Slurry Management

The world has evolved over the past few decades, and so has farming. Slurry, once considered waste, is now seen as a valuable source of nutrients. Now in the age of carbon farming, innovative bacteria have allowed us to lower emissions from the process of spreading slurry, not only lowering carbon outputs, but increasing the value of the farm by-product.

In progressive farming systems like those in Ireland and the UK—whether it’s pigs, poultry, dairy, or beef—innovation has unlocked new ways to maximize the value of organic by-products. We call this approach full-cycle farming, where beneficial bacteria play a crucial role in enhancing these by-products.

It needs to be treated in a way that maximises its value as a soil amendment and minimises its environmental impact.

Microbial inoculation for agricultural waste

Our ACTIVATOR range of products are highly active bacteria designed specifically to accelerate the biological oxidation process of slow to degrade organic matter. A stable range of bacteria products, when applied to organic streams, significantly reduces odours and improves biological breakdowns.

Slurry / Manure / Bedding applications to breakdown organic matter, reduce odour and improve the fertilizing value
Easy to use slurry treatment plans - no labour involved
Applications for deployment on stubble ground to help breakdown the straw left on the ground – essential in min-till and non-till farming
Applications for compost

In slurry applications, our activator bacteria is effective in the following areas:

Significantly reduces odours
Stabilises and retains sulphur
Reduces crusting and improves homogeneity
Stabilises volatile ammonia
The ACTIVATOR range of products are natural, non-pathogenic and with no genetically modified organisms

Treatment plans for slurry tanks are very simple to follow. Double dose at the beginning when the tank is at its lowest point, to populate the tank and then a maintenance dose every 4-5 weeks to enhance the functionality of the bacteria.

FAQs

What is AD Activator?

A mixture of naturally occurring bacteria designed to deliver enzyme activity at optimum levels to break down organic solids into more available forms for plant uptake.

Bacteria or Enzymes -What breaks down the slurry?

Bacteria are living cells that are too small to consume complex solids, so they produce enzymes that support this breakdown.

Is it just one type of bacteria?

No, Activator products contain at least four species, including one that is capable of nitrogen fixation when added to the soil.

What is Nitrogen Fixation?

This is a function of certain Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria (PGPB) whereby they capture Nitrogen from the air and provide it to the plants.

How does AD Activator Reduce Emissions?

There are a few modes of action, including reducing the pH, which locks in Ammonium. There are also species that consume hydrogen sulphide producing non-toxic forms of sulphur and sulphate.

How often do I have to apply AD Activator?

Typically, once a month, but this will depend on the size and dynamics of your slurry storage. We call this regular dosing “maintenance dosing”.

What else do Plant Growth Promoting Bacteria do?

There are many functions associated with PGPB, the most relevant to the species in Activator products are Nitrogen Fixation and solubilising P & K.

Can I spread less fertiliser?

Almost certainly. A well-managed slurry programme tied into crop needs will reduce the amount of chemical fertiliser required.

Is there any work on the farmer's part?

This is up to the farmer, either we can brew it in our production facility and applications will be completed by our staff, or, we can provide equipment and training for farmers to carry this out themselves.

Why are maintenance doses needed?

The critical enzymes that bacteria produce are all proteins, which means that they are also food for bacteria. With regular top ups, we ensure that these are optimised.

As used by Farmer Phil

Reviews

"We used Nova Q microbes inoculation in our slurry last year and will again this year. Our slurry was easier to mix and had less of a smell, but that is only a positive effect of getting the microbiology community working in the slurry to help break down the nutrients and make them more ready available in the soil when its spread. This all helps build the biology in the soil, enabling plants to use the NPK that is readily available in most Irish soils. A great company to deal with as they can answer all the questions that we had as we start to understand this new way of managing soil fertility on our farm."

- Ronan Byrne