You can put liquid manure on in-crop with a dribble bar from Cadman Power Equipment. The Ontario company is selling proven German technology, including the dribble bar and an internal chopper blade that prevents plugging.
“The system can be used on any crop that can be sidedressed, including corn at early stages,” says Scott Black, Cadman Power Equipment. “The hoses extend down from the dribble bar to within a fraction of an inch from the ground. Manure is kept off the leaves and on the soil where it’s needed.”
The dribble bar is being built in Germany by Vogelsang. That company has a strong reputation in the manure handling business. Dribble bar booms are available in lengths from 39 to 98 ft. Flexible hoses drop down between crop rows. The last 3 ft. of each hose is stiffened to ensure that the liquid manure drops between the rows. In Europe it is commonly used in crops up to 3 ft. high. The boom folds up for transit.
“We can deliver the manure to the boom from either tanks or a drag hose,” says Black.
Currently if using a hose, it’s dragged from one end of the field to the other by the tractor with the dribble bar. It then has to be unhooked and dragged back while the tractor deadhead returns.

“We are working on a solution that will work better,” says Black.

The DosiMat distributor delivers consistent flow over the dribble bar, whether it has 5 outlets or 60. It’s sized for the desired flow rate and type of manure. A key component is the chopping knife, which reduces particle size while pressurizing the system. Vogelsang claims 5 percent distribution accuracy across the boom.

“We had a positive reaction from livestock producers at our first demo,” says Black. “I stood alongside an applicator delivering hog manure. The odor was remarkably low, though a high volume was being spread. That is important for reducing complaints when farming around rural non-farm or suburban residents.”

Black credits the non-aerosol nature of the manure delivered at ground level for the low odor. This also means more nutrients delivered to the plants and less lost to the atmosphere.