Fodder - found me some barley in Southwestern MT
Nov 23, 2016 22:37:12 GMT -5
3cows, susaq, and 1 more like this
Post by mewz on Nov 23, 2016 22:37:12 GMT -5
I'll start with the punchline for those in the region who are looking for a barley supplier.
www.circlesseeds.com in Three Forks, MT has whole, untreated barley seed that works great for sprouting fodder!
If you're bored and can't sleep, you can read through my ridiculous narrative on finding barley for sprouting.
This fall, after reading the fodder chapters I started sprouting fodder for my sweet Delilah and for the chickens. I tried the local retail stores like Murdoch's, CAL Stores, Rocky Mountain Supply and our local guy at Feeds and Needs in Ennis, MT and no one could help me. I followed one of the links in the fodder thread and found a place in Utah where I could by a 50# bag of whole barley seed for $12 ... + $33 shipping.
I bit the bullet and paid the shipping because I needed to find out if fodder feed was going to be a viable project. IT IS AWESOME! But finding a local dealer has been a headache. As it turns out, I just needed to learn enough to ask the right questions of the right people. My local feed guy didn't really understand what I was looking for because I wasn't saying it right, and I didn't know I wasn't saying it right. All he thought he would offer me was waxy barley for feeding wild birds (wrong) or treated barley for planting in the dirt (wrong).
Living 100 miles away from Bozeman, MT - a "New West" sort of town - I figured I could find a place that had heard of alfalfa sprouts or sprouting wheat for wheatgrass juice (BLECH!). I learned that you can actually buy sprouted wheat in 8 oz. packages at some fancy "whole foods" type grocery stores. The price was so exorbitant that I blocked it out of my memory! However, it helped me couch my request to the local farm supply stores so they could understand what I was looking for.
The folks at Rocky Mountain Supply are famous for friendly, helpful service and are used to East Coast transplants (like us!) coming to the Wild West for a chance to live a more authentic life, connected to the land and coordinated to the natural cycles of the earth. (OMG! I just wrote that New Age gobbledy gook!) I learned that "sprouting whole grains" is a key phrase that alerts people to the stereotypical "natural food nuts" whole grain alfalfa sprouts and wheatgrass. So I called up Rocky Mountain Supply and asked about barley using all the right keywords and it worked! The gentle young lady who spoke with me on the phone voiced her concern that I would probably have to buy a 50# bag of barley seed for what I was looking for. PERFECT! She referred me to Circle S Seeds in Three Forks, MT. I contacted them directly. They were rather taciturn when I asked them specifically about "whole barley seed for sprouting" but said it would cost about $9.50 for a 50# bag. The word "about" before the price clued me in that this was not a "park-in-the-parking-lot-and-load-up-your-shopping-cart" sort of store. They deal with feed store owners/distributors and large ranches. And they respond to short, direct questions without wasting time on polite social customs such as "Dear this" and "Sincerely that." Information counts, not flowery sentimentality about the purpose of the information. JACKPOT!
I asked if they had a steady supply of what I was looking for. No problem. Because we live 2 hours away, I planned on getting 10 bags. Then, the good luck kept getting better! My husband was planning on driving up to Bozeman for a load of hay and then detouring to Three Forks for 10 bags of barley. However, when we were at our local feed store picking up scratch grains for our chooks, we noticed the brand name CIRCLE S SEEDS on the bag. JACKPOT AGAIN! Our local Feeds and Needs guy is a supplier for Circle S Seeds! Turns out he was planning on picking up a load the next day and all I needed to do was let him know what I wanted. I called Circle S to verify they could supply him with our barley and they took care of everything. Today, we picked up the barley and I put a bucket to soak when I got home. I also sent Circle S Seeds an email with Delilah's picture telling them that she wanted to thank them in advance for her yummy barley fodder. Kim's "you're welcome" reply to Delilah made my day!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. May your fodder grow tall and your critters be fond!
www.circlesseeds.com in Three Forks, MT has whole, untreated barley seed that works great for sprouting fodder!
If you're bored and can't sleep, you can read through my ridiculous narrative on finding barley for sprouting.
This fall, after reading the fodder chapters I started sprouting fodder for my sweet Delilah and for the chickens. I tried the local retail stores like Murdoch's, CAL Stores, Rocky Mountain Supply and our local guy at Feeds and Needs in Ennis, MT and no one could help me. I followed one of the links in the fodder thread and found a place in Utah where I could by a 50# bag of whole barley seed for $12 ... + $33 shipping.
I bit the bullet and paid the shipping because I needed to find out if fodder feed was going to be a viable project. IT IS AWESOME! But finding a local dealer has been a headache. As it turns out, I just needed to learn enough to ask the right questions of the right people. My local feed guy didn't really understand what I was looking for because I wasn't saying it right, and I didn't know I wasn't saying it right. All he thought he would offer me was waxy barley for feeding wild birds (wrong) or treated barley for planting in the dirt (wrong).
Living 100 miles away from Bozeman, MT - a "New West" sort of town - I figured I could find a place that had heard of alfalfa sprouts or sprouting wheat for wheatgrass juice (BLECH!). I learned that you can actually buy sprouted wheat in 8 oz. packages at some fancy "whole foods" type grocery stores. The price was so exorbitant that I blocked it out of my memory! However, it helped me couch my request to the local farm supply stores so they could understand what I was looking for.
The folks at Rocky Mountain Supply are famous for friendly, helpful service and are used to East Coast transplants (like us!) coming to the Wild West for a chance to live a more authentic life, connected to the land and coordinated to the natural cycles of the earth. (OMG! I just wrote that New Age gobbledy gook!) I learned that "sprouting whole grains" is a key phrase that alerts people to the stereotypical "natural food nuts" whole grain alfalfa sprouts and wheatgrass. So I called up Rocky Mountain Supply and asked about barley using all the right keywords and it worked! The gentle young lady who spoke with me on the phone voiced her concern that I would probably have to buy a 50# bag of barley seed for what I was looking for. PERFECT! She referred me to Circle S Seeds in Three Forks, MT. I contacted them directly. They were rather taciturn when I asked them specifically about "whole barley seed for sprouting" but said it would cost about $9.50 for a 50# bag. The word "about" before the price clued me in that this was not a "park-in-the-parking-lot-and-load-up-your-shopping-cart" sort of store. They deal with feed store owners/distributors and large ranches. And they respond to short, direct questions without wasting time on polite social customs such as "Dear this" and "Sincerely that." Information counts, not flowery sentimentality about the purpose of the information. JACKPOT!
I asked if they had a steady supply of what I was looking for. No problem. Because we live 2 hours away, I planned on getting 10 bags. Then, the good luck kept getting better! My husband was planning on driving up to Bozeman for a load of hay and then detouring to Three Forks for 10 bags of barley. However, when we were at our local feed store picking up scratch grains for our chooks, we noticed the brand name CIRCLE S SEEDS on the bag. JACKPOT AGAIN! Our local Feeds and Needs guy is a supplier for Circle S Seeds! Turns out he was planning on picking up a load the next day and all I needed to do was let him know what I wanted. I called Circle S to verify they could supply him with our barley and they took care of everything. Today, we picked up the barley and I put a bucket to soak when I got home. I also sent Circle S Seeds an email with Delilah's picture telling them that she wanted to thank them in advance for her yummy barley fodder. Kim's "you're welcome" reply to Delilah made my day!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. May your fodder grow tall and your critters be fond!