Greenhouse grown fodder for dairy cattle

[TexasBred]

Yes I am sold on it and it's not a matter of deciding on whether to do it or not, like I said I am going to try it and learn something new. I just wanted to hear from others their thoughts or experiences with it all.

Sheep and goats are one thing but a cow is different and I am sure there will be issues but again I am going to try.

As for the greenhouse size I think I have enough room from all the research I have done but just in case I have allowed enough room to triple the greenhouse space if needed. If that still inst enough room then I will call it a day and say lesson learned.

Study....dry matter intake...TDN, NEL, NEM, NEG, ADF and NDF. All that glitters is not gold.

[Von Helman]

Ok will do and I understand that cows still need some dry matter so this wont replace 100% of it but it will help supplement their feed

thank you for the post

[alisonb]

Von Helman - See this - viewtopic.php?f=2&t=72573

I think it would be a good thing if you were going through a drought period.

[pdfangus]

Von Helman - See this - viewtopic.php?f=2&t=72573

I think it would be a good thing if you were going through a drought period.

alisonb......

love the new avatar....

[1982vett]

Seems to me, sooner or later if the practice would become large scale....your going to run out of seed to "reseed".... then the whole thing colapses in on itself....you can't just take - take - take and never replenish. Nature doesn't work that way.

[TexasBred]

Ok will do and I understand that cows still need some dry matter so this wont replace 100% of it but it will help supplement their feed

thank you for the post

Cattle need a LOT of high quality dry matter if you plan to get good milk production.

[Von Helman]

Von Helman - See this - viewtopic.php?f=2&t=72573

I think it would be a good thing if you were going through a drought period.

Thank you for the link

I never saw that thread and didn't use the search feature.. bad me!

[Von Helman]

Seems to me, sooner or later if the practice would become large scale....your going to run out of seed to "reseed".... then the whole thing colapses in on itself....you can't just take - take - take and never replenish. Nature doesn't work that way.

I agree 100% and I am looking at ways to also produce the seeds or not be vulnerable to the system imploding on itself as you mentioned.

[Douglas]

I wonder if the feedlots worry about running out of corn seeds.

[1982vett]

I wonder if the feedlots worry about running out of corn seeds.

Could...when fuel becomes more important than food.

[Douglas]

Virginia has lots of barley raised for the closed before opened ethanol plant.

[Douglas]

from somewhere:

Nationwide, the barley acreage is expected to increase by 30 percent - from 2.6 million acres last year to 3.3 million acres this year, according to the USDA Prospective Plantings report. The report indicated farmers in North Dakota expect to plant 980,000 acres compared to 400,000 last year, while Minnesota growers intend to plant 110,000 acres this year compared to 70,000 acres last year. Barley acreage in Montana is expected to grow from 700,000 acres last year to 810,000 this year.

[Von Helman]

from somewhere:

Nationwide, the barley acreage is expected to increase by 30 percent - from 2.6 million acres last year to 3.3 million acres this year, according to the USDA Prospective Plantings report. The report indicated farmers in North Dakota expect to plant 980,000 acres compared to 400,000 last year, while Minnesota growers intend to plant 110,000 acres this year compared to 70,000 acres last year. Barley acreage in Montana is expected to grow from 700,000 acres last year to 810,000 this year.

I wonder if these numbers are just normal land by acre or if they include greenhouses or vertical grow systems that are calculated out to the acre ?

[buildmorefarms]

Does anyone have any thoughts regarding Calcium to Phosphorous ratios in Dairy Cattle? I was sent a feed and forage report from a company that depicted a calcium:phosphorous ratio for sprouted barley fodder of .4/1. Sprouted Red Wheat Fodder was .2/1. Any comments?

[Arpee]

I'm sorry to be late in coming to this thread. I'm a CPA based in the UK currently doing research on sprouted fodder produced via a hydroponics system of the sort you see pictured in one of the earlier posts. I thought it might be helpful to post some simple facts about the system because it seems clear to me that not everyone understands the process. I'd also be interested to hear from anyone who is using a similar system to learn about their experience and results.

The farm I am working with uses a sprouted barley fodder and pea mix 85/15. They operate a 7 day cycle so seeds are sown on Day 1 and harvested on Day 7, after which the seed trays are sterilised and re-seeded. No nutrients are added apart from water, although mould can be a problem and care must be taken to minimise the risk of infection. We see roughly a 400% yield in terms of weight of seed input versus weight of sprouts output, but of course this is principally water. Out of a two room shed with the growing room measuring around 100ft by 50ft we produce around 750,000 lbs of fodder annually. I should point out that hydroponic production is expensive in terms of initial set-up because of the capital cost, but thereafter doesn't appear to require very much supervision or maintenance. There are plenty of studies out there that seem to suggest that sprouted fodder is not cost-effective but I haven't so far found a cast-iron argument against them with all factors properly weighted. I can certainly believe the argument that sprouts are a more effective way to digest the grain in sprouted form - the cows I see eating it go mad for it and will eat all that is offered. They must know something?..but I fully accept the argument of an earlier poster that points out that a cow full of lettuce would not last very long.

I hope that this is helpful.