LOW EMISSIONS BUT HIGH REWARDS FOR THIS CO. ANTRIM WINNER….

Herdwatch was delighted to be involved in this year’s AGventions Competition held at Tullamore Show this past weekend. Amidst this innovative competition, one standout contender emerged victorious, and that was none other than Stephen McKeown’s ingenious creation, ‘Splash It’. The innovative prowess of ‘Splash It’ came to the forefront, securing its well-deserved status as the ultimate winner. ‘Splash It’ highlights the synergy between the corporate world and the inventive minds of farmers, further propelling the evolution of agricultural practices in the farming world.

The one downside of using a dribble bar is the very obvious tracking of slurry solids that follows the tanker as it traverses the field. The utilization of Low Emission Slurry Spreading (LESS) equipment continues to grow annually, with the dribble bar emerging as a prevalent method within the LESS approach. The goal of Low Emission Slurry Spreading is to increase the recycling of organic fertilisers, while reducing ammonia emissions into the atmosphere. Among the concerns expressed by numerous farmers when utilizing the dribble bar for slurry spreading is the occasional formation of slurry deposits within the lines, resulting in areas left untreated or in other instances over treated. Instances have been reported of these slurry remnants persisting at the base of the sward during silage cutting which results in the animals eating slurry.

In a notable development, an enterprising farmer hailing from Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim, has ingeniously engineered a straightforward, patented solution to address the challenge of residual slurry in dribble bar lines.

The brainchild behind this innovative solution is Stephen McKeown, who christened his creation as ‘Splash It’. This newly introduced product serves as an attachment for dribble bars.

Stephen recognized the issues arising from dribble bars, particularly the lingering slurry lines in fields and the excessive accumulation of slurry in specific areas. Observing the adverse impact of slurry deposition on his fields, Stephen noticed that it detrimentally affected the underlying grass. He highlighted that during dry spells, “the growing grass would elevate the residual slurry, which would ultimately be reintroduced into the silo or round bales during the silage harvesting process.”

Stephen responded to this challenge with a creative solution ensuring that it has been designed to be affixed onto any dribble bar. His creation could be easily installed involving the attachment of the device through two bolts onto the dribble bar’s pipes. Stephen shared that he successfully fitted the attachments onto a tank with 40 hoses in under an hour.

He emphasized that the invention maintains adherence to low-pressure spreading, aligning with governmental requirements for low emission spreading. However, it simultaneously ensures a more even and uniform slurry distribution across the silage field. The product is crafted from polypropylene, fabricated using injection moulding techniques.

The Herdwatch Team would like to congratulate Stephen on his victory and the best of luck with his invention in the future!

How can Herdwatch help you with Slurry Management?

From the ease of your phone, you can quickly record paddock notes and jobs. From grass measuring to slurry application, keep a detailed record of each job carried out on your farm. Records are kept safe on the Herdwatch App and look back on previous records making it easy for you to make informed decisions.

To record your Slurry Application:

1. Open the Herdwatch App and Tap on Farm & Maps
2. Select Paddock Records
3. Tap the Orange plus sign.
4. Select Paddock Job/ Note
5. Fill out the required information and Click Next
6. Select which paddock you want to attach the job to
7. Save

To join over 20,000 farmers using the Herdwatch App Join Today by getting in touch with the team!