SIRSI, CHITRADURGA : ere is some fodder for thought. The drought in the state has farmers looking for ways to get fodder. One option: growing fodder using the hydroponics method which requires less water. This green diet is making cattle in Sirsi and Challakere very happy.
Two farmers--Mahesh S Shetty from Sirsi in Uttara Kannada district and Suresh of Challakere in Chitradurga district -- are reaping the benefits of adopting this practice. They say growing their own fodder is by far proving to be the most viable option.
Growing green fodder hydroponically is now becoming popular in drought-prone areas because it requires less water. It is a technique of growing fodder without soil.
Fodder has become a rare commodity for many farmers in Sirsi – they purchase fodder from the market or wait for government supplies.
Acting upon a suggestion from a local veterinarian, Mahesh adopted the hydroponics system. According to the system that is practised in countries like Israel, seeds of maize or horse gram or green gram are first soaked in water for a couple of days.
In a few days, they will sprout and in a week or so will become a six- to eight-inch high mat. The mat of roots, and green foliage is fed in its entirety to the animals. The advantage of growing fodder this way is that there is no big land requirement.
Mahesh has been growing fodder for the last three years. He says that even during the current drought, he has enough fodder to feed his cattle. What's more, his livestock is giving 25% extra milk now.
Mahesh has 11 cows at his dairy farm located near Sirsi. When he started farming at his backyard he was given a subsidy of `30,000 by Samarpana Multipurpose Society of Sirsi and he had to invest `30,000 on the system. With a total cost of `60,000, he set up a hydroponics unit at his dairy farm.
“Currently I am growing 50 kg green fodder by spending only `105 per day, and feeding 11 cows which are giving good quantity and quality of milk. The fat content in the milk has increased,” he noted.
The drought has hit agricultural business in the region. The arecanut and coconut farms have gone dry and many dairy owners are finding it difficult to get fodder. Now after seeing Mahesh feeding his cows with green fodder, many are coming forward to take up leaf farming. Even the district animal husbandry department has kept aside `9.75 lakh to help farmers adopting the system.
Green initiative
They say the grass is greener on the other side. But for Suresh of Gorlakatte village, Challakere taluk, Chitradurga district, the grass is actually green on his side. He too has adopted the hydroponics system to grow green fodder.
While every graduate dreams of a good job, Suresh turned towards dairy farming. And has been successful too. He started off with just a couple of cows. Today, his Preetham Dairy Farm boasts of 100 head of cattle. Though there was enough fodder initially, he started facing hardships in the last three years due to severe drought.
This prompted him to look for alternative methods of getting fodder for his cattle. He visited many places ---from Ahmedabad, to Mumbai and Udupi--- and found a viable mode in the form of hydroponics.
Suresh has set up 16 units of hydroponics in his farm wherein fodder is grown in 1,075 trays. It can feed his 36 cows for months. Each tray consisting of 700 grams of maize can yield 6kg of nutritious chemical-free fodder. “The cattle are getting nutritious green fodder and they yield good milk. The health of the cattle is also good as the fodder is chemical- free and nutritious,” he said
Explaining how the system works, he said the best quality maize which is picked from the market is soaked in water for 24 hours and poured in an airtight bag and kept for the next 48 hours for germination. Once the seeds are germinated, they are placed in specialised hydroponic trays and kept in a designated place which will enable the robust growth of the plants. After a gestation of about a week, the maize plants are ready to be used as fodder.
And like their cattle enjoy the green fodder, these farmers enjoy the substantial savings from this farming practice.