Slurry silo reused with tensioned cover

Dairy farmer Adriaan Bregman from Rasquert, Groningen, had his concrete slurry silo fitted with a new tensioned cover by Genap last autumn. This meant an expansion of his slurry storage capacity by 1,000 cubic meters, as the silo had not been used for years.

“The gradually growing dairy herd combined with the phasing out of the derogation makes additional slurry storage capacity very useful,” says Bregman. He runs a dairy farm in Rasquert with 220 dairy cows and 90 hectares of land. “We have to dispose of slurry, and that will only increase in the coming years,” says the dairy farmer.

“We can dispose of our slurry well with arable farmers in the region. But it is important to be able to deliver at the desired moment. That is usually in the spring.” To respond as well as possible to the needs of his slurry buyers, Bregman finds it important to have ample slurry storage capacity.

The concrete slurry silo in question has been on the farm for many years. Bregman does not know the exact year of construction. The silo was in use for many years in an era when it was not mandatory to cover slurry silos. Since 2018, all slurry silos must be covered. And because his concrete silo was not covered, the dairy farmer’s slurry silo had not been in use since then. This was not an issue for Bregman at the time because he built a new dairy barn in 2016 with space for several thousand cubic meters of slurry in the pits.

After a few years, the dairy farmer began to explore possibilities to reuse the concrete slurry silo. “The herd was growing, and signals from the government about the possible end of the derogation encouraged me to look at increasing the slurry storage capacity. Also because the concrete silo was already there and only needed a cover to be reused.”

Tensioned cover or floating cover

In 2019, Bregman inquired with Genap about fitting a tensioned cover on the slurry silo. Why with Genap? “The company has a good reputation when it comes to covers for slurry silos. Genap also has a partnership with LTO Member Benefit. That gives me extra confidence because LTO Member Benefit does not collaborate with just any company.”

“I considered a cheaper alternative to a tensioned cover: a floating cover,” Bregman continues. “But it has several disadvantages. A floating cover is less convenient to use, and you have to ensure that rainwater falling on the cover is regularly pumped away. That did not appeal to me. That’s why I focused on a tensioned cover from Genap.”

According to him, the fact that Bregman did not extensively inform himself about all possible suppliers of tensioned covers also has to do with the nature of the investment. “A cover for a slurry silo is not very exciting. If, for example, you plan to purchase a milking robot, it is more important to consider all aspects and compare possible suppliers. Because it involves complex technology that you deal with daily, and because a milking system is directly related to the company’s revenue. When building a roof on the slurry silo, all that does not come into play.”

Quote was on the shelf for almost five years

Despite the fact that Genap already made an offer in 2019, it took until 2023 before Bregman actually decided to cover his slurry silo. “The final incentive for me to make an investment decision was a subsidy scheme from SNN, the Northern Netherlands Alliance, aimed at taking ammonia emission-reducing measures. The granted subsidy covers a significant part of the investment I had to make to cover the silo. That made it much easier to make the decision.”

In the autumn of 2023, Genap fitted Bregman’s slurry silo with a tensioned cover. To do this properly, it was necessary to thoroughly clean the silo. “It was nice that Genap could do this for me as well. The company also made a small adjustment to the slurry inlet and outlet pipe and arranged the mandatory inspection of the slurry silo. In short, I didn’t have to worry about anything.”

Solid construction

The dairy farmer looks back with satisfaction at the way the people from Genap brought his slurry silo up to date. “It was farm boys who did the work on the silo and installed the tensioned cover. That is nice, people who know what they are doing and have knowledge of the matter.”

The entrepreneur is satisfied with the end result. “The tensioned cover has a solid construction. A hardwood center column supports the cover from the inside and provides stability. The silo roof is made of strong foil for which Genap gives a 10-year warranty.” Bregman had the tensioned cover fitted with an opening on both sides of the silo. “These provide space for the contractor to mix the slurry in the silo. That works perfectly, as we have already experienced.”

The tensioned cover involved an investment of about 12,000 euros. “There is not really a revenue model attached to it. Covering a slurry silo is simply a requirement. The only cost saving the cover brings me is that no rainwater gets into the silo anymore. That ensures a larger net slurry storage capacity and lower costs when spreading the slurry.”

Replacing slurry basin

Covering the concrete silo has provided Bregman with 1,000 cubic meters of additional slurry storage capacity. He has already made full use of this during the past barn season. Meanwhile, the entrepreneur is in talks with Genap about possibilities to create even more slurry storage capacity.

“Part of our slurry storage capacity consists of a slurry basin. That basin needs to be replaced. I can still apply for SNN subsidy for this as well. My plan is to replace the current basin with a capacity of 1,200 cubic meters with a new one that offers space for 2,000 cubic meters of slurry.”

Article from the Nieuwe Oogst of 24-05-2024