Fresh
Green Forage for Livestock Can Now be
Grown Year ‘Round, Indoors!
Wadsworth,
OH — Whether it’s drought conditions or winter weather
making pasture and forage scarce, livestock farmers throughout North
America can now grow a ton or more per day of fresh, safe, high
protein forage with the GrazeGreen Forage System by
CropKing, Inc. Proven in the tough climactic conditions of
the Australian outback, the forage produced in the system provides
optimal nutrition for a wide range of livestock including beef
cattle, dairy cattle, horses, sheep, pigs and deer.
The
GrazeGreen Forage System incorporates refined hydroponic and
greenhouse technologies to produce high protein green fodder in
small spaces - 365 days of the year. Grain seeds such as barley and
wheat are germinated into sprouts that are grown on to form a thick
mass of green feed with interwoven roots high in both nutrients and
enzymes with a growing cycle typically ranging from 7-10 days..
Although
forage production systems have been used in the past and there are
other hydroponic systems currently in use, CropKing’s GrazeGreen
system eliminates the problems commonly associated with other
methods of growing. The method of producing the fodder
consists of feeding the fodder by passing a film of nutrient past
the root base. This eliminates spraying water or nutrients on the
plants, which reduces humidity and the potential for diseases, fungi
and molds. In addition, the GrazeGreen Forage System permits
the use of either conventional fertilizers or certified organic
nutrients for those raising organic beef or selling organic mils or
other products.
Designed
and built with an emphasis on water conservation, durability and
performance and since the fodder produced in it can be grown to meet
organic certification standards, the system provides important
benefits at a time of increasing environmental and food safety
awareness.
Among the
GrazeGreen Forage System benefits are:
• marked
reduction in water usage.
• reduced nutrient usage, resulting in cost savings and
significant reduction in nutrient ‘dumping’,
minimizing impacts on the local water table and environment.
• no overhead spraying means reduced humidity, mould and disease.
• reverse cycle air-conditioner reduces humidity and provides
efficient cooling and heating.
According to
Paul Brentlinger, President of CropKing Inc., the short growing time
to produce green fodder releases the farmer from long-term storage
of large quantities of feed, particularly over winter, and the
substantive nutrient loss associated with stored foodstuffs.
The system provides optimal forage throughout the year – even
after pastures have died out for the season or forage is scarce due
to droughts. The controlled environment inside the production shed
allows growers to monitor and control the feed output to meet
livestock demands. Additionally, the relatively small area required
to grow green feed results in a production facility that is both
labor and cost effective. “The GrazeGreen Forage System produces
a reliable harvest of feed-quality barley every 7-8 days using
remarkably small quantities of recirculated water,” says
Brentlinger.” One pound of dry grain produces between 7 to 9
pounds of harvested barley,” he added.
The system
was initially developed and tested in Australia, where it became a
lifesaver for livestock farmers who struggled in one of the
country’s worst droughts in decades.
It is now manufactured and readily available in North
America.
CropKing is
a leading producer of controlled-environment hydroponic and soilless
organic growing systems. |
