FEEDING THE FUTURE

Micro greens and salad sprouts are a craze picking up popularity around the world. Because a few day old sprout has maximum energy and nutrition it is an incredible food to include in your diet. But the sprouts I'm referring to are not found in neat packaging in the veggie aisles of a supermarket or matching bottles on the kitchen windowsill. These trays of living green are made specifically for animals.

Nearly 5 years ago our semi-desert area was hit by a flash flood - a freak thing to happen in such dry conditions which usually has very low annual rainfall. Once the waters subsided with it the top soil was washed away. Most of the grazing had been lost. The entire farming community was in the same predicament. Baled lucerne (alfalfa) was at a premium, when available. Our own bales were fast running out. We had to act fast to support our large flocks of sheep and goats, and one dairy cow, Molly.

We bought a Bio-Boost Grow Box. This neat 6m type container is fitted with a sprinkler system and functions very much like a tiny greenhouse. It runs off a timer and the controlled temperature is 22C. Fans circulate the air, maintinaing the temperature. Each length of the Grow Box has angled trays divided into 7. The reason for the 7 divisions is to make it easier for the weekly cycle your sprouting system follows.

This closed system fodder production has been around since the 1930's but in recent years it has become a prefered method of feeding livestock. It is particularly water efficent. It also reduces the strain on fields normally required for high levels of grazing. Apart from water, the Bio-Boost system doesn't need fertilizer and nitrogen or protein that goes into fields. Of course it requires daily attention, unlike the maintenance of fields. Every night the grains - oats, barley, wheat and maize - are soaked in tubs of water to be loaded in their trays every morning. In the ensuing 4 to 6 days the germination takes place. Watching the miraculous growth is thrilling.

In an article explaining the advantages versus disadvantages of closed system fodder, Professor Brand (Directorate of Animal Sciences at the Western Cape agriculture department at Elsenburg and the Department of Animal Sciences at Stellenbosch University) explains the value of the sprout: "The total amount of protein in the seed before germination equals the total amount of protein after germination. Changes in the nutrients in the grains do occur. Starches are converted into sugars and fibres (in the cell walls) during the germination process and specific vitamins accumulate during the growth process. Moisture and enzyme activity increases. The enzymes then break starches down into sugars, proteins into amino acids and fats into fatty acids. The relevant amount of fibre in cell walls – cellulose and hemicellulose – also increases, vitamins are synthesised, and certain anti-nutrient factors are destroyed."

What this meant for us was that from overnight soaking to feeding the animals it was 4 days in summer (6 in winter) and our animals had a nutrient dense food. 50kg of grains converted into 300kg of living food. At 6 days the sprouted grains are at their maximum nutritional value (after that they devalue). The only downside is that while the Grow Box is perfect for sprouting grains, it is also the ideal condition for fungal growth. However managed correctly this should not be a problem.

It didn't take long for our sheep and goats to realize that instead of going hungry they were now being fed green chocolate! They would line up at the same time every day waiting for the buffet. Immediately following the flood we had had a crisis with lambing ewes rejecting their babies. Suddenly there was bountiful food again and our animals flourished. Running the Grow Box took commitment and extra work but the benefits were incredible. Sadly with the drought we can no longer run the system as the necessary oats, barley, wheat and maize is very scarce. And then, very expensive. But for those looking at alternative, and nutrient rich food for your animals, this is the way to go!