In the east and south of the country, fodder beet is the staple in many feedlot diets. It is an exceptional feed, which cattle lap up.

Nutritionists often say that fodder beet punches above its weight as a feed, in that animal performance is often better than expected where beet is in the diet.

The reason for this lies with its sugar content and palatability: it’s around 75% sugar. Such is its palatability that cattle keep eating and eating, even when approaching fullness. Think of the times that you reached for the dessert menu with an already full belly.

Barley prices stand at €180 collected this week. To justify replacing rolled barley with fodder beet at these prices, purely on an energy basis, you need to be paying €36 to €38 for the beet. However, the fact that barley needs both protein and long fibre supplements, and beet needs solely protein, adds value in itself.

Also, this calculation doesn’t take into account the intake kick that comes with fodder beet. I would value the feed closer to €40 to €42.

This winter, I see fodder beet as a silage replacer. There is great synergy between silage, which lacks energy, and fodder beet, which lacks protein.

The quality of beet is also less variable than that of silage. Replacing 10kg of silage with 7.5kg of fodder beet will result in the same energy intake in cattle.

Indeed, for farmers facing into a fodder deficit this winter, fodder beet at €42/t represents a more economical option than good-quality grass silage at €29/t.

The catch

Excessive consumption of the ingredient can cause scouring and, when building animals up, it is paramount that the transition is slow and that dung is monitored.

The maximum recommended inclusion of fodder beet is around a third of the diet, although I have seen beef finishers up at 40% with no issues.

It is low in both calcium and phosphorus.

When feeding cattle for more than 60 days on a high-beet diet, include 100g /head of a relevant mineral supplement daily.

Fodder beet needs washing and chopping before feedout to cattle. Washing is absolutely crucial.

Unwashed beet means big volumes of clay going into our animals, which is as bad for their well-being as it sounds. It is a high-moisture ingredient and cannot be stored for more than a few days without spoiling.

To combat this, we either need to have loads being constantly dropped and eaten quickly, or look at the possibility of pitting and ensiling.