I do have some good news. All the grass outside is dull, brown, and dead, but our cows are still able to eat lush green grass daily. This is all thanks to our fodder sprouting system. We realized how much better our cattle perform when they have fresh lush grass, so we created a way for them to have that type of grass daily. The pictures show the finished product, but here is how it works.
We spread seeds in 6 foot trays that are watered every 30 minutes. One seventh of the trays are emptied and refilled every day, giving the cows a consistent supply of 7 day old grass. In that seven days the grass is able to sprout and grow to around 8 inches tall. There are no chemicals in the system at all, only seeds and water. The seed stores enough energy to grow the grass for 7-8 days. The sprouting process transforms the seed from a tiny capsule of energy to a lush high protein forage. We complete this cycle every day, 365 days per year, but never is it more important than in the dead of winter when green grass is hard to come by.
