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LV FOTO no Lauku dienas „Vecsiljāņos”
On October 1, the Farmers' Parliament organized a field day in "Vecsiljāņi" as part of the "SuMaNu" project. The topic of the field day was the currently topical issue of manure spreading, which, along with the move towards greener agriculture, is becoming increasingly relevant.
The event was opened by speeches from the venue – the owner of “Vecsiljaņu” Juris Sprukulis and the Chairman of the Board of the Farmers' Saeima Juris Lazdiņš.
The Country Day consisted of three educational parts. In the first part – a seminar – experts presented three topical topics.
Iveta Grudovska, agricultural expert of the Farmers' Parliament, informed about the challenges of manure management on dairy farms. The presentation focused on the problem of manure management and its solutions on farms of different sizes, as well as on the costs of spreading technologies per square meter depending on the number of livestock on the farm.
Aiga Mitre, Senior Inspector of the Agrochemistry Department of the State Plant Protection Service, presented the use of manure in Latvia, focusing on statistics on the number of livestock and the use of organic fertilizer, the chemical composition of manure, regulatory enactments, and accredited laboratories.
Jānis Kažotnieks, Head of the Engineering Department of the Latvian Agricultural and Rural Development Centre, provided information on manure spreading technologies, also focusing on the environmental aspect. The presentation focused on various spreading technologies, assessing their pros and cons, such as nitrogen losses, productivity, and costs.
The second part of the Field Day featured demonstrations of manure spreading technologies. Participants had the opportunity to observe seven different manure spreaders in action. The demonstrations were accompanied by expert commentary comparing different aspects of spreading.
The event activities concluded with a tour of the farm – an excursion “Innovative solutions in the new “Vecsiljaņu” barn”. During the excursion, a veterinary specialist and the owner of “Vecsiljaņu” informed about the structure of the barn, new solutions in its construction and arrangement, as well as manure management and use.
Pasākums īstenots ar Baltijas jūras programmas projekta “Sustainable Manure and Nutrient Management for reduction of nutrient loss in the Baltic Sea Region” atbalstu.
