Winter crop feeding

1. Measure your yield accurately

Particularly important for transition area – range 18 - 35 tonne DM/ha, so using “book” figures can lead to 50- 100% over-allocation. As highly variable, add a safety factor 4-5 tonnes during transition (i.e. yield = 21 tonne, work with 25-26 tonnes for calculations).

2. Allow at least 1 linear metre/cow along the face of the crop

So all cows (e.g. shy girls) can reach the face to eat. Anything leading to differential feeding rates (e.g. shy cows unable to eat) = increase risk of acidosis.

3. Ensure there is a 6m (minimum) to 10m headland for transitioning

This can be created by planting a crop like kale at the start of a paddock, dropping a fence, or lifting the beet. It acts as an area where supplements can be fed.

Avoiding using bale feeders – certain cows will stand there and eat it (over beet), best feed on the ground.

4. Start at 1-2kgDM/day & increase by 1kg every second day over 14 days (to reach a max of 9-10kg - cows which have never eaten beet before may/will take 21 days to achieve).

Begin at 1kg if the cows haven’t eaten beet before. If they haven’t eaten the previous day’s allocation DON’T increase! For the first couple of days you can break bulbs up to encourage cows eating it.

5. Feed a good quality supplement in the morning, and fodderbeet in the afternoon.

A minimum gap of 2 hours is recommended to get the cows full, and make sure they don’t just wait for the beet. Supplement should be given @ 7kg initially. It should be good quality (not just Barley straw). Once at 5kg of Fodderbeet, supplement can be reduced to 4kg (assuming it’s not just barley straw!). By day 14 they should be targeting 9-10kg of fodderbeet, plus 2-3kg of supplement.

2-3kg of hay or straw should be maintained even with cows at max feeding levels. Be aware of utilisation – if poor, you will have to increase the amount offered.

6. Feeding allocations must be accurate

If the face is fed perpendicular to the row planting then you can adjust by square metre. However a major danger in early transition is that breaks will need to be moved less than 1m. As these are often stepped out (rather than measured), it can lead to massive over allocations.

We more commonly see paddocks set out with the face parallel. This allows the beet to be allocated by row (calculated by linear metre). This is a lot safer as you are just moving the reel a certain number of rows. Calculate the total number of linear metres required (total allocation divided by kgDM/linear m). To be accurate you will have to offer PART rows (i.e your live strand will have a dog leg in it at some point).

NB cows will comfortably graze up to half a metre under a single strand wire. The wire therefore needs to be around 30cm in FRONT of the row you are looking to graze. It must be very high voltage!

7. If you find beet underfoot BEFORE day 7, pull back–you have over allocated!

You typically see the biggest issues with acidosis and deaths around day 7 of transition. It takes around 7 days for cows to reach maximum intake (but a further 7 days for the rumen to adjust).

On farms with issues there will be beet left underfoot from previous days’ allocations (“banked” beet). At day 7 cows start going back and picking this out, so some animals will increase intakes by over 2kg and get acidosis.

If there are beet underfoot in this period, reduce your allocations (to 75% of previous) and start the transition timing again.

8. Ad-lib Feeding (starting from Day 21) – keep them on the beet!

If you want to reach the ad-lib level (where bulbs are left behind) then animals must have constant access to the face (no walking on and off the fodderbeet). NOTE: This method is actually safer REGARDLESS of your feeding level.

Cows should remain at the 10kg level until day 21 before attempting to reach ad-lib levels (to allow all cows to acclimatise). Increases should still only occur at 1kg every second day.

With ad-lib feeding, once cows have got above 10kgDM/ day there should be 15-20% of beet bulbs left from the previous day when shifting the wire, and about 5% from the previous day before that. Cow will always eventually clean this up. If you haven’t got bulbs being left behind they are not being fed ad-lib.

NB Beware of cows getting over-fat (ad-lib feeding may not be appropriate for some cows).

9. Transition of Lactating Cows – same rules, but maximum of 5-6kgDM

Lactating cows (500kg) in most situations should max out at 5kgDM day of fodder beet (start at 1-2kg). Larger breeds may get up to 6kgDM.

Same rules apply – feed your supplement/grass etc first before ALL cows are moved 2 hours later. NEVER exit a milking onto a fodderbeet break

10. If you get acidosis reset to 75% of allocation, DON’T stop feeding fodderbeet!

Most animals will be unaffected, so should stay on the crop after being assessed. HOWEVER the feeding level should be dropped back to 75%, with further increases carried out under the normal rule of 1kg every second day. Some cows will be “burnt” and not eat much fodderbeet – these should be taken off onto grass/other crops (although they often won’t gain much weight regardless).

11. Allow sufficient time to transition and to gain desired BCS

Once animals have transitioned onto FB they are capable of phenomenal gains in BCS. Make sure that your cows will have enough days to gain condition post-transition.

Bare in mind they will need to be transitioned off the crop and placed in a state of mildly negative or neutral energy balance in the final 2-4 weeks of pregnancy, ready for calving. One option is beginning transition while still on the milking platform.

Cows which have never eaten beet before will take longer to reach maximum intakes as they have to also ‘learn how’ to eat the beet.