Farming

Dairy farm switches to grazing fodder beet as high-quality winter feed

Published

12 months ago

February 5, 2024

GRAZING fodder beet as a winter crop for beef and dairy cattle is reducing wintering costs at a Pembrokeshire farm.

The James family currently grow 10 hectares (ha) for wintering dairy beef stores produced by their dairy herd at Stackpole Home Farm, but are scaling that up to 45ha to provide feed for lactating and dry cows.

Cows are currently wintered on deferred grazing or kale with baled silage but switching to fodder beet will provide a cheaper, higher quality source of feed.

During a recent Farming Connect open day, George James, who farms with his parents, Chris and Debbie, said growing kale was getting trickier because of periods of prolonged drought following drilling in late May or early June.

“The earlier drilling dates for fodder beet give it an advantage, and we can comfortably get 20 tonne dry matter (tDM)/ha from it so it is by far the highest yielding winter grazing crop,’’ he said.

At around seven pence per kilogramme of DM, it works out at around half the cost of silage therefore the new system will reduce winter feed costs, plug feed gaps in late and early lactation, and capitalise on the farm’s free-draining sandy soils.

But transitioning the herd onto the crop and correctly allocating it will be crucial to animal health and performance.

During the open day, fodder beet expert Dr Jim Gibbs, a veterinarian and research scientist in ruminant nutrition at Lincoln University, New Zealand, and Marc Jones, an independent grass and forage consultant, shared important advice on how to get that right – and how to avoid some of the common pitfalls.

Fodder beet has a high sugar and water content so sufficient time must be given for feed intakes to adjust.

Dr Gibbs warned that dairy cows are the livestock class most susceptible to transition acidosis due to gorging, a situation which occurs if too much fodder beet is allocated too early in the transition process.

To prevent this, he advised feeding low amounts of fodder beet initially, building up intakes slowly, and providing supplementary feed to keep the cow’s rumen fully fed.

Feeding grass or silage as the supplement initially is advisable as if less palatable feed like straw is offered, cattle won’t eat the quantities they need to maintain condition and performance.

A marker for whether cattle have properly transitioned is if they are leaving beet behind – Dr Gibbs suggested this should be around 5-10% a day.

“There is no risk of acidosis after full transition providing intakes are adequate,’’ he pointed out.

A lactating cow needs 15-18kg DM in total therefore 5-6kg DM of fodder beet plus grass or silage should be the target for lactation feeding as the crop should not make up more than a third of their feed.

“Start by offering them 1kg DM/day and, once all the animals are eating the bulb, move up 1kg DM/day every two days,’’ said Dr Gibbs.

He recommended transitioning until target intakes are met.

For dry stock weighing 500kg and for in-calf heifers, the daily feed requirement is 14kg DM – as fodder beet can make up 80% of their diet, they can be allocated 11-12kg DM of fodder beet and 2kg DM roughage once they have transitioned.

Build them up to this in stages, 1-2kg DM at day one, increasing 1kg DM every other day, with 7-8kg of supplement until day seven, gradually dropping supplement to 2kg at 14 days when they have fully transitioned.

If feeding 2kg of supplement, careful consideration needs to be given as to how the supplement will be fed to enable all animals to access it; if feeding bales in ring feeders, increasing to 3-4kg is needed due to the restricted feed space.

For youngstock aged from six months, Dr Gibbs recommended starting with a daily intake of 0.5 kg DM a head of fodder beet, increasing this by 0.5kg every other day, fed with 3-5kg of grass or silage. At day 14 that mix should be 5-6kg of fodder beet and 1-2kg of grass or silage.

Marc Jones, who shared details of how he operates his system of growing and feeding fodder beet on his farm at Trefnant Hall, Berriew, said matching fodder beet varieties to class of stock is important.

He said Lactimo and Geronimo are excellent grazing varieties because they have a high proportion of leaf and more of the bulb sits out of the ground, which allows for a high level of utilisation.

A lower DM variety such as Brigadier is more palatable and will achieve better utilisation in smaller calves weighing around 200kg, he added.

Delana Davies, Cross Sector Manager at Farming Connect, who facilitated the event, said growing fodder beet provides real opportunities for reducing winter feeding costs in all classes of stock.

“Added to this there are savings to be made on housing and straw requirements plus reduced slurry and manure production and spreading issues, making growing the crop a worthwhile consideration for many dairy, beef and sheep farmers,’’ she said.

Crime

Farmer cleared of restraining order breach at Haverfordwest court

Published

1 week ago

January 23, 2025

Tom Sinclair

A PEMBROKESHIRE man has been found not guilty of breaching a restraining order after being accused of referencing a protected individual in a Facebook post.

Philip Stoddart, 58, of Monkhill Farm, St Ishmaels, appeared at Haverfordwest Magistrates’ Court on Monday (Jan 20) to face the charge. The prosecution, led by Ann Griffiths on behalf of the crown, alleged that between December 4 and December 13, 2023, Stoddart made a Facebook post that, by inference, referred to a person he was prohibited from contacting under a restraining order imposed by Swansea Crown Court on April 16, 2021.

The restraining order, issued under Section 360 of the Sentencing Act 2020, barred Stoddart from making any form of contact with her.

Prosecutors argued that the Facebook post constituted a breach of the order, contrary to Section 363 of the same act.

Stoddart denied the allegations and entered a not guilty plea during a prior hearing on October 1, 2024.

Magistrates Professor N. Negus, Mr. J. Steadman, and Mrs. J. Morris presided over the trial, which concluded on Monday.

After reviewing the evidence, the bench found Stoddart not guilty, dismissing the case.

The dismissal brings to a close legal proceedings that had been ongoing for over a year.

Farming

Get up to £5,000 for on-farm trials in Wales

Published

1 week ago

January 23, 2025

Tom Sinclair

FARMERS in Wales are being called to apply for the next round of funding for on-farm trials.

The Farming Connect initiative, which has funded projects such as growing lucerne in Brecon, is inviting applications for the Try Out Fund.

The new application window opens on January 27, 2025, and will run until February 17.

Successful applicants will be awarded up to £5,000 to help fund trials that experiment with new ideas on their farms.

The last round of funding supported several projects, including integrated pest management at a pick-your-own strawberry enterprise.

Menna Williams, the Farming Connect project lead, said: “Farming Connect has developed the Try Out Fund to address specific local problems or opportunities with the aim of improving efficiencies and profitability within agricultural businesses whilst protecting the environment.”

She added: “There are many changes on the horizon for agriculture, and now is a great time for farm businesses to explore an idea that could benefit them, allowing farms to tackle ‘real’ problems or check if a research idea works in practice.”

The fund is open to individuals or groups of up to four farmers and/or growers in Wales who have identified a local or specific problem or opportunity.

Ms Williams said: “Because these ideas are initiated by farmers themselves, they are really passionate about them, giving them 100 per cent effort right from the start.”

Projects should focus on enhancing production efficiencies and profitability while ensuring environmental protection through adherence to sustainable land management principles.

A guidance handbook is accessible on the Farming Connect website, providing support for farmers in outlining their projects and completing the application process.

To apply, individuals must be registered with Farming Connect and capable of finishing their projects by January 2026.

Ms Williams explained: “Funding can be used for technical assistance, sampling, testing and other reasonable expenses such as those relating to short-term hire of specialist equipment or facilities directly relating to the project.”

The findings will be shared with other producers in Wales by collaborating with a Farming Connect team member.

Interested parties can apply on the Farming Connect website.

To receive the link or get further information, contact [email protected].

Farming

Funding window to re-open for on-farm trials in Wales

Published

1 week ago

January 23, 2025

Tom Sinclair

WITH Farming Connect-funded trials ranging from growing lucerne in Brecon to establishing sunflowers as a companion crop with maize, farmers are being invited to apply for the next round of funding from the initiative that brought these projects to life.

The new application window for the Try Out Fund opens on 27January2025 and will run until 17 February. Successful applicants will be awarded up to £5,000 to help fund on-farm trials that experiment with new ideas. The last round of funding saw farmers supported for several projects including integrated pest management at pick your own strawberry enterprise.

Project lead Menna Williams of Farming Connect said the aim is for farmers to compare different treatments or management systems – the project is not intended to fund new equipment she stressed.

“Farming Connect has developed the Try-Out Fund to address specific local problems or opportunities with the aim of improving efficiencies and profitability within agricultural businesses whilst protecting the environment,’’ she said. “There are many changes on the horizon for agriculture, and now is a great time for farm businesses to explore an idea that could benefit them, allowing farms to tackle ‘real’ problems or check if a research idea works in practice.’’

The fund is open to individuals or groups of up to four farmers and/or growers in Wales who have identified a local or specific problem or opportunity.

“Because these ideas are initiated by farmers themselves, they are really passionate about them, giving them 100% effort right from the start,’’ said Ms Williams.

Suitable projects must aim to improve production efficiencies and profitability whilst protecting the environment by aligning with sustainable land management outcomes. A guidance handbook is available on the Farming Connect website to help farmers scope their project and complete the application form.

Applicants must be registered with Farming Connect and be able to complete their projects by January 2026.