Anyone have any experience with livestock fodder grown with hydroponics? Lots of lofty claims and lots of expensive systems. We can't find land and are looking into possibly growing vertical feed.

The dutch are big into greenhouses

All are pot glass houses are shipped for there

interesting. I'd be curious of cost of production per ton. I'd think it would take a pretty large scale production to feed even a handful of cows

Estimates are running over 100 a ton to far under that. We'd like to start with 700lbs a day ideally (after small scale experiments) then eventually get to 3,000lbs a day if it worked.

How much space do you need for that much feed, and what type of building? Can you get the seed stock at a reasonable price for that amount of feed?

Interesting!!!
How does this way compare to cost of putting up own hay?

From my research Barley would be best, it's $5.10 a bushel which is 48lbs (assuming buying bulk). 1 lb of seed makes 7.33 lbs of fodder, cows need 2-3% body weight daily depending if your maintaining or feeding out.

A batch of fodder is ready every 6 to 7 days. I have a 48×64 pole shed already and that would be large enough to produce all I'll need.

Hard part is maintaining 60 to 65 degrees in the shed, this allows fodder to grow but prevents most mold growth. We can easily do it in the fall, winter, spring but we wouldn't be able to in the summer without huge AC bills.

I'm not 100%, sure yet, lots of lofty claims by people selling $100k+ systems but hard to find first hand experience from larger producers, it either works real well and they're keeping it quiet ot it doesn't work and they don't want to admit it failed

That's pretty expensive even if you could do it for that. And seems majority of time those kind of estimates for new environment friendly technology are way low compared to actual total cost including investment. The nutritional value of product would also be a consideration. It not all about tons.

When you talking production compared to needs I believe your missing something. I'm assuming your production #s are based on an as fed value which includes at least 80 to 90 percent water. The needed value of 2 to 3 % would be on a dry matter bases.

I believe my numbers are correct. You are right in assuming there is a ton of water weight but you also have to account for increased digestibility which for barley goes from 40% as grain to 90% as fodder. Protein, etc also increases.

I played around with doing similar for winter chicken feed/treats. It works but there was a fair amount of labor and mess for in the house. I assume you'd need a mechanised system, additional electric for the system and ventilation, storage for the seed stock, and who knows what else....You'd have to carefully pencil it out...can you not buy in the hay you need,? and by you there should be dairy quality hay if you need that level of nutrition?

We currently do purchase hay but have varying quality, unpredictable pricing. It's a limiting factor for growth.

Here's a quick video

https://youtu.be/RhblJOghLIw?si=rYewuTLACWjtoP53

I won't argue with you but will say spending my lifetime being in the cattle business I believe from what I'm understanding you're saying with your numbers your missing the big picture. Comparing grain to fodder using digestibility as your mark isn't seeing the big picture. Good luck. Trouble with be a beginner is you don't know what you don't know.

for Chickens maybe ...

I'm not arguing, ide rather know I'm wrong and why than waste money and time. I'm using the numbers from the sites selling systems which is why I was hoping someone knew more than me, I don't trust salesmen.

We fed corn silage this year so I believe I understand what your saying, one ton of silage doesn't equal one ton of hay due to moisture content.

If I'm wrong I'm happy to know and accept that, preferably before time and dollar output.

I know I don't have to tell you this, but I'd look carefully at the numbers cause it looks like an expensive system that you're now stuck with if it doesn't meet your needs, and find actual people using this and try and get on the ground info on the quirks and auxiliary costs. Small type farms compared to corporate types that can afford to experiment.

Whatever you decide, good luck.

Worst part is the amount of electricity it’ll take to maintain lights, you could run big exhaust fans in the summer to help with reducing heat, for the greenhouse information look to the tomato production side there’s information there and growing in greenhouse is the same basic principles just some different variables. As far as alfalfa goes I can help with quality but cost not so so much, and with what happening in Texas the cost isn’t going to get better.

Corn silage was a pretty awesome addition this year, drought wrecked the corn and we bought it standing in the field and bagged it. I wouldn't be able to do fodder in the summer, to busy and fighting heat and mold wouldn't be worth it. I also don't want to buy a super expensive system to try, ill experiment at a small scale. There's not much needed for lights as your mostly germinating. Most cost estimates I'm seeing are around $120 a ton, when I do the math it comes out to less but I suck at math.

Cattle should be fed nutrition, they should be produced to provide nutrition to whatever eats them,"humans" alfalfa, grass, and a little non GMO grain a long with salt and a high quality free choice mineral, I read a study with rats some were given rice grown wild others given rice grown in water all though they didn't loose weight, in a very short time the one's with water rice were having birth defects and were dying from malnutrition.

Fodder is just grass, it's fresh grass at its highest nutritional density and digestibility.
I also have a commercial poultry barn, you'd likely be unpleasantly surprised at what cows can eat and gain weight from.