 My name is Bill Alward. This is a little mountain ranch and garden in Fort Calhoun, Nebraska So we're just about 20 miles north of Omaha We're in the Lus Hills right next to the Missouri River if you walk to the very top of our property You can see the Missouri River. So we're kind of in a unique landscape And we have some pigs behind me. We are a Pharaoh to finish hard operation. We also do grass-fed beef We do a little bit of pasture poultry and eggs and we dabble with some market gardening as well We applied for a serigrant to test out using a fodder system and kind of the background for that is is One of our highest expenses is winter feed costs, especially keeping these guys happy during the winter We've often supplemented with hay, specifically alfalfa hay in addition to their grain supplementation and we found that Hay can be pretty expensive, especially alfalfa hay as a daily supplement and fodder seemed like a pretty interesting idea one of the things that always Intrigued me was that you could take a 50-pound bag of feed and turn it into like a hundred and fifty percent to 200 percent more pounds of a feed stuff and so We trialed out a small it's kind of small to medium-large fodder system it's got three trays per rack or six trays per rack four rows high and We trial the multiple different grain types oats barley wheat rye Trita Kaylee and then Within seven to nine days we're able to harvest that and feed it to the pigs what we found is that for most of the grain types we use Trita Kaylee was one that it comes to top of mind For a 50-pound bag of seed we were able to turn that into about 200 to 220 pounds of Feedable fodder now some of that is water weight, but we typically shut the water off to those trays before harvest And then we take those cut them up and and and take them down to wherever the livestock are and supplement For us we were supplementing our cattle and pigs with fodder typically we're feeding the fodder to sows with litters or Finishing pigs that were on a limited grain diet to supplement their daily ration And then as an energy supplement for the cows we were feeding fodder typically once a day one of the reasons fodder has always seemed like a Really good fit for small farms is that you're taking something and Making it in my opinion better If I were to grind that if I were to take a 50 pound bag of oats and grind it up Yeah, it makes decent hog food But if I take that same grain and I soak it and then sprout it I have released all of this energy in that seed that was wouldn't have been available to the pigs like vitamins and minerals enzymes That's where I think it's huge is you're you're working with less to make more Versus buying lots and lots of grain Just to grind it You're actually releasing a lot more. I think Power out of the grain that way And to me that's more sustainable than just you know buying Bushels and bushels of grain to grind whereas you're actually turning it into a a Bigger feed value than you would just just with the grain itself is kind of where I think it becomes sustainable I think for anybody interested in this, you know, go do your research think about How you're gonna source the grain The other thing is kind of think about what your your infrastructure is for us We fortunately have an insulated building that we can heat so that we can grow fodder, you know During the winter months. It's a little trickier if you're gonna have to erect a building or insulate a building or something like that And I think the other thing too is for us where we don't have a Water source to the system and so if you have a building that has water That's a huge advantage and if you're able to install and Plumbing outlet for the wastewater. That's even more advantageous, you know I would try to size the system to where you can you may not be able to feed all of your livestock But at least be able to supplement a lot of your livestock because that's what the way I view it is It's not a it's not a standalone feed source in the winter. It's a supplement Our big mindset with livestock, especially pigs is that and in cattle too, but especially with pigs is diversity of diet is really important Pigs that eat just grain 24-7 Tastes way different than pigs like these guys that are down here eating roots eating weeds eating grain in the in the winter Eating acorns walnuts that sort of thing. That's how you make really good pork So that's kind of what how what our mindset is behind like fodder So I think if you're looking for a way to help supplement your winter Feed program, I think fodder is a really good option, but I think if you're interested in getting started with it Look for farmers in your area that are doing it or Or even find folks that have trialed it Or just trial it at home It is really easy to just do fodder on your windowsill if you take some kind of containers be it a yogurt container or Some kind of plastic tray and you soak some grain and spread it out in there soak the grain for 24 hours Set it out in there and put it on your windowsill. You'll see what I mean It will it will sprout And it's pretty amazing as long as you keep it moist So it's kind of I think it would be really advantageous for anybody interested just to do that just to try sprouting some on their own and witness, you know the potential of What you can do with say a small handful of wheat or something like that. It's pretty amazing stuff