As slurry pits present a potential hazard to people, vehicles, and livestock, erecting barriers or fences can prevent fatal incidents. With children and the drivers of scraper tractors at a higher risk of falling in, having clear signs and deterrents alongside your barriers can help keep people safe.
Slurry Storage
Proper storage of slurry is essential for any farming operation. AWSM Farming offers efficient and cost-effective slurry storage solutions to ensure that you have the means to manage your manure effectively. With our expertise, you can rest assured that your slurry will be stored safely and efficiently, minimising environmental impact and maximising the value of your farm’s resources. View our entire range below:
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What is a Slurry Pit & What Does it Look Like?
Available in various shapes and sizes, slurry stores are often adapted to meet the farmer’s needs, but they all essentially function in the same way. A slurry store is a hole or a structure in which the farmers gather animal waste and other unusable organic matter such as water or straw to create fertiliser for use on crops. Coming in various forms, slurry stores are often an important way of using up excess waste while providing nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium, which are necessary for healthy crops.
Slurry storage solutions are integral to the modern farming process, making other elements of farming possible – like slurry spreading and slurry injecting.
How Much Slurry Storage Do I Need?
Slurry storage can be a complicated issue, too big, and you’ve wasted essential space, too little, and you’re left with excess waste until you can spread your current slurry. However, with some simple mathematics, you can work out your slurry storage requirements. One of the best and authoritative guides on how large your storage or slurry store needs to be can be found here.
Underground or Above Ground Storage?
Broadly speaking, underground slurry storage tanks tend to be cheaper than their above-ground equivalents. However, both have their merits, and it’s always worth exploring your options in full to find the best solution for you and your farm.
Underground Storage
When it comes to underground storage tanks, the depth can vary, but as you may imagine, the deeper you dig, the deeper the necessary piping needs to travel, which may end up requiring a more robust pumping system than intended. However, an underground tank will take up less ground cover than an overground option, making it a popular choice among farmers with less space to work with. Often, underground tanks are relatively quick and easy to install, relying on prefabricated elements that simply require a hole big enough to accommodate them. Underground slurry tanks are highly adaptable, often simplifying the process of finding a tank large enough to meet your requirements.
Above Ground Storage
Often better suited to areas with high water tables or farms that don’t have the land availability for lagoons. One benefit of above ground slurry storage is that you can expand the tank when you need to. Unlike the lagoon, the above-ground tank is relatively easy and inexpensive to cover, effectively reducing the risk of overflow. Often above ground tanks will require a reception pit where the contents can be scraped to a transfer pump before being spread. Like the lagoon and the underground tank, the above-ground slurry tank will require regular maintenance; however, this is cheap and relatively simple to do so.
Alternative Slurry Storage Solutions
One of the most popular solutions to slurry storage is the slurry lagoon. Essentially a shallow pit surrounded by steeply banked earth and, more often than not in a rectangular formation, the slurry lagoon is one of the most cost-effective ways of housing slurry. Requiring little to no maintenance and very easy and fast to build in comparison to other solutions, this underground storage solution is one of, if not the cheapest option. However, the bare essential quality of the lagoon comes with issues of its own. More often than not, exposure to the elements means that annual rainfall will drain into the lagoon. While you can expect roughly 30% to evaporate, this can potentially cause overflow issues in the long term. Similarly, the nature of the earthen banks can pose problems for the lagoon – whether it’s burrowing animals, discovering tree roots, or even draining the slurry; the earthen banks need to be adequately maintained to minimise the risk of slurry runoff.
For further details or to discuss your slurry storage requirements, get in touch with AWSM Farming today.
What is the purpose of slurry storage in farming?
Slurry storage is essential for the proper management of your farm’s operations. Properly storing the valuable mixture of animal waste and water, which contains crucial nutrients such as nitrogen and phosphorus, helps to increase crop yields, improve soil health and reduce the need for synthetic fertilisers.
What are the potential risks associated with improper slurry storage?
Improper slurry storage can pose several risks to your farm operations, as well as to the environment and community health as a result of spills, leaks, and odours. Inefficient slurry storage systems can contribute to surface and groundwater pollution, as well as releasing greenhouse gases like methane and nitrous oxide into the atmosphere – which are potent contributors to climate change. Similarly, uncovered or inadequately covered slurry tanks and pits can emit unpleasant smells that may be a nuisance to residents who live nearby, leading to complaints and regulatory issues. However, with proper slurry storage practices, the impacts can be minimised and you’ll be well on your way to running an efficient, profitable and productive farm.
How to fill a slurry tanker?
Filling a slurry tanker requires you to have a standing body of slurry, whether in a lagoon, above-ground store or in an underground storage tank. Slurry tankers come with fitted pumps which allow you to suck slurry directly into the tank before transporting it. Slurry reception pits can also be used to collect slurry from your storage tank before being pumped into the tanker.
How much does a slurry store cost?
The cost of a slurry store varies greatly depending on the style and size of the store. As with most things, the larger the store, the higher the cost will be. Some stores are more expensive than others, with underground and lagoon stores being the cheapest and overground tankers costing the most.
Do slurry pits require barriers?
How does efficient slurry storage contribute to sustainable farming practices?
Well, where do we begin? Slurry has the potential to wreak havoc on our environment, whether that be from spillages or harmful gases escaping. However, by ensuring you have effective slurry storage in place, including slurry pit liners and slurry store covers, you’ll be doing your part to contribute to sustainable crop production and land use. Reducing your carbon footprint by trapping in greenhouse gases, as well as preventing harmful spills into the surrounding environment, you’ll make the right investment for the future of your farm and our planet.
