Fodder Factory Aust. Pty. Ltd. is a family business which commenced in 1989 on the family farm located on the mid north coast of New South Wales. As a result of world pioneering embryo work in 1988 and unfavourable climatic conditions the resulting progeny were unable to be fed adequately. These developing animals needed a regular source of nutritional feed and after exhausting our financial resources on hay and dry grain the "Fodder Factory" was developed to bridge the "fed gap" between favourable seasons. It was not long until other local farmers had approached us to observe our system with the view to acquire similar systems.
Initially the system had limitations but as units went onto farms, the feedback received helped to develop the design of the Fodder Factory. Most of our customers are innovative people who simply question things and who are constantly looking for better alternatives. Adopting the recommendations of these customers has proven invaluable to us as a growing business and customer feedback has been the major contributing factor to product evolution.
One proud customer, using one of the first 960 models did accurate weight gain tests on his herd of mixed quality steers and states that "The herd when fed at a rate of 2 Kg per 100 Kg live body weight gained an average of 1.36 Kg per animal per day." This was about nine times greater than previous groups that had simply paddock grazed, according to the grazier. It is also very important to note that this farmer fed barley stubble at a rate of about 3% live body weight in addition to the fodder. We should stress this point because some people are not aware that roughage is a vital ingredient and that fodder alone will not work.
Imagine what a Fodder Factory would do for your stud stock!
It is not commonly known that when grain is sprouted the protein value is nearly doubled; most vitamins and minerals are increased as much as 100 times. The resulting product is easily digested and therefore maximum value is attained from your grain. The most salient point in the exercise is the aspect of digestibility of fodder when compared with dry hay and grain. Livestock are (by nature) designed to consume wet, palatable feed such as a lush paddock and were never intended to be confined to dry unpalatable feed sources. Fodder Factories simply convert dry, unpalatable (sometimes indigestible) grain into lush, palatable and highly digestible green feed, similar to the traditional creek flat of sown oats. The major difference between the paddock and a Fodder Factory is that a Fodder Factory can do this in seven to eight days!
Fodder Factories give climatic control back to the primary producer to enable the predictable production of animals. Simple in design, easy to use and complex in the options that they provide to the grazier.
Not all farms need a Fodder Factory but if more farms used them, then there would simply be more farms. This is a true Australian innovation born out of necessity. We are the originators and are continually improving and developing our product for a better result. We have been working the for last five years researching and developing our latest product the 'Super Shed' in an attempt to reduce operating costs and improve viability. The 'Super Shed' is currently delayed pending a patent application. If you would like any further information please contact the Sales Manager.
