Growing fodder beet for first time after AHDB meeting.

[redcoo235]

Hi, after going along to the AHDB meeting at James Drummonds and listening to Jim Gibbs, fantastic speaker if you ever get a chance to hear him, have decided to give fodder beet a go next spring. Have two webb seeder for sowing our swedes, one for on the flat and one for drills. Was planning on converting the flat drill to 375mm rows or can you grow beet in drills like swedes? Like the idea of drilling them in drills as could still use a bit of mechanical weeding in the summer if needed.

What code of seed wheels do you need for beet seed? Have a box of about 40 different wheel so might be lucky and have the correct ones.

Realise big shift from growing swedes to beet but determined to give it a go as looks a massive cost saver for wintering ewes January-Febuary. Have two fields that have been rape this year so should give me a good entry into it.

Any help greatly appreciated, Cheers John

 

[Derrick Hughes]

I grew both, found swede on my ground a lot better crop, lot cheaper to grow can leave in the ground till April, graze tops with Lambs and tops grow back , i could not see one good reason to grow beet instead , but i did grow the Swedes as an arable crop and harvest same as beet , beet is also hellish expensive to grow, my friend sprayed his 5 times

 

[Dkb]

If your grazing in situ I’d go for something like feldherr that grows a high percentage above the ground and is easier on teeth.

It wouldn’t hold up against heavy frosts and we’ll as other varieties though.

I’ve grown both but I definitely prefer swedes. I’m not saying I’d never grow beet again I just prefer swedes because there cheaper and easier utilised

 

[neilo]

Hi, after going along to the AHDB meeting at James Drummonds and listening to Jim Gibbs, fantastic speaker if you ever get a chance to hear him, have decided to give fodder beet a go next spring. Have two webb seeder for sowing our swedes, one for on the flat and one for drills. Was planning on converting the flat drill to 375mm rows or can you grow beet in drills like swedes? Like the idea of drilling them in drills as could still use a bit of mechanical weeding in the summer if needed.

What code of seed wheels do you need for beet seed? Have a box of about 40 different wheel so might be lucky and have the correct ones.

Realise big shift from growing swedes to beet but determined to give it a go as looks a massive cost saver for wintering ewes January-Febuary. Have two fields that have been rape this year so should give me a good entry into it.

Any help greatly appreciated, Cheers John

Could you try some alongside the swedes?

Personally, I have grown both for several years and the fodder beet has far outyielded the swedes every single year, and usually by several times. However, beet is an expensive crop to grow well, or it can be in a year with a big weed challenge (like this year, when sporadic rainfall made for late germinating weeds). I find it a far more reliable crop, particularly in a dry summer.

Are you on Facebook? There is a group called 'fodder beet in Scotland' where you will find quite a few stock farmers up there growing it (and one from Wales that snuck in under the radar). @scholland

 

[spin cycle]

why are swedes cheaper to grow

 

[Stuart J]

per kg dm, they are more or less the same cost to grow.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Could you try some alongside the swedes?

Personally, I have grown both for several years and the fodder beet has far outyielded the swedes every single year, and usually by several times. However, beet is an expensive crop to grow well, or it can be in a year with a big weed challenge (like this year, when sporadic rainfall made for late germinating weeds). I find it a far more reliable crop, particularly in a dry summer.

Are you on Facebook? There is a group called 'fodder beet in Scotland' where you will find quite a few stock farmers up there growing it (and one from Wales that snuck in under the radar). @scholland

How much firt do you use on the swedes when do you sow and is your soil light or heavy

 

[Derrick Hughes]

why are swedes cheaper to grow

Seed is a fraction of the cost and you use very little sprays . Good crop 40 tons to the acre plus you can graze the tops two or 3 times they grow on until april . Ive gad swede as big as dustbin lids but they need a lot of firltilzer and muck and go in early . Mid may

 

[spin cycle]

Seed is a fraction of the cost and you use very little sprays . Good crop 40 tons to the acre plus you can graze the tops two or 3 times they grow on until april . Ive gad swede as big as dustbin lids but they need a lot of firltilzer and muck and go in early . Mid may

seed i googled seemed expensive except for one traditional variety that looked cheap as chips ....limited on herbicides i'dve thought....you need water for swedes so no good for us arid types.....regrowing tops is good .....only thing for op is beet is better clubroot break i suppose

 

[Derrick Hughes]

seed i googled seemed expensive except for one traditional variety that looked cheap as chips ....limited on herbicides i'dve thought....you need water for swedes so no good for us arid types.....regrowing tops is good .....only thing for op is beet is better clubroot break i suppose

I dont know how these seed prices compair with the norm but les than £20 acre for Swede over £80 for Beet . You wont need a pound to the acre if you Drill Swede same spacing as beet to enable machine picking

 

[neilo]

I dont know how these seed prices compair with the norm but les than £20 acre for Swede over £80 for Beet . You wont need a pound to the acre if you Drill Swede same spacing as beet to enable machine picking

Is that not the price for 'natural' swede seed (looking at the rec drilling rate), rather than the graded seed you would need to sow with a precision drill? Most people ae drilling fodder beet at lower rates too, 40k seeds (& less) per acre, rather than the 50k in an 'acre pack'.

 

[spin cycle]

Internal 12 mm
Outside 143 mm
2 drive pins 22mm apart,all just measured with Steel rule.

any help

 

[redcoo235]

Perfect, thanks for that. Will have a rake as sure I have them.

 

[Dkb]

Is that not the price for 'natural' swede seed (looking at the rec drilling rate), rather than the graded seed you would need to sow with a precision drill? Most people ae drilling fodder beet at lower rates too, 40k seeds (& less) per acre, rather than the 50k in an 'acre pack'.

Is lowering the seed rate a success?

Less cost and bigger bulbs for grazing as there’s more space?

 

[Dkb]

Is that not the price for 'natural' swede seed (looking at the rec drilling rate), rather than the graded seed you would need to sow with a precision drill? Most people ae drilling fodder beet at lower rates too, 40k seeds (& less) per acre, rather than the 50k in an 'acre pack'.

Is lowering the seed rate a success?

Less cost and bigger bulbs for grazing as there’s more space?

 

[neilo]

Is lowering the seed rate a success?

Less cost and bigger bulbs for grazing as there’s more space?

Bigger bulbs & tops, as they have more space to grow out, much like those beets on the end of a row grow much bigger. Saving on seed is pretty negligible tbh, given the other growing costs, and would easily be outweighed if a thicker crop produced more DM/ha.

A local guy that likes to use his calculator, reckons DM yield per ha is increased with fewer, bigger beet. They d9 have longer to grow in most grazing situations, than sugar beet crops that are generally lifted earlier, and where most of the agronomy reccs originate. We don’t necessarily want the same thing from fodder beet crop to graze in situ though. I’d like as much top as possible for instance, as long as it stood a bit of cold weather ok.

 

[Northern territory]

Totally agree with @neilo we have grown both and find Beet a lot more reliable. Kairos and Jamon. Beet can sit in dry conditions for a lot longer. Biggest lottery now with it is virus yellows, we got hit last year but seem to have got away this year. Goltix + Betannal twice 10 days apart works pretty well here for weeds. It does give a heck of a yield, plenty of muck under it too.

 

[Six Dogs]

Anyone going to the Bicton event today?

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Does anyone grow swedes as an Arable crop 50 k seeds to the acre and harvest them , or just chuck them on like a fodder crop

 

[Jop]

It’s hard to grow swedes like an arable crop anymore, one pre emergence for weeds and that’s all you can do about them. Found a mix of swedes and beet here seems to work well, treat the beet as an insurance policy for the swedes and then on a good year can always sell the beet