Paolo Bizzoni chose Vogelsang
He uses the umbilical system BackPac for efficient slurry spreading
"I chose Vogelsang, because the 15-metre Vogelsang BackPac dribble bar linkage is the perfect combination of lightness and effectiveness for an umbilical spreading system."
Paolo Bizzoni, Owner, Agricultural Farm Fratelli Bizzoni, Italy
I have improved the productivity on my Bornocchia farm in Caravaggio (Bergamo) by using Vogelsang technology. Switching from an uncontrollable spreading system to a high-precision system for the fertilization of straw cereals and corn has several advantages for me. It improves the uniformity of distribution, increases crop yield and reduces fertilization costs because the fertilizer can be produced almost exclusively with our farm products. The digester of the biogas plant is even increasing the effect as it optimizes the fertilizing power of the slurry.
Our sheds hold about 12,500 animals for in rental housing: “We take them in at about 40 kg and feed them up to 160 kg”, explains Paolo Bizzoni, owner of the company. The slurry produced, together with corn, barley, triticale, flour by-products, vegetable oil and potatoes, end up in the 1-megawatt bio digester located next to the farm. The digestate produced is about 60,000 m3/year and is used on the farm's 290 ha of land after separation. Thus, more than 80% of fertilization needs are covered. We distribute the solids with a manure spreader and bury it with a cultivator, while we spread the liquid manure through an umbilical system. On the one hand, it is used before sowing the winter cereals and buried with a cultivator or with a strip till system. On the other hand, it is used to feed the corn with the necessary nutrients even in the growing plants.
Distribution with the former spreading method (splash plate) resulted in uneven fertilization with the production of emissions and contamination of the plants. The main limitation of the procedure was the uneven distribution for us, leading to unpredictable wavelike development of the crops. The problem increased in non-rainy periods. My decision to acquire a dribble bar for precision distribution has drastically changed the situation and led the purchase of a 15-metre Vogelsang BackPac dribble bar linkage for use with an umbilical system. The results were immediately evident: the crops developed much more evenly thanks to the Vogelsang precision distributor ExaCut ECL and the satellite control. In addition, we have almost eliminated plant fouling. The winter barley, harvested in early June, gave good yields: about 4.5 tons per hectare at a humidity almost five points lower than the optimum. This was a very good result in 2020 and is based on the weather and our land conditions). However, the best aspect is the even spreading: “After so many years, we finally have fields that are as smooth as billiard tables!”
Customer portrait: Agricultural Farm Fratelli Bizzoni
| The company | Agricultural Farm Fratelli Bizzoni |
|---|---|
| Testimonial | Paolo Bizzoni |
| Employees | 3 partners and 6 employees |
| Production | Pig farm with 12,500 animals in rental housing, 300 ha of cultivated fields with a 1 MW biogas plant |