Economic and chemical comparison of Barley Grain Vs Barley Fodder for dairy indusry - Ask Extension
Dear Sir,I have a 100 head holstein herd. I am currently considering to have a barley sprouting system. I see that it requires considerable investme...
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Economic and chemical comparison of Barley Grain Vs Barley Fodder for dairy indusry #116070
Asked March 02, 2013, 1:25 PM EST
Dear Sir,
I have a 100 head holstein herd. I am currently considering to have a barley sprouting system. I see that it requires considerable investment. At first look it seemed very profitable to me and I was inclined to invest in the system. However recently I came across a few articles claiming that DM of sprouted barley is lower compared to barley grain and also they do not bring many advantages. Their finding is that the cattle group fed with barley grain gain more weight compared to the cattle that were fed with barley fodder. The link is as follows : http://www.qcl.farmonline.com.au/files/48/20/01/000012048/Hydroponicfodder.pdf
Performance of Feedlot Calves Fed Hydroponics Fodder:
http://free.ebooks6.com/Performance-of-Feedlot-Calves-Fed-Hydroponics-Fodder-Barley-download-w27409....
I will appreciate if you can provide me with more articles about nutritional and economic values of fodder compared to grain for dairy industry.
I have a 100 head holstein herd. I am currently considering to have a barley sprouting system. I see that it requires considerable investment. At first look it seemed very profitable to me and I was inclined to invest in the system. However recently I came across a few articles claiming that DM of sprouted barley is lower compared to barley grain and also they do not bring many advantages. Their finding is that the cattle group fed with barley grain gain more weight compared to the cattle that were fed with barley fodder. The link is as follows : http://www.qcl.farmonline.com.au/files/48/20/01/000012048/Hydroponicfodder.pdf
Performance of Feedlot Calves Fed Hydroponics Fodder:
http://free.ebooks6.com/Performance-of-Feedlot-Calves-Fed-Hydroponics-Fodder-Barley-download-w27409....
I will appreciate if you can provide me with more articles about nutritional and economic values of fodder compared to grain for dairy industry.
County Outside United States
Expert Response
There
are at least two types of hydoponic systems in the market, one where the water
is fertilized the other unfertilized. In these systems seeds germinate in general
in 24 hours and continue to grow in the tray. On day 6 when the plants are
approximately 6-7 inches high (including the root mass) they are ready to
harvest. Each day, the plants are removed from the trays at the harvesting end
of the chamber. The same trays are then rinsed, re-seeded and loaded back into
the system at the seeding end of the chamber. I really understand what you say about the
costs because a system like this that produces 1,000 pounds “as is” (roughly
100 lbs of dry matter) of barley plantlings costs approximately US$ 60,000. If
the plants are fed at the right stage they could have an energy value similar
to that in the grain, never more, particularly in unfertilized systems. In this
system the starch is converted to highly digestible fiber that compared on an
energy basis “could” be (provided it’s harvested at the right time) similar. What
I do see as advantages for the hydroponic systems is something these companies
have not used as marketing strategy which is a reduction of the carbon
footprint associated with cattle fed hydroponic forages. The high digestibility
of these forages would reduce carbon emissions for sure plus that it reduces
the acreage cattle can be raised in. This is another factor to consider when
evaluating the economics of the system. If the hydroponic forage use frees part
of your acreage for other agricultural purposes such as corn/beans rotation it
adds up to the gross income per acre.
Do you think we have a an advantage because of feeding fresh fodder instead of hay in terms of efficiency? İf so to what extend? İ saw some arguments in this way at some of ads.
Thank you for the answer. İt is quite satisfactory for me.
You will find this article from Iowa State University useful as it discusses the economics of hydroponic barley:
http://www.ans.iastate.edu/report/air/2013pdf/R2791.pdf
Best
