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| Barley Fodder Nutrition Data – Seed 2 Grass Fast ™ |
| Introduction |
| Many animals such as cattle were never designed to eat grain, they are meant to consume fresh green grass or dried grass as fodder. In the first two chambers of the digestive tract, the rumen and the reticulum, the food is mixed with saliva and separates into layers of solid and liquid material. In the third and fourth the solids are broken down further and the liquid is absorbed through intestinal linings. The digestive system of many animals such as ruminants cattle, deer and buffalo (with four stomachs) and camels (with three) cannot safely digest dried grain efficiently, often excreting up to 25% of the fed grain in an unprocessed state in their faeces The question is how to provide fresh food or fodder all year round in countries with extreme weather variables. Australia a land mass known for its “droughts and flooding rains”. The Russian and Canadian tundra’s known for their harsh winters or the Persian Gulf known for its sandy parched landscape. In each instance Seed 2 Grass Fast ™ has the answer. From its climate controlled fodder system, the animal owner can turn 100kg of seed into 800kg of lush highly nutritious feed every day. This feed can be completely eaten by livestock as required. Seed 2 Grass Fast ™ portable fodder systems come in a range of different sizes to suit your needs and requirements. “Dry matter” The term “dry matter” refers to the mass of the food source when all moisture has been taken out. Water has no protein value, but animals do need water. By eating our barley fodder because of its moisture content, the animal’s normal water intake will be significantly less than if just eating grain. The dry matter in each tray of barley fodder is made up as follows: A single tray begins its journey with just 750gm of barley seed. This 750gm tray turns into 8kgs of barley fodder at the harvest end of its 7 day process. Each and every 8kg tray of harvested barley fodder returns approximately 2.5kg of high protein and high energy dry matter. The weight gain to stock under ideal conditions feeding with barley fodder would be approximately 1kg to 1.2kg per day from just one 7.5kg barley fodder unit. The weight gain could be greater and faster by feeding with barley fodder. Comparison Using Barley Fodder The cost ratio difference to do the same job with Barley Fodder is. 1kg of seed = 10kg of barley fodder = 2.5kg of dry matter. 2kg of seed = 20kg of barley fodder = 5.0 kg of dry matter. Below is a comparison between grain feed and barley feed using the 5kg ration example? To produce 5kg of dry matter barley one would need to grow 20kg of barley fodder. This equates to 2 trays. The cost of barley seed would be $1.40. The weight gain to stock using the barley 5kg of dry matter example would be 2.4 kg average per day. The weight gain to stock using the 5kg of grain i.e. 4.5kg dry matter would be approximately 1.5kg per day. Barley weight gain = 2.4kg per day Grain weight gain = 1.5kg per day Difference = 900 grams per day Cost Comparison using the 5kg example concept and the 70 cent per kg buy price factor. Barley seed 2.0kg @ $1.20 = $2.40 (Remember the 2.0kg of barley seed makes 5kg of dry mass) Grain 5.0 kg @ 70cents = $3.50 The cash saving difference between barley and grain is $1.10 per day per head. Cost for selected premium barley seed per kg = 70 cents. 1 kg makes 10 kg of fodder which produces 2.5kg of high protein dry matter. Accordingly I one divides 70 cents by 2.5kg it is only costing the animal owner only 35 cents per kg to produce the same result that 70 cents per kg is producing by hard feeding with grain. Results Barley Fodder in dry matter terms = 35 cents per kg Hard Grain Feed with grain in dry mass terms = 77 cents per kg 10% has been added to the base 70 cents, because the grain dry mass is 90% per kg i.e. 5kg is actually only 4.5kg of dry mass. Barley = 35 cents per kg Grain = 77 cents per kg The cost saving to the animal owner represents 42 cents per kg. This is not including the 25% additional undigested excreted grain, grain transport, handling storage and taxes. Conventional Lot Feeding Grain or Grain Mixes Using the 5kg Example Factor Lot feeding in the conventional manner with grain or grain mixes should (under ideal conditions) give cattle an average weight gain of 1.0kg to 1.5kg per day using a 5kg per day ration as the example. Consequently if the cost for normal grain = 70 cents per kg x 5 kg =$3.50 per head per day. Remembering that when hard feeding cattle with grain or grain mixes up to 25% will be excreted as undigested material. This percentage is greatly reduced by using barley fodder which complements the natural digestive process. |