Slurry capacity is something that frequently comes up in conversation about investment, costs of production, cattle housing, derogation and regulations.

Currently, there are four geographical zones that require different levels of storage. They are zones with a 16-week; 18-week; 20-week and 22-week requirement.

Studies are ongoing investigating, whether the current 0.33m3/cow/week minimum storage requirement for cows is accurate.

The amount of slurry storage that is required is based on the following:

  • 0.33m³/week for dairy cow;
  • 0.26m³/week for over two-year-old animals;
  • 0.26m³/week for animals aged 18-26 months;
  • 0.15m³/week for animals aged 6-18 months.

The argument is that, even though many farms are within the legal compliance requirement, pressure on tanks can be quite significant if weather conditions are not good when the slurry ban is lifted, which may indicate that the current figure being used is no longer accurate.

These regulation frustrate farmers on the ground, as many felt this year, there was no need to have the slurry ban kick in by October 1, rather than October 15, as the weather in many parts of the country was appropriate for spreading.

This argument coincided with many farmers feeling the pressure on tanks, as a result of the seven-month winter we experienced last year helping the argument that slurry can go out safely in the late autumn to relieve the unnecessary pressure.

A lot of farmers have been calling for common sense to prevail when it comes to slurry spreading dates, as farmers feel they could be spreading if the weather permits in late October or early January.

Slurry capacity

The slurry season has now come to a pass, and there is no point in getting bogged down in what spreading dates we should or shouldn’t have, but rather focus on getting the most out of our slurry capacity and quality.

Teagasc dairy advisor, Nigel Kennington, spoke about the amount of clean water that ends up in slurry stores on some farms which results in more dilute, voluminous slurry, eating into valuable slurry storage capacity.

Keeping as much slurry capacity as possible should be a priority, and this starts by checking how well down pipes and gutters are working to collect rainwater and stop it from going into tanks and taking up capacity.

The farmyard should also be assessed to ensure that no clean water is flowing into tanks. Kerbing or channels may installed in order to divert the water.

Farmers should work out whether they have enough storage capacity for the winter. Although building now is unrealistic, farmers should consider selling marginal cows or their beef enterprise to ensure they have enough capacity for the winter.

Having a comfortable amount of slurry storage can prove quite profitable, as it will help them spread the slurry at times when they will get the best economic response in terms of grass growth and in the most suitable conditions.

Slurry is important to reduce your chemical nitrogen (N), as your value of N is important in order to grow grass.

Despite the onset in a potential further change in the derogation, you are going to need more slurry storage to put it out at the right times and get the most out of the nutrients.

There are various options and tax right offs available to farmers, and so a business plan should be set up to find out what is necessary before before making any investment.