Moringa Oleifera is an amazing plant that grows really well without requiring a lot of water. It can also produce tons of biomass per acre if it’s managed properly.
Studies have been performed which claim that milk and production can be increased dramatically when livestock feed is supplemented with moringa leaves, but there is some conflicting information. Here are some of the reports that seem to be the most credible.
- Successful use of Moringa Oleifera in animal feed
- bio-diesel magazine
- Moringa Facts
- Moringa Oleifera Crop Cost Report
- Alfalfa yield and stand
- Alfalfa for profit
Another factor to consider is that Moringa Oleifera grows much more intensely then traditional livestock feeds, so that even if Moringa doesn’t convert to weight gain as efficiently as traditional feeds, it is immensely cheaper to produce. Alfalfa produces on average, around 7 tons per acre, Oats produce as much as 2.5 tons per acre and Soybeans grown with perfect conditions can produce as much as 6.5 tons of nutritious protein filled beans per acre. With perfect conditions, and all the inputs at optimum levels, the record production of an acre of alfalfa is at 11 tons per acre.
Moringa has been reported to produce more then 280 tons of green matter per acre. Approximately %70 percent of that total is reported to be stems and wood, which can be used for paper production or biomass power production. Traditional feed crops require fertilizer, pesticides and weed killers, which are all expensive. Inputs required for Moringa production are significantly lower.
Moringa leaves are packed with protein, calcium and other important components of a balanced diet for livestock, and they can be grown with much less fertilizer and pesticides then traditional forage crops.
moringa oleifera seedlings
There are many things to consider related to producing moringa oleifera on a larger scale using commonly available agricultural techniques. Researching, investigating and experimenting with this plant is a very important part of feeding a planet full of people
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