Barley Fodder
By: Matt Nelson
Which barley fodder will grow taller? With Soil or Without Soil
Purpose Statement:
The purpose of this experiment was to find out what barley fodder will grow taller; The one with soil or the one without. I became interested in this experiment when my dad started growing it for our cows. The information gained from this experiment will help others by figuring out how barley fodder grows, is space efficient, grows quickly, and is not energy efficient, but is time efficient.
Research:
European dairy farmers feed sprouted grains to their cows during winter. Why? To maintain milk production. Barley Fodder can be fed to cows, sheep, goats, horses, and also chickens. When a cow eats barley fodder, it is eating nutrients that are not present in dry hay or in grain. It is also digestible.
When growing barley fodder, the temperature should be 60-65 degrees fahrenheit and the humidity 60-75%. Barley Fodder takes 9-10 days to grow. It doesn’t need soil, but it has to have artificial lighting. It can be rolled up when it should be moved or you can cut it into slabs. Barley fodder can also save money. How? It doesn’t have to be planted like other crops (corn, beans, etc…). Instead, it can be put on shelves and you can put them 2 feet from another tray that is nearly on top of it.
Hypothesis
Materials:
2 See-through Containers/Trays
Barley Seeds
Spray Bottle
Water
A light bulb
Something to hold the tray up to the lig
IV: soil
DV: the height of barley fodder
CV: type of light
CV: type of barley seed
Procedure:
1. Soak barley seed in bucket for 12 hours.
2. Drain water out of bucket and put ¼ cup barley seeds in each tray.
3. Put trays under a light or lights in a location where temperature measures 60-65º F.
4. Keep light on 24 hours a day.
5. Sprinkle water over the barley seed .
6. Repeat Steps 4 & 5 for 7-8 days.
7. Measure height of barley fodder in each tray
8. Take barley fodder out of tray.
9. Feed to animals. (cows, sheep, goats, horses)Growth From Day #4 to Day #11(Day #1-Day #3 Soaking)
Barley Fodder With Soil Day#7 Day #8
Data:
Barley Fodder Without Soil=Grew taller than barley fodder with soil.
Observations Log:
Results:
Conclusion:
Acknowledgements:
Mike Nelson
Diane Nelson
Mrs. Cunningham