Case Studies
Based in Chester, U.K., Lea Manor Farm is the dairy unit of Grosvenor Farms. Grosvenor Farms is dedicated to sustainable farming practices, animal welfare and producing high-quality dairy products.
“Our focus is on circular farming and trying to balance food production with the environment,” said David Craven, dairy manager at Lea Manor Farm.
Lea Manor Farm has 2,600 cows and about 6,000 acres of land in total. The majority of the crops grown on the property are used to feed the cows. The cows’ manure is processed and used as fertilizer for those crops.
CHALLENGE
In 2014, Lea Manor Farm underwent a series of upgrades, which included the addition of solar panels and a switch to sand bedding in the freestalls.
“On the inception of creating this unit, we decided that we wanted to bed our cows on sand,” Craven said.
Sand bedding offers cows a clean and comfortable place to rest, providing cow comfort and increasing milk quality. Sand is an inorganic material that is less likely to harbor bacteria, preventing infection and mastitis in cows. It also provides traction for cows as they get up and lie down.
“The whole purpose of sand is that we know it’s inert, that it’s not harboring bacteria,” Craven explained.
Lea Manor Farm needed a solution that would separate the sand from the manure, providing clean recycled sand to use as bedding as well as a nearly sand-free effluent to use as fertilizer for its crops.
Craven explained, “The problem with incorporating sand in any bit of equipment is it’s got a grinding ability that tends to wear out parts.”
With this in mind, Lea Manor Farm wanted to find a way to effectively process sand and manure while minimizing wear and tear on sand-handling equipment.
SOLUTION
While visiting the United States, Lea Manor Farm came across McLanahan’s Sand Separation System and worked with the industry-leading manufacturer to create a tailored solution for the farm. Lea Manor Farm purchased a McLanahan Sand Separation System to recycle sand and a Rotary Drum Separator and Roll Press to manage the manure.
The farm uses a scrape system to remove sand-laden manure from the barn alleys. The sand-laden manure is then transferred to a reception pit. From the reception pit, the mixture is fed into a McLanahan Sand-Manure Separator by a McLanahan Inclined Manure Aguer.
In the Sand-Manure Separator, the sand particles settle out of the manure and are rinsed, before dropping onto a Shaker Screen to remove excess moisture. The manure stream is further processed through an Agricultural Hydrocyclone to recover finer particles of sand.
The manure stream is sent to a Rotary Drum Separator and Roll Press to separate the fibers from the liquid manure.
RESULTS
Lea Manor Farm used a McLanahan Sand Separation System for about 10 years. Because of the success of the first system, Lea Manor Farm installed a second identical system when its number of cows increased.
“Initially, we only had one system and then the cow numbers grew,” said Craven. “We had the confidence to put a second system in, so we’re recycling about 70% of the sand through the Sand Separation System.”
The Sand Separation System and Rotary Drum Separators allow Lea Manor Farm to reach its goal of sustainable manure management practices.
Since upgrading the dairy farm with McLanahan equipment and implementing renewable energy, the farm has seen significant carbon reduction and saved money on hidden expenses, including trucking costs and nitrogen costs.
“There’s a saving on sand purchase, no doubt about that,” said Craven, “but we can also utilize the manure. If we still had sand within the manure, we wouldn’t be able to pump it the distances we do.”
Along with saving money, the McLanahan Sand Separation System has helped the farm maintain cow comfort and health, ensuring better quality dairy products are produced.
“Apart from cost savings, we’ve also managed to suppress things like mastitis. Mastitis rates here are about 2%,” Craven explained. “Managing the sand appropriately before we put it back into the beds is critical.”
Sand bedding is key to keeping cows comfortable and healthy. Lea Manor Farm ensures cow comfort with recycled sand from the McLanahan Sand Separation System.
“Our cows are lying down between 12 and 14 hours a day. This optimizes milk,” said Craven.
The systems provided by McLanahan require low maintenance and are easy to operate.
“We don’t have to manage this 24 hours a day,” Craven said. “We’ve had the Sand Separation System for about 10 years, and it’s never had a spare part put on it. It’s really a testament to the equipment McLanahan has provided. We use it 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.”
McLanahan helped Lea Manor Farm through every step of the process, instructing the dairy farm on how to maintain and operate the system.
“McLanahan provides service very well and they’re well informed,” Craven said. “It’s very rarely that we can’t find an answer to a problem.”
The McLanahan systems ensure that the dairy produces high-quality dairy products while practicing sustainability. McLanahan equipment is built to last and provide results for years to come.
“I’ve always liked the McLanahan equipment because it’s robust,” Crave explained. “It’s really well-built.”
