I've just placed an order for Organic Gem unpasteurized liquid fish in a 55 gallon drum. The price savings is on the order of $8 a gallon, which means I can finally go full rate with my holistic plans. The forklift/ tractor bucket aspect of a drum I can handle... but I'd like to hear suggestions on these points: •Is it preferable to get a hand pump for drawing off the contents? Where does one get a reasonably-priced barrel pump? Or is it better to build a stand and be able to “glug” from below? I expect these plastic drums have a screw-out cap versus a spout. •What do you do if the contents settle? The fish will be somewhat homogenous this spring, and probably stay that way over the course of the two months I make applications. I will likely have 5 - 10 gallons left which I will draw off into smaller containers to hold over for fall application (aimed at leaf decomposition). That I can at least “shake” if need be. •I’m not near this quantity yet but has anyone dealt with a 55-gallon of pure neem oil? I’d like to hear what that involves!

I purchased 55 gallon drums of liquid fish from Neptunes Organic. They made the very helpful recommendation of using compressed air to stir the contents. I used a hose taped to a stick to get it to the bottom. A few minutes of vigorous bubbling action seemed to be more than enough to get settled solids stirred up. I never did get a good dispensing method arranged. The little hand pump I bought from the local hardware was worthless. Siphoning was slow so I resorted to sloppy pouring.

You can buy an inexpensive barrel pump from any auto supply store. Most allow you to determine the height at which you are drawing the material. I am not sure they work on materials as thick as liquid fish , however. It is good to remember to take the pump out and clean it off after each use, especially lime sulfur as its very corroding.

Michael, how about building an apparatus that might roll the thing like one of those suburban compost turners? Alternatively, since the contents will be homogenous when you get it why not transfer them right away to a series of easily mixable containers, like the ubiquitous 5 gallon bucket.

Bob Piluri at Organic Gem gave me some advice along these lines:

Do not use a compressor to agitate the product. This will cause foaming and you will probably get some moisture in the product which would active it. Two methods of agitation work well. One is to use a small electric pump with a loop system, circulating the product in the drum. The second is a low tech solution but just as effective, that is simply to mix it with a broom handle. Even though the product will be bouncing around in the truck, I would still agitate the product prior to use. Please agitate every time you use it. A barrel pump will work just fine. Since you will be drawing off the bottom of the drum with this method the product should look like a milk shake. If the drawn product is a dark semi-clear liquid the product has settled. Storing in five gallon containers is fine. Just make sure no water gets into the pail and again make sure you agitate prior to use.

Liquid fish has a legitimate two-year storage life so it's good to know about the moisture factor contaminatng stored product. I now have both drums in the barn and will get that barrel pump next.