Fodder beet for sheep, beef and deer farms

Fodder beet has been used in New Zealand for many years, first grown as ‘mangels’ in the 1920s. In the past five years modern hybrid cultivars have become increasingly popular as a winter feed for cattle, deer and sheep due to their high yields, high ME value (12+ MJ ME/kg DM), high utilisation (typically 90%) and relative lack of disease pressure compared with brassicas. Under good management fodder beet can yield 30 t DM/ha, but typical yields are 18-24 t DM/ ha with reasonable summer moisture.