soils, namely:
- organic matter requirements (fresh organic matter and humus, which vary according to soil texture)
- the mineralisation timeframe of organic matter (depending on microbial activity)
- the distribution of mineralisation throughout the year (water status, structural quality)
This detailed soil analysis also makes it possible to adopt a coherent overall management approach aligned with soil needs. Indeed, amendments, tillage, effluents, cover crops and crop rotation are all interlinked practices that can either be a source of added value or a source of additional costs (herbicides in particular).
Adapt spreading practices to best nourish crops
Once the value of effluents and the soil’s capacity to make use of them are known, it becomes possible to adapt application practices to crop requirements. Any application exceeding crop needs will, at best, be lost (through leaching) and, at worst, taken up by weeds (such as chickweed), leading to additional weed control costs.
Final thoughts
In conclusion, manure and slurry are significant sources of added value. They contribute to a sustainable and profitable farm management approach. In both dairy and beef farming systems, this can represent several thousand euros in potential gains, provided that a comprehensive approach to effluents, soils and spreading practices is implemented.
For a farm with 60 dairy cows, manure and slurry represent €27,000 to €38,000 in added value per year. However, surveys carried out among farmers show that only 40 to 60% of these effluents are actually utilised. This therefore represents an immediate source of autonomy for farms. Reducing dependency on inputs such as fertilisers involves […]
...For a farm with 60 dairy cows, manure and slurry represent €27,000 to €38,000 in added value per year. However, surveys carried out among farmers show that only 40 to 60% of these effluents are actually utilised. This therefore represents an immediate source of autonomy for farms. Reducing dependency on inputs such as fertilisers involves […]
...For a farm with 60 dairy cows, manure and slurry represent €27,000 to €38,000 in added value per year. However, surveys carried out among farmers show that only 40 to 60% of these effluents are actually utilised. This therefore represents an immediate source of autonomy for farms. Reducing dependency on inputs such as fertilisers involves […]
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