Friday, 11 March 2016 10:55

Fodder beet supplement pays its way

Written by 
Cattle Fodder Beet Block. Cattle Fodder Beet Block.

Fodder beet is an increasingly popular winter crop for beef and dairy cattle due to the large amounts of dry matter it produces.

But stock won't get the best out of the crop if its nutritional gaps aren't managed, warns product development manager Jackie Aveling, of SealesWinslow.

Its high sugar content makes fodder beet very palatable to stock, but it has sub-optimal protein content (13%), low fibre levels (<20%) and is low in phosphorus, magnesium and essential trace elements.

"At SealesWinslow, we've found a way to overcome these issues with a solution that's easy to use and which provides good nutritional support for stock grazing on fodder beet," says Aveling.

The result is a specially formulated Cattle Fodder Beet Block now on sale following on farm testing.

The new block addresses phosphorus deficiency and balances other minerals like magnesium and essential trace elements that are lacking in cows and heifers on a fodder beet diet.

"A diet deficient in these minerals, particularly phosphorus, can lead to 'creeper cows' in the short term, and longer-term difficulties including poor milk production, reduced appetite, weight loss and poor reproductive performance.

"Current practice to reduce the chance of phosphate deficiencies developing in stock grazed on fodder beet is to dust the crop with dicalcium phosphate (DCP) or use a slurry of the compound on silage or straw. However these practices can be dusty, time-consuming, wasteful and the intake is variable."

The new Cattle Fodder Beet Blocks come in 25kg tubs which are simply placed at the crop face under the fence in front of the cows.

Available from merchant retail stores, the block is said to pay its way in convenience, labour time saved, lower downer costs and longer-term stock problems, the supplier says.

It also compares favourably with the price of a single intravenous downer cow treatment. The recommended block to cow ratio is 1:25.

More like this

Trace elements' role in health, productivity

Trace elements are the ‘invisible fence at the top of the cliff’ that can protect a dairy herd’s health and ensure cows meet their full production potential, says SealesWinslow nutrition extension specialist Simon Butler.

Feed help supplements Canterbury farmers meet protein goals

Two high producing Canterbury dairy farmers are moving to blended stockfeed supplements fed in-shed for a number of reasons, not the least of which is to boost protein levels, which they can’t achieve through pasture under the region’s nitrogen limit of 190kg/ha.

Featured

Fencing excellence celebrated

The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards, providing the opportunity to honour both rising talent and industry stalwarts.

B+LNZ launches AI assistant for farmers

Beef + Lamb New Zealand has launched an AI-powered digital assistant to help farmers using the B+LNZ Knowledge Hub to create tailored answers and resources for their farming businesses.

National

Machinery & Products

JDLink Boost for NZ farms

Connectivity is widely recognised as one of the biggest challenges facing farmers, but it is now being overcome through the…

New generation Defender HD11

The all-new 2026 Can-Am Defender HD11 looks likely to raise the bar in the highly competitive side-by-side category.

» Latest Print Issues Online

Milking It

Buttery prize

OPINION: Westland Milk may have won the contract to supply butter to Costco NZ but Open Country Dairy is having…

Gene Bill rumours

OPINION: The Gene Technology Bill has divided the farming community with strong arguments on both the pros and cons of…

» Connect with Dairy News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter