Despite popularity among some growers, the true potential of fodder beet is yet to be realised, is the message from an advocate of the crop.

Among the many benefits is it’s the highest yielding forage crop, says Pembrokeshire agronomist Lyndon Harris. Dividing his time between Agrovista and CCF Agri, he’s been working with fodder beet growers for over 11 years.

“Despite strong economic and agronomic arguments for including fodder beet in rotations as a high energy feed for cattle or sheep, it does have a very long harvesting period so many arable or mixed farmers dismiss it on the basis that they can’t always follow it with an autumn drilled crop,” says Lyndon.

“In truth, 30-40% of existing fodder beet growers harvest a good percentage of their crop early enough to still drill winter wheat, so incorporating fodder beet successfully into existing rotations is readily achievable,” he says.

Supporting milk yields

Lyndon believes the main factor holding the crop back is that for many grassland farmers with little arable experience, it can be seen as a challenging crop to grow. “Grown well, fodder beet can offer very high yields per hectare, and every dairy farmer that I liaise with tells me that when they include fodder beet in their feeding system, milk yields go up.

“As with all crops, detailed planning is essential to achieve maximum yield potential with a specific focus on good seedbed preparation, the right fertiliser and herbicide application advice and, most importantly, selecting the right variety,” says Lyndon.

Seedbed preparation

Agronomically, he advises that because fodder beet seed is small, good seed-to-soil contact is essential. Establishing a fine seedbed and a favourable tilth on the soil surface will facilitate this and help to increase the effectiveness of pre-emergence herbicides.

“It’s also important to recognise that cold, wet conditions don’t phase fodder beet. It thrives in areas where there’s very high rainfall and is capable of growing in much lower soil temperatures than other arable crops, although drilling too early can be problematic in frost prone regions. Soil depth isn’t a major factor either given fodder beet doesn’t suffer from soil compaction problems as much as other crops, especially maize,” explains Lyndon.

On crop nutrition, although fodder beet isn’t particularly nitrogen hungry, it does require a significant amount of potash sourced from slurry or farmyard manure, he says. “A good agronomy tip is to substitute 50% of the potash requirement with agricultural salt. Fodder beet is one of the few crops that’s salt tolerant.

“Regarding trace elements, the important one for fodder beet is boron, which can be added to agricultural salt at very little cost. Boron plays a key role in supporting a diverse range of plant functions including cell wall formation and stability, and is a must for improving potential yields.”

Variety selection

For new or first-time growers, Lyndon stresses that variety selection is critical. “First and foremost, decide which variety suits your preferred system whether its graze in situ, lift to feed, or, in the case of an arable farm, lift and store to sell. If you’re grazing you require a variety with a lot of top visible above the ground, if you’re on heavier soils then a smooth skinned variety with low dirt tare for easier lifting is desirable, and, depending on whether you’re lifting earlier or later, good frost tolerance has to be a factor.”

Brunium

Lyndon has trialed up to 17 different fodder beet varieties over the last few years and says Brunium, from French breeder Florimond Desprez, has stood out on yield and overall performance.

“In last year’s trial it achieved fresh weight yields of 134t/ha including tops, comfortably ahead of the next best variety and a massive 36t/ha ahead of the lowest yielding variety. It’s a dual purpose, rhizomania-tolerant variety that produces an exceptional amount of top and leaf, making it much more resilient to rust and other foliar diseases.

“The amount of leaf it produces also gives it good frost tolerance, with the leaves acting like a cloak.   Brunium’s relatively smooth skin and low dirt tare makes it suitable for easier lifting in heavier soils and with a high percentage of top above the ground it can be top lifted, bottom lifted or grazed in situ. Overall, it’s a very high yielding, versatile choice that suits most farming systems,” says Lyndon.

Elsoms Seeds markets the variety in the UK. Toby Reich explains that although Brunium has only been commercially available in the UK since 2021, Lyndon began trialing it in 2019. “With four years of trial data, Lyndon, Agrovista and CCF are uniquely positioned to offer expert agronomic advice on getting the best from Brunium.

Wider portfolio

“Elsoms currently has a portfolio of seven fodder beet varieties. Whilst Jamon is still one of our most popular varieties, Lempa – a new, high yielding, rhizomania-tolerant variety with a medium dry matter percentage, has also performed well and was the highest yielding variety in recent Elsoms trials.

“Both Brunium and Lempa offer all the existing benefits of Jamon with the bonus of improved disease tolerance and higher yields,” he concludes.