 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
|
Press Releases “Big, Easy, and Value for Money!” When was the last time a farmer said those words to you after they have just spent over $86,000? They are the words of Stephen Chapman of Taminick Victoria regarding his recent investment in a Fodder Solution barley sprouting system. It was only 12 months ago at the Seymour Farming Expo, that Stephen and his wife Cathy checked out the system at the Fodder Solutions Seymour site. “Years ago we saw a Landline piece on sprout systems but they looked like too much hard work and expensive. The other brand on the market also looked complicated. We chose the Fodder Solutions system because it’s big, easy, and value for money.”  
The Chapman’s run 100 breeders of Wagu X Friesian cows and Angus bulls on a total of 1,000 acres producing vealers for market finishing at 450kg. Stephen said, “We feed all year round no matter the season. The hays maintain the stock over Summer but in Autumn it’s not enough. The cows have a calf at foot and the feed has lost its nutritional value when the cold and wet starts coming in. The big advantage is being able to continuously provide fresh green feed no matter the season that is high in nutrition and digestibility. “After only 6 weeks of using the system I have noticed immediate results. Our stock are clearly thriving on the sprouts, evidenced by looking healthier, shiny coats, and the 4 cows that got in calf early are producing noticeably more milk now. We are seriously considering bringing forward when we calve from March to Christmas to make better use of this feed system. We are now able to produce a more consistent product for market.” Stephen commented that managing the unit only takes under two hours every morning to produce a guaranteed 1.2 tonne of fresh green feed daily. “It’s like having an irrigated paddock in your back yard that is clearly cheaper, guaranteed daily, low maintenance, and is not time consuming. We already daily have the feedlot and rear calves so the system has not been a major additional effort.” When water allocation in the area is around 20% it was important that their current dam and bore water would be sufficient. “There is no waste as the run off water goes back to the dam as stock water.” The Chapman’s system is a T288 that consistently produces 144 mats of barley sprouts. Stephen said there was value adding to dry grains by sprouting in a Fodder Solutions system turning 1kg of dead grain into 9kg of lush green fodder. That’s over 1.2 tonne of feed produced from only 188kg of grain. Sprouting eliminated the possibility of animals passing whole grains through their digestive system, thereby delivery the best possible nutritional value to his animals. Stephen feeds 3% of body weight to the stock and for the cows now in calf that equates to one mat per head daily. With an expected pay back of five years for their investment; a rate of return unheard of for primary producers, the Chapman’s are extremely happy they have invested the money and are no longer worried about the season. The Chapman’s highly recommend anyone considering a Fodder Solutions system should do so now due the immediate results he has seen with his stock. If you would like more information regarding the product, you can see a demo unit at the Seymour Farming Expo site 70 or call Justin Glen on 0429 946 925. For more details, phone (03) 5799 1211, fax (03) 5799 1311 or email admin@seymour-expo.com
.jpg){kind=logo}  
|
