You are probably looking to find economical, sustainable alternatives to traditional feeds that provide superior performance and nutrition. And the production of hydroponic green fodders or Alfaculture is one such through which you can effectively grow and produce the right feed for your livestock. The nutritional benefits of hydroponic green fodders (sprouted grains) are best fit for all livestock including, sheep, cattle, horses, goats, lamps chickens, and provide animals with improved growth and overall health. Hydroponics technology has come up to grow fodder for farm animals, as an alternative to conventional method of green fodder production. It is a well-accepted fact that feeding dairy animals is incomplete without including green fodder in their diet. The word hydroponics has been derived from the Greek word ‘water working’. Hydro means ‘water’ and ponic means ‘working’ and it is a technology of growing plants without soil, but in water or nutrient rich solution for a short duration. The hydroponics green fodder production unit consists of a greenhouse and a control unit.

The size of the green house is approximately 25 feet (length) x 10 feet (width) x 10 feet (height) and has a potential to produce 600 kg of green fodder daily in seven days. Inside the green house, racks are present and each rack contains a number of rows, in which trays containing soaked seeds are accommodated. Pipes containing micro-foggers are fitted just above the trays for water fogging, which ultimately maintains the greenhouse humidity.

Hydroponic Fodder Although the methods of hydroponic fodder production date back to the 1930’s, there is renewed interest in hydroponic fodder as a feedstuff for sheep, goats, and other livestock. Hydroponics is a method of growing plants without soil. Only moisture and nutrients are provided to the growing plants. There are many advantages to hydroponics. Hydroponic growing systems produce a greater yield over a shorter period of time in a smaller area than traditionally-grown crops. There is a reduction or exclusion of pesticides and herbicides because the plants are in a more protected growing environment. Hydroponics is a year-round growing system that produces a consistent quantity and quality of plant material, regardless of outside weather. Fodder (livestock feed) can be grown hydroponically much the same as vegetables, flowers, and other plants. Hydroponic fodder systems are usually used to sprout cereal grains, such as barley, oats, wheat, sorghum, and corn, or legumes, such as alfalfa, clover, or cow peas. Barley is the most commonly grown forage, because it usually gives the best yield of nutrients (4). Forage mixtures are another option.

Is it a viable option for feeding sheep, goats and other livestock?

Hydroponic fodder systems make very efficient use of water and land. While it is possible to grow hydroponic fodder in any building, including a garage

or basement, a greenhouse is ideal because temperature, light, and humidity can be precisely controlled. Efficient, year-round production of green fodder is not possible unless environmental conditions are optimal: approximately 70°F, 60 percent humidity, and 16 hours of light. For this reason, hydroponic growing systems usually require significant investment. Hydroponic fodder systems come in a range of sizes and capacities. Large fodder sheds may produce several tons of fodder per day, whereas a mini-fodder system may produce only 10 lbs. per day. It is possible to build your own system, or a “turn-key” system can be purchased from a commercial company. Investments range from a few hundred dollars to six figures.

As feed for livestock Fodder sprouts are tender and young, the equivalent of fresh green grass. As such, they are highly palatable and nutritious to all types and classes of livestock. On a dry matter basis, hydroponic fodder compares favorably with other nutritious feedstuffs.

Comparative nutrition of different feedstuffs (DM)

Feedstuff % CP1 % TDN1 mcal/kg

ME1 NEm1 NEg

1 NEl1

Alfalfa Hay 17 58 2.1 1.3 0.6 1.3 Barley grain 12 84 3.0 2.0 1.3 0.9 Barley sprouts3 21 71 2.6 0.75 0.47 0.74 Orchardgrass, fresh

24 65 2.4 1.5 0.8 1.5

Orchardgrass hay 10 59 2.1 1.3 0.6 1.3 Soybean meal 49 84 3.0 2.0 1.3 1.9

Sprouting changes the nutritive characteristics of the grain. Enzymes break down storage components into more simple and digestible fractions; for example, starch to sugars, proteins to amino acids, and lipids to free fatty acids. There is an increase in fiber and some vitamins and a decrease in phytic acid, an anti-nutritional factor (11).

If you do not consider its high moisture content, the per pound price of hydroponic fodder seems very economical, around $0.06 per pound (or $120 per ton) (3). Without further analysis, this sounds like a great way to reduce the cost of feeding livestock. But when the wet cost is converted to a dry matter basis, feed cost becomes very high. At 12 percent dry matter (DM), wet feed that costs 6 cents per pound actually costs 50 cents per pound of dry matter. This is considerable more expensive than most other feedstuffs, as shown in the tables below.

Comparative costs of different feed costs (as-fed) Feedstuff Cost Unit $/lb Barley sprouts3 $0.06 pound 0.060 Orchardgrass hay $60 700-lb bale 0.086 Alfalfa Hay, mid bloom $250 ton 0.125 Barley grain $6 bushel 0.125 Soybean meal $480 ton 0.240

Cost per pound of dry matter (DM) Feedstuff $/lb % DM1 $/lb DM Alfalfa Hay 0.125 89 0.14 Barley grain 0.125 89 0.14 Orchardgrass hay 0.086 88 0.20 Soybean meal 0.24 91 0.26 Barley sprouts3 0.063 123 0.50

Because of its low dry matter content, the cost of nutrients in hydroponic fodder is also considerably more expensive than other feedstuffs.

Cost per pound of energy (TDN) Feedstuff $/lb DM % TDN1 $/lb TDN Barley grain 0.14 84 0.17 Orchardgrass hay 0.10 58 0.17 Alfalfa Hay 0.14 58 0.24 Barley sprouts3 0.50 71 0.70

Cost per pound of protein (CP) Feedstuff $/lb DM % CP1 $/lb CP Soybean meal 0.26 49 0.54 Alfalfa hay 0.14 17 0.82 Barley sprouts3 0.50 21 2.40

Nutritional requirements of livestock are based on dry matter intake. If fed to livestock at a rate of 2 percent of their body weight (a common recommendation), hydroponic fodder will only meet a fraction of most animals’ nutritional requirements, especially the higher producing ones. Thus, hydroponic fodder, while excellent feed, is only a nutritional supplement and an expensive one at that.

Energy (TDN) requirements met by feeding fodder @ 2% BW (as-fed)

Animal Stage of production

lb. fodder fed

lb. TDN supplied by fodder

TDN requirements lb. DM/day1

% TDN requirements met by hydro fodder

As-fed DM

154-lb. ewe maintenance

3.08 0.37 0.26 1.36 19.3

154- lb. ewe late gestation, twin lambs

3.08 0.37 0.26 2.66 9.9

154-lb. ewe early lactation, twin lambs

3.08 0.37 0.26 2.88 9.1

176-lb. ewe, parlor milked (5.2-8.7 lbs milk/day)

3.52 0.42 0.30 4.42 6.8

Growing, 44-lb. Boer buck ( 0.44 lb/day)

0.88 0.11 0.07 1.41 5.3

Growing, 66-lb. lamb (4 mos. old, 0.66 lb/day)

1.32 0.16 0.11 2.18 5.2

132-lb. doe, parlor milked (10-14 lbs milk/day)

2.64 0.32 0.22 5.50 4.1

Calculations in table lb. fodder fed (as-fed) = BW x 0.02. [Example: 154 lbs. x 0.02 = 3.08 lbs. as-fed] lb. fodder fed (DM) = lb. fodder fed (as-fed) x 0.12 (% DM). [Example: 3.08 x 0.12 = 0.37 lbs DM fed] lb. TDN supplied by fodder = lb. fodder fed (DM) x 0.71 (% TDN). [Example: 0.37 x 0.71 = 0.26 lbs. TDN] % TDN supplied by fodder = lb. TDN supplied by fodder ÷ TDN requirements (DM). [Example: 0.26 ÷ 1.36 = 19.3% of TDN requirements]

Full feeding of sprouts is usually inappropriate due to the high moisture content of the feed, the high cost of the feed, and the scale which would

be needed to produce sufficient dry matter (11).

Advantages of hydroponic fodder Hydroponic fodder has several advantages over conventionally-produced fodder. Hydroponic fodder makes very efficient use of water (4,5,11). There is little waste water, as animals consume the recirculated water along with the feed. Since production is hydroponic, there is no leaching of nutrients into the environment. Hydroponic fodder production requires considerably less land to produce feed for livestock. While hydroponic fodder is not likely to become a major source of feed for commercial livestock, it could be feasible under certain circumstances. Dry and drought-prone regions Hydroponic fodder production is probably best-suited to semi-arid, arid, and drought-prone regions of the world. By growing fodder indoors, crop failures would no longer be a risk. Good quality forage could be produced year-round. Feed supplies would be insured. Scarce water resources could be allocated more efficiently (4). Limited land In places where land values are extremely high or land is simply not readily available, hydroponic fodder has obvious advantages, as it can be produced in a small footprint. Because the fodder is produced continuously, there is no need for long-term feed storage and no nutrient losses that can be associated with feed storage.

High alternative feed costs While this article clearly shows that hydroponic fodder is considerably more expensive than conventional feedstuffs, it assumes that conventional feedstuffs are available and priced competitively. There are many locations in which this is not the case and hydroponic fodder could be more competively priced. Small-scale producers Requiring smaller amounts of fodder, small-scale producers may be able to build their own fodder systems for a few hundred dollars. When the investment is low and labor is unpaid, the cost of hydroponic fodder is considerably less.

You can build a mini-fodder system for a minimal cost.