The majority of farmers apply their muck to land. The birds’ muck is stored ready for application at the appropriate moment, then quickly incorporated into the soil to help the next cereal crops to perform. The difficulty lies in storing large quantities of the muck at the right consistency, ready to be repurposed in the most environmentally efficient way.
In manure, we have an incredibly valuable source of plant nutrient at our fingertips. Our aim is to provide a consistent and high-quality alternative to conventional chemicals. Newquip’s Managing Director Adam Dye says, “The finished product should match all the benefits of using chemical fertiliser. Crucially, it must be consistent and stable so that application to land can be made accurately. It needs to be readily transportable and storable, odourless and inert.”
Our test site resembles a traditional poultry shed, some 120 metres in length, with higher elevations providing a 4-metre drop from raw material intake to finished goods dispatch, plus the all-important airspace to create an aerobic chamber (or plenum) where the composting happens. Adam continues, “This concept is entirely scalable with potential to aid existing farms by adding value to manure. It’s relevant to any future farmers, providing a solution for planning legislation whilst improving arable soils’ organic matter with associated benefits and reducing emissions from agriculture.”
Where raw material from local farms needs to be purchased to facilitate capacity, only manure from belts is accepted to minimise foreign objects and increase consistency. Biosecurity measures upon arrival include a large wheel wash and curtain spray system, with accompanying filtration and storage tanks. Vehicles then tip to a hopper, crossing over a weighbridge on the way in and out.
The manure is blended with a biomass to provide structure, improve stability, and feed the all-important microbials. The mixture is deposited on long, elevated platforms, and the process of aeration can begin. Over a fortnight, the mixture is dried, oxygenated and continually agitated by robotic cultivators in the plenum. The temperature target is around 65 degrees, sanitising the mixture of pathogens but protecting the microbes. The result is a compost with around 80% organic dry matter. Further moisture is removed in the pelletising process, with a targeted 95% dry matter content, ready for storing and shipping.
Providing an attractive alternative to synthetic products for a wide range of industries, the end goal is to create a new market for a product that can be used as a genuine chemical substitute in precision agriculture.
For further information, please call Newquip on 01677 428600.