In this case study, a Dairypower aeration system helps to reduce labour hours and eliminate manual agitation.

“Smart Manure Aeration System being installed in the snowy conditions of Canada”

The Vandenbraak Family in South-West Ontario, Canada were the first in North America to have a Dairypower Smart Manure Aeration System installed.

The Vandenbraak family own a large dairy farm in South West Ontario, Canada. As part of their farming set-up, they installed a new 140ft concrete store for their slurry but hadn’t thought about how they were going to extract or agitate. With a store this large, there is plenty of room to store the slurry but keeping on top of it can become difficult.

To reduce the need for manual agitation and to produce a quality and consistent slurry, Dave set about researching slurry management products and came across Dairypower. New to the North American market they offered a solution that was designed specifically for his farming set-up and his needs.

Before moving on, let’s see how the Dairypower Smart Manure Aeration System works, by checking out our video below:

Making sure that the system that was installed was cost-effective and financially viable. With such a large store, traditional tractor agitation would be a lengthy and costly affair. To manage the slurry efficiently whilst being cost-effective we needed to ensure that the running costs remain affordable.

Another challenge was that this was our first installation of the system in North America. With this system being in Canada, this often volatile climate (-20C), some systems tend to struggle with the cold weather and don’t seem to operate as smoothly. 

In brief, we had to ensure that the system could handle the large amount of slurry contained in the store, had low-running costs and could withstand sometimes extreme freezing temperatures. This is where our Dairypower experts came in with a suitable solution for the farm.

Introducing the Dairypower Smart Manure Aeration System’s network of non-degrading pipework and non-return outlet valves to the base of the tank. Specifically designed to suit the volume and type of manure within the store, the unique system allows the air to be distributed around the whole of the facility, keeping it in the perfect condition for trouble-free extracting and spreading, resulting in savings on labour and fuel.

The long-life, low-power-consumption drive unit and pump cost little to run on a daily basis with minimal maintenance required. On average with combined savings, the typical return on investment is 4-6years.

We have designed our slurry management systems to operate effectively in all types of weather conditions. With prior experience of fitting many aeration systems in the similarly cold weather of countries like Ukraine, we had no reservations that the Dairypower Smart Manure Aeration System would be perfectly fine operating at optimum in Canada. 

Dave had been in a position where he had already installed the 140ft concrete store and needed an effective slurry management system that could handle his large output. When speaking to Dave, the thing that stuck out with the Dairypower Smart Manure Aeration System, was that he no longer needed to manually agitate his slurry. There would be nothing stopping him from just spreading on one small field or emptying the whole tank.

So, with that, Dairypower installed their first system in North America and the Vandenbraak family has been happy with it since. Even with such a large slurry store, Dave can’t notice the odours from his slurry.

We are so pleased that the Smart Manure Aeration System is working for the Vandenbraak family, Dave is extremely happy that he no longer has to agitate his slurry, that the quality is consistent and that it reduces labour hours, fuel and fertiliser usage. He is now left with a homogeneous, pumpable slurry that is always ready to spread. 

Better yet, even after only two extractions, Dave noticed that his crops were growing at a significantly faster rate than they were before. This is because of the consistent, nutrient-rich nature of the aerated slurry, the first litre is the same as the last and there are no water and suspended solids left at the end.

“We finished spreading on Saturday, had a nice rain on Saturday night and Monday morning already the crops are three inches tall, it really shot up quick – that was an eye-opener!” – Dave Vandenbraak

With all of his new build units and equipment on his farm, he says that the Dairypower Aeration Technology is what he’s most excited about.

You can see more about what David had to say regarding our system in the video below: