Great report Nick.
The 'slurry farm' was the first one we went through, and you're right it was particularly scarce of cow-shit on sunday.
Your mention about self-sufficiency with regards to water has reminded me that i didn't take any at the station either. In fact I've been noticeably cutting down on water in recent races, and unless it's an absolute heatwave I've been making do with a swig every 40mins or so. I used to go through a litre every 2 hours. I've not noticed any ill-effects (however much i drink i'm still a little dehydrated at the finish, and really top up over the following 24 hours). But the major improvement is i don't spend the 2nd half of races feeling sick.
Perhaps see you at TdeH.