Alternative Farm Animal Feed (Such as Corn)

Lately the cost of dairy products, meat and poultry has been skyrocketing. This cost increase has been attributed to the rising price of corn and other grains. Corn for one has been the main source of feed for cows, pigs, and chickens. However, do to the increasing cost of oil corn is being used to make ethanol as a fuel alternative to reduce the dependency on foreign oil and reduce air pollution. As a result farmers have found that they can earn more money selling their corn crops to ethanol producing companies instead of selling them for food consumption. This has caused the price of corn for food consumption to sky rocket. Thus, raising the cost of feed for farm animals which has led to the rising cost of dairy products, meat, and poultry.

Just as there is an effort to gain independence from oil, there should also be an effort of farmers to gain independence from corn and other grains and seek alternative animal feed that would be cheaper. The alternative feed should be something not commonly consumed by people and very nutritious.

Grass
Green grass and grass hay are an excellent alternative to corn. People cannot eat grass, and it cannot be used to make fuel. Grass can be easily planted and easily grown. When left alone and watered, grass can quickly grow. It takes from four to five weeks for grass to grow high enough and mature enough to produce grass grain. Grass can grow continuously and abundantly quickly throughout the spring and summer, which makes it relatively inexpensive.

Grass farming is low input and sustainable. It stops soil erosion and does not require the uses of chemical fertilizers and insecticides. Dairy farmers, sheep farmers, and goat farmers can do grass farming as well and allow their cattle to graze during the spring and summer. During the winter the animals can be given grass hay.

Meat and poultry that were grass fed are more nutritious then meat and poultry that were grain fed. Grass fed farm animals, have less fat and leaner meat and have a higher level of omega-3 fatty acids, the good fat. They also have more CLA (conjugated linoeic acid), which is an important defense against cancer. Chicken that is fed grass grain have less cholesterol, less saturated fat, more vitamin A, more omega-3 fatty acids, and more beta carotene.

Clover
Clover is another good alternative to corn and other grains. Like grass clover can grow fast and in abundance. Clover can grow continuously from the spring through the summer. When winter ends and it is time to start planting, clover, like grass, does not need to be planted. Once the temperature increases and the spring rain starts to fall, the clover plants grow up with the grass. Clover plants can grow up to three feet tall and thick with leaves. The plant can be dried and stored for winter feed. Because clover can grow continuously and is relatively self sustainable like grass, it can be grown by farmers with little input.

Clover is an excellent food source because it is rich in protein, which is needed by grazing animals. It has been found that when cows are feed clover they produce a better quality milk rich in antioxidants and vitamins.

Now a days it is imperative that alternative food sources are used as feed for farm animals. If an alternative to corn is not found, food such as meat, poultry, and dairy products will become too expensive to buy. As stated before, grass and clover would make excellent alternatives because of their health benefits to the animals and of the little time, money, and effort needed to grow them.