How do you handle beet ?

moy83

I saw a huge load of unwashed beet going past my house there , on the way west to connemara I presume . I cant think of any lad with diet feeder or facilities to wash or chop it .
So I was wondering how do you wash and chop it in any decent amount without a washer and chopper ?
How long would a load last tipped in the yard before you would have to use it ?
We used to grow a tiny bit years ago but we would only be pulling a barrow a day , hosing it off and then putting it through the chopper that you turn the handle on . Hardly going to done to feed say forty cows in the shed now ?

freedominacup

If it's for finishing cattle esp in a year like this you can get away without washing and a 3-point linkage mounted chopper will do you. There are plenty of washer chopper models for the 3-point linkage as well. At what they are charging for beet around here you'd be easier and cheaper at it to buy straw and soya hulls or citrus pulp.

Conmaicne Mara

There's a few lads out this way that would fancy themselves, never know what they'd be trying, can't think of anyone near here that would have bought beet though.

moy83

Its bothering my nose who would be using it and how ? !!!
He was only coming home through maam cross about 5 o clock so he could have been to wesport in that time !

Conmaicne Mara

moy83 wrote: »

Its bothering my nose who would be using it and how ? !!!
He was only coming home through maam cross about 5 o clock so he could have been to wesport in that time !

Lol you're as bad as any ould wan

Sharpshooter82

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

Lol you're as bad as any ould wan

Mad to spread the gossib

moy83

Sharpshooter82 wrote: »

Mad to spread the gossib

More just for my own curiosity rather than telling anyone else . I like to leave the neighbours as wise as they are !

Conmaicne Mara

moy83 wrote: »

More just for my own curiosity rather than telling anyone else . I like to leave the neighbours as wise as they are !

Yeah, slowly learning to do that myself. I'll see if I can find out about the beet for you :pac:

Sharpshooter82

Dont know which of ye is worse :P

Corkfarmer

I was wondering what price you would have to be getting the beet for to make it feasible? Theres a tillage farmer up the road selling it for around 45 I think.

epfff

Corkfarmer wrote: »

I was wondering what price you would have to be getting the beet for to make it feasible? Theres a tillage farmer up the road selling it for around 45 I think.

Ballpark 5tonnes for price of 1tone of barley plus the hassle of handling it

moy83

Conmaicne Mara wrote: »

Yeah, slowly learning to do that myself. I'll see if I can find out about the beet for you :pac:

I know who the supplier is now so ill find out myself when im talking to him .
Its your mans first year groing it I think and he grew enough to feed a blast of ewes and was hoping to cover alot of the costs from what he had leftover to sell

moy83

epfff wrote: »

Ballpark 5tonnes for price of 1tone of barley plus the hassle of handling it

So you would be better off with the barley and silage really ? Or has the beet any advantage , would you need much silage with it or can it be fed on its own ?

Sharpshooter82

moy83 wrote: »

So you would be better off with the barley and silage really ? Or has the beet any advantage , would you need much silage with it or can it be fed on its own ?

it was my understanding that you would need lots of beet for the same result from a small amount of barley

epfff

moy83 wrote: »

So you would be better off with the barley and silage really ? Or has the beet any advantage , would you need much silage with it or can it be fed on its own ?

If You are already feeding large amounts of cereals it can be useful to keep tummy right
also some guys are believers that you must have bulk of stuff rather than quality in front of stock at all times
For sheep it can also be handy just feed once a week just tip them out around the field and let them scoop them out

moy83

epfff wrote: »

If You are already feeding large amounts of cereals it can be useful to keep tummy right
also some guys are believers that you must have bulk of stuff rather than quality in front of stock at all times
For sheep it can also be handy just feed once a week just tip them out around the field and let them scoop them out

Will sheep nibble at them whole or do the need to be chopped ?

caseman

Alot of lads buying it washed and chopped and putting it in a pit ,not sure how it long it keeps this way.

epfff

moy83 wrote: »

Will sheep nibble at them whole or do the need to be chopped ?

No experience of doing it myself
But seen neighbors doing it
they just tip it out of front bucket around field
they nibble away like turnips
No poaching either as it spread over large area and different place every time
I believe you need a certain variety for sheep as some varietys are too hard on teeth
They all claim its serious feed
One guy feed it in shed but says very hard to keep them beded

darragh_haven

[quote="caseman;87893897"Alot of lads buying it washed and chopped and putting it in a pit ,not sure how it long it keeps this way.[/quote]

I have seen this done in Cambridge, England a lot. I even saw a pits of beet, washed and chopped, and then mixed with maize and put in the pit. The kerry fella on the farm said it didn't turn out too well in the end.
Now that'd be an expensive trail if it turned into a pit of ****e

yellow50HX

Depends on weather it is sugar beet of fodder beet. Sugar beet is very hard and needs to be chopped for cattle to eat same with the sheep. Fodder beet is not as hard so can be fed whole. Find the beet really reduces the amount of silage I use and also keeps my slurry bill lower too as they eat it outside.

We grow fodder beet and have the cows strip graze it by day. We used to also bring some in for cattle in the shed. Whole pull it and throw it into a trailer leaves and all no need to top it. Bang the beet together to knock off the heavy soil. We have a yard next to the shed and would have some troughs in it. Fill the troughs and left the weanlings out to them. They would clean it off. We don't feed it to them with the leaves on in the feed passage as they would drag it onto the slats.

Don't have the time to feed the weanlings in the shed these days so they just get silage and meal.

Plenty of lads round here grow and feed it but wouldn't be washing and cleaning it. Plenty of tanco cleana feed yokes on tractors. Neighbour here bought a field of fodder beet last year, reckoned he was going to be down a lot of silage for the winter. It got it harvested and dumped in his yard. No chopper so just picks it up with the loader and drops it whole along the feed passage.

epfff

yellow50HX wrote: »

Depends on weather it is sugar beet of fodder beet. Sugar beet is very hard and needs to be chopped for cattle to eat same with the sheep. Fodder beet is not as hard so can be fed whole. Find the beet really reduces the amount of silage I use and also keeps my slurry bill lower too as they eat it outside.

We grow fodder beet and have the cows strip graze it by day. We used to also bring some in for cattle in the shed. Whole pull it and throw it into a trailer leaves and all no need to top it. Bang the beet together to knock off the heavy soil. We have a yard next to the shed and would have some troughs in it. Fill the troughs and left the weanlings out to them. They would clean it off. We don't feed it to them with the leaves on in the feed passage as they would drag it onto the slats.

Don't have the time to feed the weanlings in the shed these days so they just get silage and meal.

Plenty of lads round here grow and feed it but wouldn't be washing and cleaning it. Plenty of tanco cleana feed yokes on tractors. Neighbour here bought a field of fodder beet last year, reckoned he was going to be down a lot of silage for the winter. It got it harvested and dumped in his yard. No chopper so just picks it up with the loader and drops it whole along the feed passage.

Do you know what varieties of fodder beet are best for feeding whole
How many sprays are Ye given the beet as it is growing

onyerbikepat

yellow50HX wrote: »

...We grow fodder beet and have the cows strip graze it by day.....

How much would they waste when grazing.? Would they eat all the root?

tabby aspreme

onyerbikepat wrote: »

How much would they waste when grazing.? Would they eat all the root?

depends on the variety,some grow in the ground and others on top of the ground, if the weather is good they will leave very little behind and the roots can be grubbed up, if you get frost like 2010 it can rot in the ground

tabby aspreme

epfff wrote: »

Do you know what varieties of fodder beet are best for feeding whole
How many sprays are Ye given the beet as it is growing

not sure about the varieties, but its expensive to sow , ground has to be rotovated 400/500kgs of beet compound, weed control can be difficult in a slow growing spring like this year, but its great feeding for any stock, a good few tillage men around here grow it as a break crop me to sell

delaval

On analysis there is a comparison with barley but only on paper. When you feed beet there is an extra performance. It really is super stuff.

On pitting beet, we did it for years. Wash and chop then mix with citrus or soya hulls and cover as you'd cover silage.

The longest I've stored it was from Nov to July it was perfectly stable

bob charles

delaval wrote: »

On analysis there is a comparison with barley but only on paper. When you feed beet there is an extra performance. It really is super stuff.

On pitting beet, we did it for years. Wash and chop then mix with citrus or soya hulls and cover as you'd cover silage.

The longest I've stored it was from Nov to July it was perfectly stable

Agreeded on both counts. 3.5kgs of sugar beet would equal a kilo of top spec ration. obviously without the protein. Its also 20% starch.

Pitted beet must be the most stable stuff you ever put in a pit. Always pit a good shot of it around april, but going to pit allot during the christmas as going lifting the second half of my beet this week as its so clean it would be ashame not to get it out of the ground.

moy83

bob charles wrote: »

Agreeded on both counts. 3.5kgs of sugar beet would equal a kilo of top spec ration. obviously without the protein. Its also 20% starch.

Pitted beet must be the most stable stuff you ever put in a pit. Always pit a good shot of it around april, but going to pit allot during the christmas as going lifting the second half of my beet this week as its so clean it would be ashame not to get it out of the ground.

What does it cost to grow per acre all in ?

caseman

Thinking of putting it into a pit an it's own would this be ok,and will the pit face go of if not used quick enough

bob charles

moy83 wrote: »

What does it cost to grow per acre all in ?

not much change from a thousand euro per acre, depending on the land rent or charge

bob charles

caseman wrote: »

Thinking of putting it into a pit an it's own would this be ok,and will the pit face go of if not used quick enough

on its own it will produce a good bit of very very potent effluent, the drier the beet the better. But if your ensiling something like magnum it will pour effluent, and your loosing the best of it. I find pitted with soya hulls the best

lefthooker

We've had beet at home for decades, usually growing 6-7 acres, and find it great stuff for both the cows and fat cattle, feeding around 13kgs/head. It also massively cuts down on silage intake. Its pulled and left whole in two heaps in the yard.

We've had a Tanco Cleanafeeder for nigh on 20 years and used to wash and chop daily but I bought a tub feeder this autumn and now only wash and chop once a week doing 9-10 tonne at a time and leave it in a heap in the yard. Then load what I need each day with the massey. Add a 28% high protein balancer when I feed to the cows and a 16% finisher ration when its for the cattle.

moy83

bob charles wrote: »

not much change from a thousand euro per acre, depending on the land rent or charge

Not cheap , at that would it be as easy buy it off someone thats growing plenty and might have economies of scale .

delaval

caseman wrote: »

Thinking of putting it into a pit an it's own would this be ok,and will the pit face go of if not used quick enough

Mix a soaker citrus or preferably hulls at 4 tonnes beet to 1 hulls.

It will not pit without a dry product as Bob said the goodness will emerge as a massive volume of effluent

caseman

Will a keenan 100 diet feeder chop it enough to feed it .

caseman

Will a keenan 100 diet feeder chop it enough to feed it.

bob charles

caseman wrote: »

Will a keenan 100 diet feeder chop it enough to feed it.

yes, but obviously needs a good few knives. not the most economical way but for say a couple of hundred ton a year would be grand

bob charles

delaval wrote: »

Mix a soaker citrus or preferably hulls at 4 tonnes beet to 1 hulls.

Thats way too strong. You will end up having more money in the soya hulls than beet. Always mix at 6 to 1 and probably go to 7/8 to one this year as beet around 22ish %. must do dm test. once the material is around 30% dm over all what you will loose is nothing

f140

can you strip graze it if you set a field close to the yard? also does it need to be chopped and washed it you bought a trailer load of itor could you jst feed it straight out?

yellow50HX

f140 wrote: »

can you strip graze it if you set a field close to the yard? also does it need to be chopped and washed it you bought a trailer load of itor could you jst feed it straight out?

That's wHat we do. Cows in by night and in the field by day.

Depends on the variety of beet you get. Sugar beet needs to be chopped.

yellow50HX

epfff wrote: »

Do you know what varieties of fodder beet are best for feeding whole
How many sprays are Ye given the beet as it is growing

http://www.goldcrop.ie/downloads/agriculture/maize/Goldcrop_Fodder_Beet_Varieties.pdf

The higher the percentage over ground the more suitable for strip grazing.

We usually spray twice sometimes we get away with once but this it needed 3.

yellow50HX

onyerbikepat wrote: »

How much would they waste when grazing.? Would they eat all the root?

In this weather they waste nothing. The strip grazing roots can be easily pulled so the cows pull it out themselves so there is nothing left in the ground.

Sam Kade

More root above ground means low dm below ground high dm.

keep going

Strip grazing cows on beet at the mooment and its a dream .bolero or similar variety is very suitable and the cows clean it out with no waste.comes in about 12 to 13 cent a kilo dm the last time I did costs on it.theres nothing to put a grunt on cows like beet

6480

could you pit a ton of maize with a ton of chopped beet safely and store for a few months

yellow50HX

Fella up the road got in a beet harvester with a leaf harvester in last year. The harvester pulled the beet like normal but also chopped the leaves and blew them into a trailer like silage rather then leaving them onto the ground. The beet was washed and chopped then ensilled with the leaves mixed in.

Feed to cattle with a mix of silage and straw in a diet feeder.

Corkfarmer

€58 per tonne for beet washed and chopped collected. What do ye think, is it good value?

freedominacup

Corkfarmer wrote: »

€58 per tonne for beet washed and chopped collected. What do ye think, is it good value?

Bob will probably have a more scientific answer but straight no is my opinion. You'd be better off with the same value of soya hulls and straw.

weatherbyfoxer

Collected 10 ton of magnum fodder beet yeasterday @ €35 per ton.Its not washed or chopped but still very clean with the dry harvesting conditions

feeding it to march lambing ewes which are running low grass.im giving them 1.5 beets each at the minute which get a quick chop in the loader bucket with a spade before being scattered across the field

strongly thinking of getting a small chopper and supplementing the ewes at turn out after they lamb as I reckon ill be short on grass in the spring for a while..any thoughts lads?

Corkfarmer

freedominacup wrote: »

Bob will probably have a more scientific answer but straight no is my opinion. You'd be better off with the same value of soya hulls and straw.

I was thinking it was very dear alright, I know it can be got for as little as €30 unwashed elsewhere. They charge €10 to wash and chop so theres a fair difference in the prices.

bob charles

Corkfarmer wrote: »

€58 per tonne for beet washed and chopped collected. What do ye think, is it good value?

expensive, but washing and chopping is dear. dry cleaning this year should be adequate, im terrible fussy with clean beet but im not washing this year

freedominacup

bob charles wrote: »

expensive, but washing and chopping is dear. dry cleaning this year should be adequate, im terrible fussy with clean beet but im not washing this year

Will the dirt not have a detrimental effect if you try to chop and ensile some of it or will you wash in that scenario?