Slurry Treatment
Plocher® H - Slurry Treatment and Liquid Humus Developper
"When it came time to have my liquid manure pit mixed before spreading, I did not mention that I used Plocher H, the slurry treatment and liquid humus developper to treat my slurry. I was curious to see if the contractor who has been mixing my slurry for a few years would see a difference ... And he did indeed see a difference: The slurry is more brown, much easier to stir, the clumps break up easily in the auger, there are bubbles in some places. And the employee in charge of spreading the slurry in the fields noticed that it smelled much less... And during the spreading, it was also observed that the straw was more decomposed than before. So I shared my secret, I use Plocher H to treat my slurry!" R. L., Dairy farmer, Saint-Arsène (Quebec)
"Not only are odours reduced in the barn, we have also less toxins in our fodder crops. Since we started using Plocher® products for our slurry in 2009, we only stopped applying them for a year and saw that reproduction problems related to toxins returned as well as mastitis problems." E. R. Dairy farmer, Saint-Damase (Quebec)
With Plocher® H, it only costs 46¢/week* to treat the excrements of a milking cow!
Instead of losses, make money with your slurry!
Placing animal excrement in water in a pit certainly wasn’t designed by nature. In fact, since in nature oxygen plays an active role in the decomposition process, modern agricultural practices are the exact opposite of natural decomposition processes.
Non-treated slurry is anaerobic (non-oxygenated). It is a perfect environment for the detrimental rotting process, growing dangerous pathogenic bacteria like E. coli and salmonella. The anaerobic decomposition also causes fertilizing nutrients to dissolve and separate. The toxic stench of slurry is a sign that something is wrong. The more it smells, the more the farmer is losing money, because the fertilizing value is evaporating into the air instead of being available for plants where it is spread. It also indicates that dissolved plant nutrients are leaching through the soil below root level, into groundwaters, to streams, ponds and lakes, thus these modern practices are an important cause of environmental pollution and a drain on the farmers finances.
In past times, farms were smaller as were manure piles. The piles were also taller and narrower allowing some oxygen to infiltrate them. When oxygen is present, friendly and beneficial bacteria, fungus and insects from the farm environment get to work, breaking down the matter, linking the nutrients together in a humus complex and preparing the nutrients to be available as appropriate plant food. This is how nature designed recycling! The fertilizing nutrients are linked in the humus complex, reducing unnecessary loss of fertilizing value into the air and groundwater.
Fortunately, over 35 years ago, Roland Plocher, a wise man in Germany, developed very cost effective natural products for treating slurry, which have biodynamic resonances of oxygen and other elements embedded into carrier materials like calcium carbonate. When applied in the barn it ends up in the slurry pit; it then creates the environment for nature’s helpers – beneficial bacteria and fungus from the farm environment – to digest and transform the toxic non-treated slurry into a liquid humus, which is beneficial for soils and crops. This is a financial plus for the farmer and an environmental plus for the region.
Originally called Plocher® G, the new Plocher® H – Slurry treatment and liqiuid humus developer is in fact an improved version of the Plocher® G. It is more concentrated, more efficient, but just as easy to apply.
*Based on an average weight of 650 kg per cow. The cost will be slightly higher if your animals are heavier.
Slurry treated with Plocher® H
Problems
Solutions
Non-treated liquid manure releases ammoniacal nitrogen. This causes:
- Leaching of the slurry to the groundwater and the streams. This way it loses its nutrients and degrades the environment.
- Formation of toxic gases which produce nauseating odours. It represents the evaporation of the slurry's fertilizing value.
- Trigger of degradable protein in crops. Too quickly digested by the animals, it can result in diarrhea thus non-assimilation of minerals, and even urea in cows' blood and milk, leading to fertility problems and embryo mortality.
- Leaves and root hairs burn in crops, making it difficult for the plants to absorb elements. As potassium is really mobile, it is more easily assimilated, but a big quantity of potassium in comparison with calcium or magnesium generates an imbalance in plants that can lead to milk fever.
Ammoniacal nitrogen is transformed into organic nitrogen.
- Slurry evaporates much less and does not leach as much into groundwater.
- Fertilizing value is increased and fixed, thus odours are greatly reduced.
- Non-degradable vegetal protein rate available in crops is increased. This assures a better digestion.
- Leaves and root hairs do no burn after spreading treated liquid manure, enabling the plants to a better assimilation of nutrients.
Generated by the immersion of excrements in water, there is a lack of oxygen. This promotes:
- Creation of an anaerobic environment where there is rot and where pathogenic microbes, harmful for animals as well as humans, develop and chase good bacteria.
- Multiplication of toxins in crops, contaminating food and engendering various diseases.
Even in water, Plocher® H oxygenates the slurry.
- In an aerobic environment, beneficial micro-organisms can develop, which leads to the composting of dung.
- Toxins quantity is reduced, therefore risks of contaminating your animals' food too.
Additional expenses
Savings and much more
- Minerals and fertilizer for your crops
- Minerals and dietary supplements for your animals
- Non-degradable protein, to help digestion
- Antitoxins
- More veterinary care
- Anti-fly insecticides
- Increase of the fertilizing value, which reduces needs for additional fertilizers and for dietary supplements, as the crops are more nutritious and tasty for your livestock
- Restoration of soil quality
- Homogenization of liquid manure, which assures a more equal fertilization in fields as well as eases the stirring and reduces its time
- Improvement of hygiene in barn and reduction of flies and larvae proliferation (due to an environment bio-remediation process – without pesticides)
Humus is the dark matter which is produced by the decomposition of vegetable and animal matter in the presence of oxygen. Essential in agriculture, it represents the more stable and fertile part of soils. As the slurry cannot support the natural formation of humus it should, therefore, be transformed before being applied as a fertilizer. That is exactly why Plocher® H was developed. How amazing!
With Plocher® H, limit your expenses, improve the health of your animals and increase yields! In addition, it's really easy to use and only needs a small amount of product with each application.
Dosages
We highly recommend that you apply Plocher® H in the animal buildings weekly around the animals for their benefit. This greatly improves the animal’s living space as it enhances hygiene and attracts fewer flies. But you can still only treat your slurry in the pit in three applications if you choose.
For initial treatment
First of all, when getting started with Plocher® H, it is important that you treat what is left in the pit, whether it is one foot or 10 feet of accumulated waste, before applying in the barn. To do this, measure (in meters) the radius of your pit (diameter ÷ 2) and calculate: radius x radius x 3.1416 x height of accumulated slurry. Calculate 15 g/m3 to know this amount of product to apply in the pit (see below to convert ft3 in m3). You can either apply that amount (with water) one time into your pit and mix well or apply 1 kg of product per day in the piston until you have added the total amount necessary. At the same time, pursue your regular chosen treatment (in barn or in pit).
For treatment in barn
To calculate your product dosage, you need to count the total number of AU (Animal Units) of your livestock (1 AU = 500 kg of animal weight): number of animals x their average weight ÷ 500 = number of AU
Dairy production
For attached animals, we suggest mixing the product with water (approx. 15 L/750 g) and applying it in the gutters with a watering can, which we will provide with your first order, every week. For example, for a 100 cow barn, it takes approximately 10 minutes to quickly go up and down the gutters applying the liquid preparation on both inner sides and the bottom. This is done when the gutter is empty so the product can penetrate the surfaces. The manure will then be treated as soon as it falls into the gutter.
For free stall barns, we suggest applying the product with a little water on the bedding weekly before it is distributed. This improves the hygiene of the cow’s resting area. The treated bedding will gradually make its way to the pit.
Dosage: 8 g/AU/week
Pork production
To find the right dosage, calculate: 8 g x number of AU x total number of weeks of production ÷ 3 applications. Mix with water, then apply on all surfaces where the excrements fall once before pigs arrive, a second time after one-third of the production time, and a last time after two-thirds of production time.
* Product may settle at the bottom of the watering can, it is normal. You can stir with a broomstick handle or other object. The properties of the powder are transferred into the water.
For treatment in pit
For those who only want to treat the pit, calculate 15 g/m3 of slurry that you normally accumulate in your pit. You will apply half of this amount when your pit is empty, a quarter when it’s one-third full and another quarter when it is two-thirds full.
To apply, mix the product with water (around 10 gal/1 kg) and pour the preparation in your pit, holding tank or piston.
To convert between feet and meters:
m3 x 35.135 = ft3
ft3 x 0.02832 = m3
To purchase or ask any question you might have, or if you raise other animals, don’t hesitate to contact one of our specialists at 1 866 348-3258.
Testimonials
- When I stir, the slurry remains homogeneous in my pit for a week. There are no more clumps and there are fewer odors. J.S., dairy farmer - Comton, QC
- When I apply some Plocher ® in the maternity there are far fewer flies. M.D., pig producer - Compton, QC
- Before, I had migraines when I was stirring my slurry. Not anymore! with also, the reduced odors, the neighbors are no longer inconvenienced. F.R., dairy farmer - Hatley, QC
- Before, it would take about 8 hours to stir my pit. Thanks to Plocher® it only takes 3-4 hours. H.M., beef producer - Lacolle, QC
- Alfalfa no longer burns after spreading the Plocher treated slurry. Silage production increased by about 25%. In addition, with the better fertilizing efficiency of our slurry, we saved $3000.00 in chemical fertilizer! M.L., dairy farmer - St-Gervais, QC
- "Each week, we apply the Plocher® H slurry treatment and we see the difference year after year in field performance in terms of the quality and quantity of our agricultural harvests. The benefits of using Plocher products are noted specially in the Fall during harvest time." In addition, the owner of the D.L. Comeau farm save time and money when slurry mixing time comes since it is more digested. The company that stirs their slurry had estimated the mixing time at 6 hours. In fact, it took about 2 hours, that is 4 hours less than expected. Due to the action of the Plocher product, much of the fertilizing value of the slurry does not evaporate into the air (less odors) and leached into streams and lakes (reducing pollution). The slurry treatment that Symbionature offers is ideal for farmers who want to get more crops, buy less fertilizer and reduce their costs.Symbionature customer for 10 years! S.C. Dairy Farmer, Ferme D.L. Comeau Henryville
- When it came time to have my liquid manure pit mixed before spreading, I did not mention that I used Plocher H, the slurry treatment and liquid humus developper to treat my slurry. I was curious to see if the contractor who has been mixing my slurry for a few years would see a difference ... And he did indeed see a difference: The slurry is more brown, much easier to stir, the clumps break up easily in the auger, there are bubbles in some places. And the employee in charge of spreading the slurry in the fields noticed that it smelled much less... And during the spreading, it was also observed that the straw was more decomposed than before. So I shared my secret, I use Plocher H to treat my slurry! R. L., dairy farmer - Saint-Arsène (Quebec)
- Since we started to use Plocher H, the slurry mixing time went from nine (9) to three (3) hours, with the same litter management. We used long straw, not short one, not chopped. Our grasslands become green again faster and don't burn as much when we spread our slurry. The slurry pit makes bubbles, even when it's not stirred for a month. I also noticed that the alfalfa stays healthier longer, without having to sow again. R. B., Dairy farmer, 61 cows, Plocher user for 15 years - Saint-Sylvère (Quebec)
- Mixing in the pit is really much easier and takes 1/3 the time as before. Now only one pump is needed instead of two. The slurry stays homogeneous and there is less crust on top. Also, spray nozzles don't block anymore. M. D., dairy farmer - Sainte-Angèle-de-Monnoir (Quebec)
Studies and Research
- Study and Research University study on the influence of the Plocher® treatment on dairy cow slurry- Students from the University of Sherbrooke, in Quebec, conducted a comparative study between untreated slurry and slurry treated with Plocher® Read more
- Studies and Research The effects of Plocher® H on the pig slurry: profitability and environmental protection - This European scientific study shows the significant effects of the Plocher ® H on the reduction of pathogens, homogeneity and smell of pig slurry. Read more