Fodder Beet Growing

[D.S.S18]

Having got an agreement with a local shoot - grazing kale that is used for game cover with in lamb ewes once shooting has finished- they are looking at an alternative after 3 years on the same ground with kale -

just wondered what thoughts people had on fodder beet?
is it as easy to grow as the kale is or does it take more looking after?

 

[neilo]

Having got an agreement with a local shoot - grazing kale that is used for game cover with in lamb ewes once shooting has finished- they are looking at an alternative after 3 years on the same ground with kale -

just wondered what thoughts people had on fodder beet?
is it as easy to grow as the kale is or does it take more looking after?

It takes a LOT more looking after. Beet really doesn’t like competition from weeds, or pests, or diseases and seed is several times the cost of the Kale.

The shoot here really don’t my Beet btw, as it’s such a dense crop they can’t drive any of their overweight chickens out of it. Maybe a thin, weedy crop would be different though?

 

[Hfd Cattle]

I thought the thread was going to be about how big the fodder beet was growing !!! Some huge crops about now where they can't get it out !!

 

[steveR]

Having got an agreement with a local shoot - grazing kale that is used for game cover with in lamb ewes once shooting has finished- they are looking at an alternative after 3 years on the same ground with kale -

just wondered what thoughts people had on fodder beet?
is it as easy to grow as the kale is or does it take more looking after?

Fodder beet is crap for shooting in comparison to Kale...!! Ther caveat, is if you have a really dirty crop with lots of fathen/Johnny Nails, the pheasants love them, but the value as feed abnd cover is gone early on...

Beet is waaaay more complex and involved than a crop of kale.

Might need a grassy type mix as a break from brassicas. Best bet is to move the Kale elsewhere it for a couple of years...

 

[steveR]

I thought the thread was going to be about how big the fodder beet was growing !!! Some huge crops about now where they can't get it out !!

Contract lads have some here that could be harvested, but no trade for stock feed I believe. Probs end up in a digester in May!

 

[spin cycle]

never grown kale...i thought it was a difficult crop ......tell me how easy it is

 

[steveR]

never grown kale...i thought it was a difficult crop ......tell me how easy it is

ALL you need to do is avoid flea beetle... Seen some stuff in the DD forums, that a cover crop can be grown to reduce the flea beetle by encouraging predators, what it needs, cant recall...

 

[Bury the Trash]

never grown kale...i thought it was a difficult crop ......tell me how easy it is

Piece a cake.
Give it Plenty of grub, especially N and you will be lost in a forest of it like bledy great little triffids

 

[JSmith]

never grown kale...i thought it was a difficult crop ......tell me how easy it is

If I can do it anyone can, we grow kale for outwintering cows on, spray a different field off every year, direct drill it in to old sward and away you go! As said, watch for bugs but don’t spray it if you don’t have to!! If your wanting to graze it with sheep go for a shorter variety with more leaf to stem ratio, we grow a giant type for the cows and you could lose yourself in it!! We’re on very light sandy poor ground so as said if I can grow it you’ll have a bumper crop!

 

[Bald Rick]

Having got an agreement with a local shoot - grazing kale that is used for game cover with in lamb ewes once shooting has finished- they are looking at an alternative after 3 years on the same ground with kale -

just wondered what thoughts people had on fodder beet?
is it as easy to grow as the kale is or does it take more looking after?

Forget beet unless you’re prepared to spend ££s

What about millet as an alternative to kale?

 

[neilo]

Contract lads have some here that could be harvested, but no trade for stock feed I believe. Probs end up in a digester in May!

I’ve got 5 or 6ac that could be lifted, but I doubt we’ll get near it until May!

That which I’ve been strip grazing has a lot left behind in the ground, and I would normally run a pigtail through to pull it up, but this year it’s the only thing that’s giving the ground some stability for grazing. Going to start strip grazing lambs over that 5ac soon, just because they are treading everything else to sh*t now. I know they won’t grow well on it, but standing still will be better than going backwards on anything else.

 

[steveR]

I’ve got 5 or 6ac that could be lifted, but I doubt we’ll get near it until May!

That which I’ve been strip grazing has a lot left behind in the ground, and I would normally run a pigtail through to pull it up, but this year it’s the only thing that’s giving the ground some stability for grazing. Going to start strip grazing lambs over that 5ac soon, just because they are treading everything else to sh*t now. I know they won’t grow well on it, but standing still will be better than going backwards on anything else.

I wouldn't want to see that land after ripping it up right now!!

We used to finish hundreds of lambs on tops/standing crop. Do you think there's not enough protein in the beet?

 

[steveR]

Forget beet unless you’re prepared to spend ££s

What about millet as an alternative to kale?

Not much use for feeding sheep late on though??

 

[Bald Rick]

Not much use for feeding sheep late on though??

Ah .. yes, I see the catch
Tyfon might fit the bill

 

[steveR]

Ah .. yes, I see the catch
Tyfon might fit the bill

Used it donkeys years ago as a fodder, but found it no good for birds. Stubble turnips would hold partrige if driven in, but neither give real shelter or height for pheasants

 

[d-wales]

I wouldn't want to see that land after ripping it up right now!!

We used to finish hundreds of lambs on tops/standing crop. Do you think there's not enough protein in the beet?

I used to think that.... But our lambs have done very well on beet the last few weeks. Maybe if they have a decent top to the beet they will have is adequate protein for growing

 

[steveR]

I used to think that.... But our lambs have done very well on beet the last few weeks. Maybe if they have a decent top to the beet they will have is adequate protein for growing

We found beet tops and whole beet to be OK for finishing store lambs I have to say. Best was when we combined it with stubble turnips too...

 

[neilo]

I wouldn't want to see that land after ripping it up right now!!

We used to finish hundreds of lambs on tops/standing crop. Do you think there's not enough protein in the beet?

Nowhere near enough, apart from in the tops. 2-3 day moves max, or they are a severely protein deficient diet. Even then, lambs can fall off a cliff when you get a crap fortnight’s weather on them, as I am seeing with the few in-lamb hoggs I have on beet currently.

 

[neilo]

We found beet tops and whole beet to be OK for finishing store lambs I have to say. Best was when we combined it with stubble turnips too...

Yes, they make a good ration together as the turnips balance the protein deficit.

 

[neilo]

Ah .. yes, I see the catch
Tyfon might fit the bill

Tyfon is a brassica though, which the OP is trying to get away from.