Slurry Surface Spreading vs Injection: What’s the Difference?

With stricter environmental regulations in the UK and a growing focus on biogas production, it’s important to consider which of these is best for your business and ROI (return on investment). So, which should you choose and what is the difference between them?

Let’s look at slurry injection first and what is involved in terms of implementing it into your agricultural operations. Slurry injection involves placing slurry directly into the soil using disc injectors, a trailing shoe or tine injectors. If you’re looking for a precision application that minimizes air exposure, reduces significant nutrient loss and decreases odour emissions then slurry injection could help tackle these issues for you.

Using this method can also maximise your soil's nutrient absorption improving crop growth and helping you comply with NVZ regulations. There are also the added benefits of reducing runoff risks and the lowering of the odour impact can’t be underestimated in terms of improving environmental sustainability.

While this might seem great, there are some negatives to using this solution within your farm operations. There is generally a higher cost of equipment to consider which also requires more power to operate effectively. Application time is also something to look at within this system as implementation has slower application rates compared to surface spreading. Despite the higher investment, this method could be something to investigate for your farm if you are looking to increase your biogas potential that complies with UK regulations and helps improve your soil health.

Surface spreading of slurry offers a much different approach to that of the injection methods. It involves the application of slurry directly onto the soil using tankers, splash plates and dribble bars. It is a tried and tested methodology due to its simplicity, lower upfront equipment costs, faster application rates on larger fields and its ability to implement on a variety of different soil types.

Surface spreading though can have some detrimental effects such as high ammonia emissions leading to nutrient loss. There are also some environmental concerns with an increased runoff risk leaking into local water sources and odour problems affecting nearby local communities. It can still be considered a good option if it is done correctly and efficiently to ensure that your ROI is still high due to lower costs in implementing this kind of system.

So, which is the best option for you? Well, it ultimately depends on the goals of your business. If you are looking to increase your potential in producing and maximising your biogas output, then slurry injection can help. If efficiency and cost savings are your priority, then surface spreading may be a better option for you.

Whichever method of slurry application you choose it's important to consider that the health of UK farmland is linked to how nutrients are applied. Ultimately poor slurry application can lead to:

• Soil compaction (reducing root development)

• Nutrient runoff (causing pollution in water sources)

• Uneven nutrient distribution (affecting crop performance)

This is where Spreadwise can help you choose the best system to optimise and maximise your farmland to match your business goals. With over 30 years of experience and operating in the agricultural industry, we can help you. Utilising our expertise in slurry technology, we can provide full-service slurry solutions and equipment to meet your needs such as providing:

• Tankers

• Dribble bars

• Trailing shoes

• Engine Driven Pumps

• Separators

So, whether your goal is increasing your biogas yield or reducing overall operating costs and increasing efficiency, we can craft the right solution for you and ensure you are also compliant with UK environmental laws.

Contact us today to explore our range of cutting-edge slurry spreading and injection equipment.