Emptying slurry tanks is one of those jobs farmers leave until housing or the closed period is imminent.

At that point, it is always a rush to get storage tanks emptied and sheds ready for winter. This puts huge stress on farmers to get the job done on time and unfortunately, accidents tend to happen.

With ground conditions reasonably good on most cattle farms, farmers should look to get as much slurry as possible spread during the remainder of August and throughout September.

Targeting fields

Don’t delay the task if there is a window for spreading slurry. Focus on paddocks that have been grazed tight and therefore, unlikely to be grazed again for close on three weeks.

There is still plenty of silage activity ongoing with farmers getting on top of second-cut. Silage aftermath will offer further windows to get slurry tanks emptied.

Most farmers will have access to a tanker, so a little-and-often approach will fit in with most grazing plans and go a long way to having tanks emptied before housing starts.

Improved safety

There is no guarantee weather and ground conditions will be suitable for spreading slurry in October and these are the issues that put farmers under stress.

But if ground will carry a tanker over the next month to six weeks, spreading slurry during suitable weather windows will take the stress out of this task.

This in turn will greatly improve safety around slurry spreading, reducing the risk of farm accidents.

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