The Health Benefits of Sprouts and Microgreens, https://medlineplus.gov/druginfo/natural/19.html, supplementing vitamin K (drinking it in tea during pregnancy helps improve baby’s vitamin K levels at birth), easing menopause symptoms (when combined with sage). Nutritionally, hay or grazed pasture is likely to provide more functional fiber than sprouted grain in a ration. $2.96 to $8.88. All natural. We go to a lot of trouble to make sure that our seed is tested for pathogens like e-coli, salmonella and other bacteria and gross stuff that you don't want in your sprouts. We're even shipping hay long distances oversees (see other blogs). Thanks Joe, for your comments. So which makes most sense? I'd like to share a video that is completely "off topic" but interesting. Although I have my doubts on how willingly cattle ranchers will adopt changes to their systems, I do believe I have a chance on making some profit with the Paso Fino horse breeders and perhaps with the people who buy young cows raise and get them pregnant and sell them prior to birth. That’s a recipe not for a healthy sandwich or salad, but near-certain sickness. The average cost of grain per lb of weight for those first 10 steers could always be estimated at a $1 per lb. I really appreciate your thorough and non biased research! In fact, on a dry weight basis, little of the shoot, root and spent seed mixture produced was green shoots (13% after 6 days and 17% after 7 days of growth). I have experienced this first hand with a horse ranch that had 50-60 head at all times. Sprouting seeds at home is a great way to add nutritious, enzyme rich sprouts into your daily diet. Glenn, I appreciate what you are saying, but those results are from tested DM levels from the paper I linked to. Utilities was up just a tad in the winter time. I am particularly interested in the inter-relation of different components in what could be called a bio-industrial ecology system. I appreciate your knowledge. You may not have eaten alfalfa or seen it in your grocery store (except maybe as alfalfa sprouts). Studies Daniel is obviously aware of as he is quoted in the article as a skeptic. As mentioned, the use of sprouted grains in this area would focus on a palatable and varied diet that more closely resembles natural grazing, rather than the economic/yield concerns of dairy and meat producers. I'm reminded, after reading practically all the comments here, of a profound passage in the Bible, and I'll paraphrase: Not a single person in this discussion has any clue what they are talking about. Raw honey. For these here looking for some real research on this topic they should read the article below and follow the "efficacy" studies being conducted at Cornell University and University of Minnesota. $8.99. I have a question. Thank you! I can see most of the discussion is about effects in realation to cattle and dairy some horses. For information about cooking temperatures, cross contamination and more, please visit our helpful Food Safety page or www.fda.gov. I am working in India. Made formula based as 10% of body weight of the lamb in that 70% was green leaves of alfalfa and sesbania,, 20% dry matter and 10 percent concentrate. Growing Song (tune: Are you Sleeping) Excellent article and comments. It is very enlightening, especially on the actual results of feeding sprouts and grain replacement rates. They said the cost was higher, but didn't say what the seed and production cost actually was. But I've been doing barley sprouts for 3 years now. I’m in Northern California so my options may be different. I've been conducting research on hydroponic fodder systems for less than one week and come to this very rich analysis which I've not yet had time to fully digest but can't resist asking whether you believe fodder can replace the grain I'm currently feeding my Jersey cows and maintain their relative milk production? The DM yields of hydroponic systems are actually negative, compared with the initial seed input. I must thank you for the efforts you have put in penning this website. One question, there was talk about going to visit a farm in April. may outweigh the "loss of DM." And i am glad reading your article.But want to remark on few general things. The grocery stores near me sell two kinds of sprouts. I have fed them whole as well as finely ground. First of all, thanks to the author for an interesting discussion and for continuing replies. The team made numerous experiments on various variables, then tried to combine the favorable conditions together in subsequent rounds. Productivity and Nutritive Value of Barley Green Fodder Yield in Hydroponic System. Some of the posts to this thread remind me of the antidotal stories that emerged when increasing amounts of Dried Distiller Grains (DDGs) became available to feed lot operations. I was also the past president of the Michigan Hay and Grazing Council and was a speaker at several grazing conferences in the Midwest. I know not all people feel the same about the requirements of wearing a mask, but if you are one of those that do, this is the only market where I've been to in Brea where I've seen employees and shoppers not wearing a mask. Saturated Fat 0.02g 0%. I have to start off with a question - is the essence of the discussion about replacing hydroponic fodder for grain in our feedlot based agriculture or is it about the relative value of hydroponic fodder as a feed source compared to grains? The key question here is that $100 worth of grain rapidly becomes $75 worth of gratin due to DM losses. Period!! Any conserved feed has a reduction from fresh but only looking from one angle does not show the full picture and do not feel it should be totally disregarded. jCindy Daly's research comparing fodder versus processed barley is available here in powerpoint format: A cursory look at your math - you estimate about a 1.2 ton/acre hay yield - pretty low. Thanks for the comments, Pete. I’m not that keen on animal nutrition or feed for cattle but for me the best test is take two calves the same size weigh them and for one feed fodder, hay, cattle cubes during winter months, for the second no fodder but hay and cattle cubes and see if there was any real benefit to the one that ate some fodder? For anyone who loves picking up sprouts at the grocery store to add a fresh, crunchy bite to salads, sandwiches and other recipes, you’ll love growing them at home. Perhaps I missed them, but skimming through I couldn't find it. And it is obvious; lose some energy for converting its nutrients values. Thanks Richard, for the good information. 2012. I believe it is best for University professionals to cross study because as humans we become very myopic in our belief systems (basic psychology) and while I appauld Dan and his small study this study is not relevant except to cattlemen and dairy farmers soely interested in justifying the status quo. A full page in the main report with a 4 page more detailed summary as appendix A. Browse the menu, view popular items, and track your order. Thought I would weigh in as I have a bit of knowledge on the market. Vegetable Pizza with Sprouts. I think everyone is missing the most critical point: by eliminating the supply chain, fuels for trucking, fertilizers, irrigation, mortgage, insurance, etc input costs, loading, storage, and most importantly the PROFITS of all those involved in said grain/hay supply chain, fodder is far superior. Asian Peanut Noodles with Chicken. The growth process requires warmth, so place the glass near a heat source. If you guys don't figure out what rules to use and when then I'm the bloke that's going to starve. Our children have done 4H market beef for years, 11 to be exact. Fazaeli et al. Land is currently around $7000/acre. So, if fodder could replace some substantial percentage of the hay we feed, and do it on a reliable basis, that might be a benefit. Additionally, one should consider that one is losing DM each week in a hydroponic system compared with feeding barley grain directly. True. Sprouts should be offered at least weekly) to juveniles, adults, pets & breeder specimens in the breeding season. The prior 10 steers were fed rolled corn oats and molasses. Molgaard J, von Schenck H, Olsson AG. I’m glad that you simply shared this helpful info with us. Why can't you trim grass to use as feed and then add fertilser to grow again , hence reusing money spent on seeds? Before all these big time manufactures came along cattle, horses, chickens, rabbits, all livestock was eating all natural greens. Over all we have been impressed and are looking to expand. It has a rather mild and nutty flavor, and often be added into salad or sandwiches for an extra kick. I approach this from an environmental interest and rooted in 30 years involvement in bioenergy and in the last eight years more specifically biofuels. I have lived in farm country MY WHOLE LIFE and you see the only reason corn is put in animal products is because it is a cheap filler. Dan, Thank you for your time and investigation on this subject matter, but beyond looking at just dry matter content and not evaluating sprouts from a ration that helps balance and promote proper digestion of other dry matter feed during real world applications is somewhat one sided point of view. On a dry matter basis, they replaced 22% of the barley in the diet with barley fodder. Whole grains that are not processed (cracked, rolled)have a likely hood of not being digested before getting the hindgut. Dill goes great with fish sandwiches. Thank you for you quick response sir, your discussion in this thread has helped me organize my thoughts on the subject and has offered good scientific insight on the matter. Hydroponically-grown barley sprouts after 6 days of growth. Thanks for writing this article and starting a discussion on this topic. Ingredients. Fenugreek sprouts … So the economics of production appear to be quite questionable. You raise some good points. Why are we so concerned in measuring dry weight when these animals were designed to survive on wet forage before us humans decided that they needed dry food? The nutritional information you asked for is all readily available, feel free to contact me and I'll email it to you. Wonderful article. What did horses, cattle, and other livestock animals eat before they became domesticated livestock animals? Let’s try testing the concept using real data from real sprouted fodder. Most of you seem to forget that a high grain diet in cattle and other animals have a negative effect on the animal which grass/fodder doesn't have. The barley sprout is a source of water, sugar, starch and protein, fiber. And for the past two years I have been using convectional feeds until I was introduced to hydroponics fodder farming. This article and particularly the thread that followed are very interesting. This seems to bear on the question of DM comparisons. labor is not a factor not with the system I have fodder pro 2.0 takes 10 to 15 minutes per day and the cost of the equipment still keeps me 50% below my usual grain costs. Dear all, I am a sheep farmer in South Africa and this is my view. DM – 1.44 lbs. Made using all organic ingredients. To what degree could the implementation of hydroponics forage production reduce the amount of water per liter milk? However, this is just a back-of-the-envelope calculation. Very informative. Although the economics, the yield, and the quality of hydroponic sprouted grain forage are not highly favorable, the concept has a great appeal to those who wish to be more self-sufficient in feed. Xi gua (Chinese watermelon) X-Factor (energy drink) XO sauce Xanthren (herb) xanthareel.. it’s a yellow eel used in medicinal foods. What would happen to the DM in the fodder if you ran it through a roller to squeeze some of the water out? 90 days is almost a full field season, by the way (?). It is a good source of vitamins C, E and K, helps digestion, and is safe to … The impact on the key performance of livestock production also has to be considered and evaluated as until controll groups are fed on grass, hydroponics, traditional mixed fresh/conserved forage and full costings it is hard to fully evaluate and comment. We are also looking at the effect of dried products on production of milk in sheep and cows and the change that horses, sheep and cows when they change to a dm diet from fresh. Come and explore the world of organic sprouts. I haven't read the Sandia study yet. Grains are commonly fed, and typically require some sort of processing to make the energy more available from seeds. Tudor et al. That being said, I am considering the possibility of establishing a fodder production because I have an available unused space of about 1750 ft2 and I am next to some of the largest cattle producing areas here in Puerto Rico. I haven't done a detailed analysis of the water use in the case of hydroponic forages. This thread has been far more enlightening than most of the articles I've read online. We currently board our horses on a friends property, and as an in-kind guesture we also care for four of his horses. For small animal producers (rabbits, etc. Preparing hay is a very boring and difficult job for me. Also, we feed square bales and they take a lot of handling and storage space. Tabatabayee and M. Asghari-Tabrizi. Sign in. I'll never go back to dry grains. Thanks for this wonderful and knowledgeable post, looking good thanks for sharing with us. To lighten up this dish, I load it up with lean protein and lots of veggies. So a hydroponic system at a minimum must beat that cost (e.g. So like something new to talk about any farmer will only go for this if they are landless and also many of them need to see hard data and evidence to back this concept to adopt it. My interest in this topic revolves around the efficient use of resources and the comparative advantage of the efficient use of resources. Found a new report on feeding barley fodder to sheep. Say what you like about DM. I am from Kenya and am new to dairy farming... just 2 years now. I do have to point out something you may have missed though. The Shape-Up Song Sung to ‘Farmer in the Dell’ This is clear that if I do not fertilizes the grain then how it’s possible to get more nutrients, its like get something out of nothing. Although the horses graze all day, they cannot possibly be sustained on only that. That is whatever 'value added' from sprouting would have to exceed 25-30% of the original feed value.value of the grains. Your calculations of $100/ton costs of producing sprouts, Kyle, equals about $750/ton hay cost equivalent. The tiny seeds resemble poppy seeds. The grocery stores near me sell two kinds of sprouts. Despite all the disadvantages, I can think of a few situations in which hydroponics fodder might be advantages. Income over feed cost was less for the fodder diet due to similar gains but 24% higher feed cost. In many areas irrigation water is becoming a limiting factor that mainly forces diary farmers to look for alternatives in converting water into forage. Fodder available in the market are full of pesticides and are not even fresh, and all it contains is green grass which has 90% of water which is just to fill the food need of cattle. David Smith, interesting. Ultimately humans have the HARE5 gene and will continue to test, anyalze and explore these different feeding systems, because of a downward pressure on profits due to increased volatile weather, the pole shift, milk consumption (declining) in the US, human population drivers and land use/availbility. I am looking into a fodder sprouting system here in the land down under (Australia), and while i understand the argument for the DM losses in sprouted feeds i wonder if anyone has actually looked at what comes out the other end?? Does the DM (Dry Matter) give an account to the TDN (Total Digestible Nutrient)? and 8 oz. I would like to add another aspect to the discussion. Skip to content. An example of this is oats. Many thanks for the link, Amanda. I’m sure this will be the first, and last time, i’ll feature your comment as it directly affirms the argument in this post. I read a large portion of the comments but not all of them so forgive me if this has already been asked. In the article text, the authors state that on a per head basis, the fodder diet was 24% more expensive than the control diet. You can buy organic alfalfa seeds in bulk and store them for up to twelve months in a cool and dry place. This dish is so popular on my blog I included it in my first cookbook, The Skinnytaste Cookbook (photo credit above Penny De Los Santos). Plant shallots as you would long-day onions. The yields/unit water would be positive in that case. But the one point missed here is that hydroponic fodder is most useful to those who have very limited space and have to feed their livestock even during unfavorable weather conditions. If my sheeps get 1.5 kg hydroponic food + 400 grams of seeds per day, is that enough for them? This discussion is quite warm up. Corn was increased slightly in the fodder diet and protein supplement was decreased slightly. However, if one was to do this, the question would be why not grow the seed in the field and harvest early (small grain forage is an EXCELLENT forage cut early-lots of dairies in the CA's central valley use that - boot stage or vegetative stage wheat, barley, or triticale). Dry Matter and Quality Analysis of Samples. The results are so obvious and amazing comparing his herd to the neighbors hay fed brothers. I fell asleep at around 2016 of the discussion, therefore there is still some catching up to do for me. ALFALFA 2000 Seeds Sprout Sprouts Sprouting ORGANIC MICROGREENS vegetable garden. Thanks for sharing. And a UC extension is providing information. Mung bean sprouts: Larger and crunchier than alfalfa, with a blander flavor, these thick white sprouts are a staple in Asian dishes. Also mixed graines sprout can be of a good nutritional value. Thus, a feed with 90% water (such as sprouted grain) has considerably less ‘feed value’ than something with only 5% water (such as the grain itself), on a pound for pound basis. This guide will help you identify 16 furry caterpillars that reside in North America (and a bonus caterpillar from the British Isles) and give you tips on how to raise them.It will tell you if your caterpillar can sting or cause an allergic reaction, or if it is rare. So far I've seen only references to increases on dairy production. Alfalfa Sprouts (40%), Clover Sprouts, Broccoli Sprouts and Radish Sprouts Up to what I have read the most obvious conclusion I can gather is that there is, or was, still a good deal of research needed on the subject. Alfalfa seeds lower low density lipoprotein cholesterol and apolipoprotein B concentrations in patients with type II hyperlipoproteinemia. Isn't the real question nutrition and calories? Has anybody looked at the increased on meat production? This may temporarily inhibit moisture penetration. The farming industry takes in something like half a trillion of dollars in subsidies worldwide. Briggs C. Alfalfa. Has anybody tried growing the seeds for 30 days or so instead of just the 6-7 days advertised by all hydroponic fodder companies? I'm no scientist but have seen some interesting observations related to the digestion of equine. or labor), the hydroponic cost of production would equal about $461/ton hay (90%DM). Dan, last week you asked me to comment on digestibility differences between unprocessed and processed barley plus compare processed barley versus barley fodder. With this easy Growing Sprouts Guide and easy step-by-step Homemade Sprouting Jars tutorial you can be growing a variety of sprouts inexpensively in your own kitchen. Malinow MR, Bardana EJ, Profsky B, et al. Wheat, barley, oats, rye, what ever is cheapest. I have read the comments and some of them are downright painful to read (confrontational attitude makes for a un-comfy bystander). Also corn is NOT GOOD FOR YOUR LIVESTOCK!! To be honest with you i didnt even read the whole article but it is common sense to know that greens are better than grains. However, we do not have data to suggest that barley ‘forage’ is superior to feeding other forages with similar analyses, or even better than feeding barley directly. Have child make eyes, nose, mouth and hair from other items provided. I on the other hand will have a sentence or two on my gravestone that talks about the natural enzymes that are produced in the fodder and the improved digestion the animal experiences. They surely didn't cut, rake, and bale their own hay and store it in barns to feed themselves later, did they? However, in a lot of the TMR rations, water can be added to moisten feeds and make dried feeds more palatable anyway. We built our own system from diy videos online so have no ax to grind or product to sell, just money to save. I’m in the middle of Texas and I want a little fodder during winter when they don’t have anything green or during a drought. Hey, very nice site. Establishing standards for these qualities is still a work in progress. They get away with it. It always raises my red flags when I see the low digestibility % reported for the whole grains as fed. Fodder is not replacing hay or cattle cubes like some propose at least for my situation. this might extraordinarily helpful for shooters. Also, legumes and alfalfa can be grown as fodder just have to be careful on how much they consume but fodder isn’t grown in large quantities. I have access to very inexpensive raw soybeans. I'm wondering is there is any study of milk nutrition/lamb health, dry forage v.s Wet forage? please understand that i am not for or against one or the other i am looking into sprouting and am at the moment doing test on a very small scale to see how my chooks and sheep respond to it?? May be there is nominal amount nutrient variety do not needs at all for livestock. fruits, vegetables, meat) for 20 people now with many more anticipated in the future. I would like to see seed such as alfalfa and orchard grass etc tested against barley, wheat, etc. And only raw honey–not cooked–may help prevent seasonal allergies. Here's the relevant references from the report regarding 4 day sprouts vs fodder: This article and the lively comments following are all very interesting. First of all I would like to congratulate Dr. Putnam for his patience and sound scientific mind. So before anyone writes articles out of a text book what about have some idea about the subject matter. 7300 lbs of sprouted barley is about 730 lbs of barley seed and average yields are about 4,000 lbs/acre, so that might take about 18% of an acre, so you're close there. Sustainability? 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