FUTURENEWS HOW MUCH IS A CUBIC METER OF SLURRY WORTH? We must inform farmers of the benefits of using slurry, and when and how to apply it properly to maximize crop productivity.
Óscar Toledano. Sales Manager & BI Rotecna.
For the vast majority of pig farmers, the management of slurry is an expense, which is paradoxical, since slurry is an excellent organic fertiliser. In fact, the nutrients of 1 m3 of slurry have a value of about 15 to 20 euros, well above their cost of useage, so they should generate income.
So, what makes it difficult for us to monetise this? On the one hand, being made of approximately 95% water, the transport cost per fertiliser unit is 95 times higher than that of a commercial fertiliser, but that is compensated by being produced with crops. On the other hand, the specialisation of the primary sector has led to a disengagement between ranchers and farmers, so that farmers who do not produce slurry do not know its exact composition. In addition, and despite being an organic fertiliser, most of the nutrients it contains are mineralised and dissolved in water. This makes it more appropriate for cover fertilization, when 14
Image of a farm with the Tecnapur slurry management system installed. Photo: Rotecna.
crops are in maximum growth and demand more nutrients, since, if it is applied in bottommost excess before planting, by the time crops need them, soluble nutrients have already leeched from the soil, so it can contaminate aquifers. Finally, we insist on talking about slurry as a problem, so we reduce the perception of farmers’ perceived value, which does not answer to a decrease in the value of slurry as fertiliser or an excess of supply, since there are enough crops to apply all the produced slurry in an adequate and sustainable way.
So, what should we do to monetise this? First, make efficient use of water to maximise the concentration of nutrients per unit of slurry and reduce its management costs. It is vital to
