Countryside Day “Environmental requirements and effective organic fertilizer management at the “Vecsiljāņi” farm

On September 21, 2016, the ZSA organized a Country Day at the farm “Vecsiljāņi” in Bebri parish, Koknese municipality, in which more than 100 interested people participated. We are glad that students of agricultural schools from Priekuļi, Malnava and Barkava also participated in the Country Day. This was a very good lesson for them, as they had the opportunity to listen to interesting reports on the proper storage and spreading of organic fertilizer in order to preserve the valuable nutrients in the manure, and to see the latest manure spreading technology in action in the field, not in the parking lot.
The experience of experts was valuable both in evaluating organic fertilizer spreading technologies and their advantages, and in analyzing in detail the operating principles of specific equipment.
Our board member Artūrs Akmens had the following to say about the event: "The seminar was very valuable from a practical perspective, as it was an opportunity to clarify various nuances – both equipment costs and maintenance tips."
He also liked the economic approach of the “Vecsiļjāņi” to manure management. Namely, the storage lagoons were located not at the barn, but also at the largest fields, where the manure could be transported during periods when the roads were not damaged: in summer or in winter - over frost. In contrast, spreading over the fields could be done exactly when it was most needed.
A pipeline system for transporting manure from the lagoon to the fields is the most promising, and although the current costs of this technology are very high, other factors should be taken into account - roads are not damaged when moving by car or tractor, and the volumes to be applied can be significantly larger. Large farms can afford this type of technology, but smaller farms must cooperate to purchase such equipment. A very good solution would be either a cooperative or a private company that would offer services for transporting liquid manure to the field.
Agenda
Read more in the ZSA autumn 2016 magazine – Field day at the Vecsiljāņi school
Thank you to the supporters, visitors, the farm “Vecsiljāņi” in Pakava and the ZSA office!
The Countryside Day was organized as part of the GreenAgri CB 272 Project.