Re: does the HCl in the cows stomach aid the growth of clover seeds?

Although it may appear otherwise, most grains that have passed through a cows digestive system have undergone extensive digestion. The length of time that foodstuffs spend in the rumen allow the gastric juices to permiate the seed and a good portion of the soluble carbohydrates are desolved and utilized by the animal. This would only be compounded after the seeds enter the abomasum and are exposed to hydrochloric acid. Therefore most of the seeds which are expelled and appear normal are no longer viable. The National Research Council has databases available which list different grains and there digestability in both whole and processed forms.

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