They Feed Livestock With The Push Of A Button

They Feed Livestock With The Push Of A Button LIVESTOCK Feeding Equipment A South Dakota farmer turns seed into feed in only 6 days and can harvest it with the push of a button Dihl Grohs’ company HydroGreen Global Technologies HGT has created a near totally automated system to produce sprouted grain It spreads the seed on a poly film liner waters it and at the end of the 6th day sprouted grain that HGT refers to as Hydrogreens is rolled off to be fed “When the Hydrogreens reach the edge of the rack a high-pressure spray jet slices through the mat and cuts off sections that are removed to be fed ” says Dan Kippley Hydrogreen Global Technologies “When all the HydroGreens are removed the spray jet also cleans off the film prior to automated reseeding ” While there are any number of other sprouting systems in use the level of automation in production and self cleaning sets the HGT system apart from most Software developed to run the system controls and monitors all aspects of production in a climate controlled building Kippley credits the environmental controls of temperature vapor pressure and dew point along with the spray jet cleaning for preventing growth of mold or other contaminants Eventually the system may be even more automated “A conveyer belt could be installed that would carry the HydroGreens out of the building to a mixer wagon ” says Kippley A HydroGreens Grow System consists of an 8 by 10-ft rack with 8 by 6-ft growing surfaces stacked 6 high to a total height of 10 ft Seeding one growing surface each day with 1 8 bu of seed can produce 487 lbs of HydroGreens every 6 days or 87 tons of feed per year While multiple racks can be connected for increased production the company estimates that a single 6-layer rack could produce enough HydroGreens for 20 to 25 head while three 6-layer racks could potentially provide most of the feed for a herd of 100 1 000-lb cattle Kippley suggests feeding approximately 20 lbs of HydroGreens per day along with straw or grass hay The dry matter counters the high moisture sprouts He reports that the rate of gain is similar to a conventional ration but with lower feed costs and labor It also raises the potential for livestock producers to expand current production without adding more land “If they can’t add to their footprint HydroGreens allows them to expand their herd ” says Kippley “It can also replace feed supply in a drought ” While Grohs started working on the concept in 2012 it wasn’t until 2015 that he put together HGT to bring the concept into production This past fall HGT began to market the systems “A single 6-level rack is the most expensive per square foot at $41 000 while three 6-level racks would be less than twice that at $75 000 ” says Kippley “Eventually we hope to come out with smaller units that aren’t as automated but would fit someone with 50 chickens or a few head of sheep and could sell for less than $10 000 ” He reports that South Dakota State University is evaluating HydroGreen rations for lactating cows and dairy heifers To better serve its customers and respond to their questions HGT is setting up its own test facility “We will have 3 different growth tables to test a variety of small grains and perhaps some peas as well as water types and supplements ” says Kippley “We’ll also have some livestock for mini-trials comparing conventional rations with Hydrogreen based rations ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Hydrogreen Global Technologies 25758 472nd Ave Renner S Dak 57055 ph 605 277-7271; info@LiveGreenFeed com; www LiveGreenFeed com

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