Healthy soil and sustainable growing

["Fox, Dan" <foxd@sunyocc.edu>]

Here in a nutshell is the silage idea Gene Logsdon talks about in “All Flesh is Grass”. I’m not sure he has done this himself, as he was suggesting that the idea came to him when reading a “curious article” in a 1950 farm magazine by an Austrian farmer that advocated making silage with ¼” grass clippings. Gene made the connection with the potential of the now-ubiquitous suburban lawn “waste” of grass clippings, at least in temperate areas (he’s in Ohio). Anyway, he suggested the details were yet to be worked out.

Silage is “forage that is cut, wilted a little or a lot (a lot is better), chopped, and stored in a variety of ways to keep the air out of it). It is basically a fermentation process not unlike making sauerkraut. Gene suggests taking a 50 gallon barrel, putting grass that has been allowed to wilt on the yard into it, and adding diluted molasses or grain as a fermentable carbohydrate source. The original article by the Austrian farmer said to use 4 gallons of molasses diluted with 16 gallons of water per 50 gallon barrel. Gene advocated using grain. The grass is stomped down tight into the barrel (or weighted) and more grass added until full. After it is pressed or settled completely, an airtight lid is put on and the barrel is stored in a cool place for 3 months. The surface of moldy grass should be removed before you use the “cider-like smelling” product, which may be fed “at the rate of 2 to 5 pounds daily to each 100 laying hens”. Our local feed store sells molasses at $16.50 per 2.5 gallon container, or 8 something per gallon. Sounds like it could be an economical way to go for anyone who has a grass source, or still cuts grass (something I am trying to liberate myself from as much as possible as a money and time sink).  Hope this helps the small-scale poultry people!

 

Dan Fox