Have you ever wondered where sprouts are being used?  At FodderWorks, we get the pleasure of talking with people all over the world.  You may not see all of your friends and neighbors installing fodder systems (yet) but that doesn't mean the technology and availability isn't spreading.  To date, we have enabled fodder systems to be installed in locations all over the United States, Canada, Iceland, Argentina, Mexico, Ecuador and Greece, to name a few.  Countless other countries have contacted FodderWorks to understand fodder and see how it can help.  The reasons sprouts are needed vary in every part of the world.  Here are a few fun facts:

Iceland

• Did you know that Iceland's growing season is only about 2 months?
• Due to lack of forage, cattle are often fed a diet that is extremely high in fish meal.
• There is only one breed of dairy cow in Iceland and they were imported over 1,000 years ago.  This make them a very unique and pure breed.
• The population of the entire country of Iceland is around 323,000.  About twice as many people live in Seattle, Washington.
• 3 Fodder systems were shipped to Iceland mid 2014.  Electrical systems were modified to meet the 220v, 50hz power requirements.

Canada

• Every FodderWorks system currently in Canada is run by a university.  They're serious about doing their research!  (An onsite system is however scheduled for installation late 2015 for a direct customer)
• The western part of Canada is in a serious drought.  Hay prices are very high compared to the past several years.  More people are looking at sprouts as a solution to the current feeding challenges.
• Grass fed beef is a growing industry in select areas of Canada.  Fodder can help meet the consumer demands as they grow.
• The Calgary Stampede is an annual rodeo, exhibition and festival held every year.  Over 1 million people attend in 10 days.  You can bet a FodderWorks dealer will be attending at a future date.

Suriname

• Suriname is a south american country with a need for feed.  Except for some native grasses (such as elephant grass) virtually all feed has to be imported.
• Challenges with importing feed have made it extremely difficult to raise cattle in the country.  Numbers have dwindled and it's reported that the largest dairy in Suriname now only has 16 cows.
• Implementing fodder systems could bring back dairies to the country.  We hope to report back at a future date with progress.

Austria

• "Fodder" as we know it has not caught on in Austria and awareness is limited.  They do however have extensive experience feeding sprouted grains to poultry.
• The first reference to using sprouted grains in Austria is in a book from the 1600's.
• More recent information on sprouting for poultry is also available, if you can read German.  Feel free to contact us and we'll tell you what we know.

This is just a snippet, but we hope it provides a broader perspective on fodder and where it's going - EVERYWHERE!  Make sure to check our Upcoming Events page if you'd like to see FodderWorks near you.  If you don't see something close by, please contact us!  We may have a system nearby.

MF1100 rack system in Greece