There are a few differences to consider when deciding between an electric stirrer and a PTO stirrer for dairy farm effluent management.
Power Availability
If there is an electric pumping system with power availability at the pond, then an electric effluent pond stirrer is the advised choice for effluent management. The main reason is due to the ability to program the system to automatically stir by itself, which saves time for other tasks on the farm and ensures the effluent is ready to be pumped out to paddocks without issue.
A PTO pond stirrer is a good option to consider if electricity is not available at the pond, or in situations where there are multiple farms in operation. It can be too high of an investment to implement multiple electric stirrers, which is where a PTO stirrer can be shared across several farms and is a particularly effective choice for contractors who are travelling from farm to farm.
The Cost of Operation
A PTO effluent pond stirrer is cheaper to buy, but it does require a worker to stir the effluent, which often means it is done less regularly. This can cause issues when it is time to pump effluent out to paddocks, or when it comes to creating more efficient processes for stirring effluent properly.
The disadvantage of an electric stirrer is the cost of setting up the equipment in the first place, but if the farm has the power availability, then it is recommended to implement an electric shore mounted stirrer that makes it safe for workers and can be easily run on an automatic timer.
Slurry Tanker Use
PTO pond stirrers are a good option for farms that are operating with slurry tankers. With slurry tankers, it is not quite so imperative to stir the pond as regularly, as a slurry tanker is able to cope with solids better than most irrigation systems on the market. The effluent does not have to pass through a pump, which makes it efficient in going straight in and out of the slurry tanker with the support of a PTO pond stirrer to adequately stir effluent before spreading.
Recommendation
It is highly recommended that all effluent storage is mixed adequately, especially any synthetic lined storage eg. Lined pond, Above-ground tank, or bladder tank. This is to mitigate heavy sludge building up at the base of the storage and losing capacity, running the risk of non-compliance. However, the biggest advantage of stirring effluent is to spread an even mixture of nutrients on all irrigated paddocks.
Chat With Our Team
In general, if your farm has electricity available at the pond, we recommend using an Electric Pond Stirrer, which makes processes more efficient and saves time. Chat with our team to learn more about the advantages of the right system for your farm to stir effluent properly for better outcomes.
