Barley Fodder — for Cows?

The severe drought in central Virginia this year has wreaked havoc on farmers throughout the area. And those of us needing grass (& hay) to feed our livestock have been faced with tough decisions on how to proceed.

With 22 head of cattle on our 16+ acre homestead, we seriously considered downsizing our herd. We didn’t know how we could possibly afford to feed all of them through the winter, or if we would even be able to get the hay we needed.

But then I remembered, years ago we experimented with growing barley fodder in 5-gallon buckets to supplement our birds’ diet after learning about it through Jack Spirko.

I asked my husband if generating barley fodder could work for cows. He believed it could. So, he set out to convert one of our trailers into a large barley fodder production facility.

Not finding much information to go on in tackling such an endeavor, he was determined to figure it out along the way.

Long story short, barley fodder needs a very specific environment in which to grow. And the biggest issue he faced was mold.

It was impossible to create the right environment outside with the 90+ degree temperatures we were experiencing day after day. So, he moved his operation indoors.

Again, creating the perfect environment for favorable growth has proven to be quite the challenge. But last week, my husband achieved a level of success that gave us great hope.

While we’re not quite where we need to be yet, we’re getting there.

Every day improvements are being made on the production’s facilities, its temperature & humidity levels, and the entire process of getting the barley from dry grain to finished fodder.

Once we have it all worked out, and we’re producing a consistent mature harvest, I’ll share our results with you. Stay tuned.