I’ve touched on the joys of different fodder sources to provide to horses – particularly in a drought – a few times on this blog.
If you have a passion for growing plants, helping business and property owners to be sustainable and happen to like horses, then do I have a business idea for you! A nursery or some kind of plant related business that works to grow different forms of fodder and then sell these on to property owners could be an interesting niche:
- seeds
- seedlings
- established trees
- and even harvested fodder could all be sold from the one property
In a world where land doesn’t grow and stock numbers are increasing whilst the number of houses and population of a town continue to grow, being able to source food for horses can be difficult. A nursery where you can go to purchase your own fodder sources to grow or even buy it harvested to feed to stock could have a lot of appeal for owners.
It is a dream that when my husband and I purchase our own property, that we will be sustainable and not need to purchase hay or other forms of roughage to keep our horses with something in their belly.
I believe this is possible through growing your own fodder source. These trees won’t just serve one purpose; they will provide shade, wind protection and aesthetics to a property. Plus they will help to boost your sustainability profile.
What sort of trees can be fodder? Well that one probably requires a bit of research, but I am aware of:
- Willows
- Tagasaste (lucerne tree)
According to Jane Myers’ text Managing Horses on Small Properties, these species are also useable as a fodder source:
- Carob (the seedpods)
- Honey Locust (the seedpods)
- Poplars
- Lucaena
- Wattles
- Saltbush and bluebush
If you’ve a passion for growing plants and helping others, then maybe a business idea like this is worth considering.
“Horse’s comment on a car -‘150 horsepower, big deal. I’d be impressed if it ran on hay.'”
Camille LaGuire says
This is a great idea! Of course, I suppose you’d have to do as much research as possible to be sure you really did include good healthy fodder (and also watched out for “hitchhiking” plants which weren’t good for horses).
But becoming an expert on fodder would also be a salable asset. That’s one of the reasons people go to garden centers — not only to buy, but to get advice.
Christine says
Hi Camille!
Thanks for your reply. Agreed – it’d only work if you were very knowledgeable in the area!