Roughage tour Fodder beets - Week 25
Emergence of fodder beets very erratic
The fodder beet provides a strong yield of KVEM per hectare. It also has a positive effect on the production of the cows. So far this year the cultivation has been different from other years. At the Boerenbusiness Roughage tour four participating dairy farmers grow fodder beets. What are their experiences?
Dairy farmer Hans Schoenmakers grows fodder beets for the third year in a row on the sandy soil of Udenhout in Brabant. He especially sees the advantage of increasing the content and the palatability of the ration. In previous years, cultivation at Schoenmakers was easier than this year. The Rialto variety emerged reasonably well in the spring and there was a nice crop. After applying crop protection a few times, the beets suffered from spray damage. The last spraying was on May 10, after which there was little growth after May 25. Specialists looked into what was wrong with the crop, but no one could provide an explanation. Now - almost a month later - Schoenmakers sees the crop growing again every day. He hopes the proceeds will be good.
Average about 120 tons
Joost van Nostrum in Sint-Oedenrode also grows fodder beets. He indicates that the fodder beets have not suffered much from the drought. The dairy farmer thinks the condition of the crop is reasonably good at that time. The growth is fast this period. Van Nostrum expects to harvest an average of around 120 tons of fodder beets per hectare. He has applied crop protection to combat weeds and aphids, but no protection has yet been needed against leaf spots or other diseases.
Varying attendance
Bert Wissels from Hengelo (GD) has also filled in part of the acreage with fodder beets. Wissels indicates that he has a varying turnout. After the rainfall, all the seeds germinated and emerged. Robert Welhuis from Wapse (Dr.) also grows Rialto. At the moment, he thinks the condition of the crop is moderate, but it has suffered from the drought. Welhuis watered after sowing. Because some rows were sown too shallowly, the turnout was variable. In the end everything has come to the surface, but an irregular position is the result. Fortunately, there are also parts of the plot that do display beautiful crops. Welhuis is satisfied with last week's growth. He says that the yield cannot yet be predicted, because the fodder beets can recover enormously. Welhuis has currently sprayed the beets five times to keep the crop healthy.
Reuben van der Maas
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