DIGESTATE
Increase your crop yield while increasing your nutrient sustainability.
There is a well known synergy between healthy soil, cover crops, and liquid digestate. Research in the sector shows that liquid digestate increases yields on average by 5%, and when used in conjunction with cover crops, or when combined with compost, even greater yields are seen. Although this soil amendment is ideal for post cereal harvest, when consistently used, it will maintain a good balance of available crop nutrients year over year ensuring you maintain high yield ratios for many harvests to come.
What is Liquid Digestate?
Digestate is the residual material from a process of breaking down biodegradable material during anaerobic digestion. As microbes break down organic materials they create biogas, and leave behind digestate- the residuals that the microbes can’t use.
These materials have a variety of uses, but are mainly utilized for fertilization and soil conditioning.
“Using liquid digestate supplied by Bartels Environmental as a fertilizer is a new concept that we have utilized this past year to reduce our commercial fertilizer costs… We are extremely happy with the results on our cover crops that we did in the fall of 2020. We look forward to seeing the continued beneficial results in the 2021 cropping year.”
-Steve Bloetjes, Dorchester ON.
Playing A Vital Role
When used as a soil amendment, liquid organic digestate promotes an overall increase in nutrients, similar to hog manure in NPK value but lower in odour, it can sustain the health of your soil in a variety of ways:
Used as a soil amendment through land application
Supplies nutrients
Increases soil structure
Infuses organic matter
Improves absorption and storage of moisture
Protects against erosion
Facilitates carbon sequestering
Digestate Is proven in organics
“Feed the soil, not the plant,” is a mantra of organic farmers. Organic farmers focus on creating fertile soil that is rich in organic matter and teeming with life. Plants take up nutrients from organic matter as it decomposes. The goal is to have nutrients made available at the rate and time when needed by the plants. “Soil fertility is maintained and enhanced by promoting optimal biological activity within the soil and conservation of soil resources.”
Organic production systems — General principles and management standards.
