C&H Nutrition will be using the Dairy Event & Livestock Show to showcase its new, natural mineral-based slurry additive that can boost manure nitrogen content by 6kg/cow/year and cut the fertiliser bill by over £5/cow.
According to the company's business development manager Dr Alan Reeve, Viscolight powder has the potential to increase slurry nitrogen by 300g/tonne. It will also improve manure handling considerably, he claims.
"Viscolight breaks down hard crusts and improves slurry nitrogen content by slackening and binding free ammonia. The end result is a higher value fertiliser and more homogeneous slurry that flows better making it much easier to handle," he points out.
"As well as promoting a more fluid mix of sediment and floating layers in the slurry storage tank – cutting the time and diesel costs of agitation, pumping and spreading – the natural additive will also reduce manure and dirty water odour."
Dr Reeve says Viscolight can be easily added to the slurry – either via the reception pit, channels or slats, or directly into the lagoon or storage tower. "The mixing rate is as little as 20g/tonne of slurry, which for a 100 cow herd equates to an annual product requirement of only 40kg per year. "
C&H Nutrition calculates that even after the cost of Viscolight, a 100 cow herd can expect to be around £250 better off as a result of savings on the fertiliser bill. New to the UK – but widely used successfully in Denmark – Viscolight is available through the agricultural merchant trade.
