Northern Irish slurry equipment manufacturer, SlurryKat, will showcase its latest innovations at this year’s National Ploughing Championships alongside a number of new products for 2023.

The firm’s all-new Pro-Control slurry monitoring system is designed to show operators the live flowrate of slurry through the dribble bar or trailing shoe, live application rate, target speed for the intended application rate and the total volume applied on a field-by-field or job basis.

New and updated dribble bar and trailing shoe models for 2023 will be showcased on the SlurryKat stand.

Depending on user preference, rates and areas covered can be specified in cubic metres per hectare or gallons per acre.

The Pro-Control system can be tailored to suit varying customer needs. Tankers and umbilical systems can be specified with load-sensing hydraulics for complete control of hydraulic functions through the tractor’s terminal. Pricing for the full machine monitoring and control add-on is said to be guided in the region of £7,000 (€8,000), depending on spec. From 2023, the premium range will come as standard with such technology.

SlurryKat can then take this a step further and offer full control of the application process by introducing NIR-sensing technology such as John Deere Harvest Lab. Using this sensing technology, slurry can be applied based on N, P or K values in addition to a volume-based application.

In theory, with the use of yield maps, a variable rate application is the next logical step, leaving it possible to automatically control slurry flow or forward speed through technology such as Tractor Implement Management (TIM).

Isobus

All application information is displayed on the tractor’s integrated terminal via Isobus. For tractors not fitted with Isobus terminals, SlurryKat has developed a Bluetooth tablet system as an alternative. Alongside machine control, the tablet system like the Isobus solution incorporates a data-saving package where jobs can be assigned and saved to each customer for billing and record-keeping purposes.

If the applicator is fitted with load sensing hydraulics, all hydraulic functions can be operated through the Isobus display.

A broad range of spreading equipment will also be on display. This includes the Farmline range of trailing shoes and dribble bars, alongside a new agitator and Premium Plus dribble bar and trailing shoe series for 2023. In addition, a selection of single- and tandem-axle machines will also be on display.

The firm hinted at innovations on the way for 2023 to further enhance slurry application that will ‘equal’ the current crop spraying technology available.