Fodder Factory Keeping Lambs Fed in Drought
EVAN FRANKHAM has got plenty of lush, nutritious feed on his Suntop farm to keep 500 breeding ewes in full production, but this fodder isn’t being grazed from his bare brown paddocks – it’s being produced from barley seed that’s sprouted in a purpose-made shed called a fodder factory
Capacity to Deliver - LP005-001
The issue
With Australia experiencing severe drought in most areas, Aussie farmers are struggling to cope, questioning their future and left having to make heart-wrenching decisions about their livelihood, animals and businesses to survive…
With no grass to graze on, farmers must face the choice of rearing their animals on feed trucked in from elsewhere — an expensive, time-consuming business, selling off stock at already low, and falling, prices, or culling stock they can no longer afford to feed.
The solution
Farmer Evan Frankham has got plenty of lush, nutritious feed to keep 500 breeding ewes in full production, but this fodder isn’t being grazed from his bare brown paddocks – it’s produced from barley seed that’s sprouted in a fodder factory. Every day he lays out 400kg of barley onto a series of large stainless-steel shelves, and each day he pulls out about 2.5 tonnes of green feed.
Mid Macquarie Landcare, along with Little River Landcare Group and Evan Frankham, hosted an informative field day on Evan’s property, explaining Evan’s system and success to around 140 people, who turned up looking for help/solutions to survive what was at the time, this unrelenting drought.
The impact
A huge success, the field day produced a great turn out of about 140 people on the day, and we are still receiving enquiries from people all over Australia, wanting to learn more about this innovative system. Mike Parish delivered a talk on the health and nutritional benefits that come from consuming sprouted grain. Farmer Evan Frankham, who not only put so much time into preparing for the field day, has also committed to assist other farmers who are looking at producing their own green feed.
Learnings
The collaboration between Mid Macquarie Landcare and Little River Landcare Group, as well as Evan Frankham, worked extremely well, allowing the field day to be the success it was, providing information and demonstrations to help give options to those who are feeling the full weight of the drought.
Key facts
- The ongoing drought left farmers struggling to source costly feed off farm or cull stock they could no longer afford to feed.
- Sheep producer Evan Frankham sprouts barley in his Fodder Factory, producing around 2.5 tonnes of green feed from 400kg of grain.
- Using this system, Evan is able to keep 500 breeding ewes in full production throughout these drought conditions.
- A field day explaining Evan's fodder factory was attended by 140 people.