BBI Spreaders announced it's working in conjunction with Dr. Dan Pote at the ARS Dale Bumpers Small Farms Research Center in Booneville, Ark., to develop new patented technology for a machine that injects dry poultry litter and composted cattle manure below the soil surface of pastures and no-till fields.

Dr. Pote and ARS Technician Stephen Haller invented the technology and the actual product will be known as the Poultry Litter “Subsurfer”.

This Subsurfer will inject litter with the minimal soil disturbance required by farmers who do not clear their fields of crop residue before planting new ones.

This method greatly improves the nutrient-use efficiency of litter by retaining nitrogen that would otherwise escape into the atmosphere as ammonia and reduces nutrient loss from runoff water. Nutrient losses can be decreased by 90 percent, thus maintaining a better balance of nitrogen and phosphorus in the soil.

According to Richard Hagler, BBI’s President, their first Beta test machine will take advantage of BBI Spreaders’ proven application management technology that includes their TeeJet Centerline 250 electronic application rate control and GPS guidance systems.

Hagler foresees the Poultry Litter Subsurfer as the next generation of technology that, in environmentally sensitive areas, will enable growers to practice “no-till” farming and fertilize their fields with substantially more efficient use of organic materials, a lower cost alternative to chemical fertilizers.

The Subsurfer is the next level of efficiency in nutrient transfer to the plant root systems. BBI Engineering has worked closely with Dr. Pote to prepare this technology for its commercial introduction.

BBI Spreaders (Barron and Brothers International) is a privately held, Georgia based, design manufacturing and service provider of world-class spreaders for the agriculture and construction industries throughout North America. Exceptional design flexibility allows BBI to offer very specific options that result in highly focused customized equipment for virtually any application regardless of complexity.

A “simple solutions to difficult problems” philosophy has made BBI a preferred choice for discriminating professionals everywhere. For more product or dealer information, visit www.bbispreaders.com or call 800-282-3570.